Baby Registry Checklist

Store registry checklists are sales documents — the 200-item versions exist because the store sells 200 items. A newborn's actual needs are shorter: somewhere safe to sleep, a way to eat, diapers, a way to get around, and clothes. This checklist covers those five jobs and flags the traps.

Sleep

A crib with a firm mattress and three fitted sheets (middle-of-the-night changes happen; three is the minimum rotation). A bassinet or bedside sleeper for the early months if you want the baby in your room — the AAP recommends room-sharing for at least the first six months. Sleep sacks instead of loose blankets, which shouldn't be in the crib at all the first year. A sound machine is the closest thing to a cheat code this list contains.

Feeding

Bottles with slow-flow nipples even if you plan to nurse — someone else will feed the baby eventually, and that's a feature. Burp cloths in absurd quantity; eight is a starting bid. A nursing pillow earns its space either way: it's an arm-saver for bottle feeding too.

Diapering

Register for some newborn-size diapers but more size 1 — many babies outgrow newborn size in two or three weeks, and unopened boxes of the wrong size are the most-returned baby item there is. Wipes in bulk, a changing pad with covers, and a diaper pail if the nursery is far from the trash.

Getting Around

The car seat is the one item where the choice actually matters and the one thing you cannot leave the hospital without. Infant seats click into stroller frames but get outgrown around a year; convertible seats last years but don't detach. Either works — decide based on how often the baby will transfer between cars. A carrier or wrap turns errands back into one-person jobs.

Skip for Now

• Wipe warmers, bottle sterilizers, formula machines — counter space for jobs that hot water already does.
• Shoes — babies who can't walk don't need them, in any quantity.
• Newborn clothes in bulk — see diapers, above. Register 0–3 month and up.
• The fancy bassinet that rocks itself — borrow one if you can; its useful window is about four months.

Keep the registry at the store, but keep the decision list here: a shared list both partners edit as you research, that grandparents can open without creating a store account, and that doesn't disappear when the retailer's registry program changes.