The Ultimate Modern Baby Registry Checklist

The Ultimate Modern Baby Registry Checklist

When I was pregnant with Emerson and went to make a baby registry, I went a little nuts reading reviews and examining every baby registry checklist under the sun. In hindsight, I may have overcomplicated the process. Who really needs to read 200 reviews of a stroller? At the end of the day, you just want things that are awesome, functional and fit your style.

A ton of our friends and family are having sweet babes this year and I get asked a lot about our favorite baby gear. Here are the things we loved and used the most. I'm going to continually update this list as time goes on to share what works for each stage of baby's first year.

SEE THE FULL LIST BELOW:


The first 3 months:


  • Velcro Swaddler // I've heard some babies don't like to be swaddled, but Emerson LOVED it. And it was the only thing that relaxed her into a deep sleep. We got the Ergobaby Swaddler in a Small size at first and it lasted until she was about 2 mo. old and then we upgraded to the Medium, which lasted until we stopped swaddling her around 4 months.
  • Boppy // I've used this pillow every single day for 7 months now and I love it. Everyone recommends it and there's a reason- it's multifunctional and high quality. In addition to nursing, I used it as a sitting prop for Emerson when she was learning to sit up on her own and also as a prop for tummy time in those early months. 
  • Bassinet // We used a rocking bassinet bedside for the first few weeks of E's life. It made those late night wake-ups much easier and it was nice to lay half-asleep and rock the baby back to bed. We would also take it to friends and family's houses for an easy place to let the baby nap.
  • Stokke Sleepi Crib // I cannot express how much I love this crib. I fell in love with it when I was pregnant and never looked back. It transitions from a bassinet to a crib to a toddler bed. And it fits into our tiny nursery perfectly. Plus, the design is so gorgeous and I'm a sucker for that stuff. 
  • WubbaNub Pacifiers // What I didn't realize before I had a baby was how hard it would be to keep a pacifier in a baby's mouth. They fall out ALL THE TIME and E would wake up and I'd have to do the sleep process all over again. Having a plush toy on the end of the paci kept it in Emerson's mouth better when she was laying on her back for a nap or at night. 
  • Muslin blankets // I had Emerson is late April, so most of her infanthood was in the summer heat. I liked swaddling her and these muslin blankets were breathable and light, but large enough to wrap around multiple times. I also used them to cover her in the car seat, prop behind her head in the stroller, clean up spit-up, you name it. I bought two 4-packs and always keep 2 in my diaper bag.
  • Maxi-Cosi Mico Car Seat //  We read tons and tons of reviews and kept coming back to this car seat. Along with being incredibly safe, it's sleek and beautiful attached to the top of our stroller. I haven't tried any other car seats, but I really liked ours and would definitely recommend it.
  • Infant Swing //  For a few weeks, this is the only thing Emerson would nap in during the day. It has a vibrating feature to go along with the swing motion and the mobile would keep E entertained.
  • Skip Hop Diaper Bag // I really like this bag and get a ton of compliments that it doesn't even look like a diaper bag. There's a place for everything and I've never felt like I needed more storage.
  • White Noise Sound Machine // For the first few weeks of E's life, we had her sleeping in our room bedside. So we used this sound machine in our room. After we transitioned her to her nursery, we really missed the sound machine and wanted one for ourselves. The white noise is perfect and you can adjust the sounds.
  • Video Baby Monitor // I know some people think this is overkill, but I cannot imagine not having a video baby monitor. It's just so reassuring to be able to turn it on, see the baby and make sure she's okay without having to tip-toe into her nursery. 
  • ERGObaby 360 Baby Carrier // If you're only going to buy one baby carrier, this is the one. It's so supportive on your back and I wear it more than any other carrier I own. It's great for everything from a quick grocery store trip to a marathon zoo trip. Plus, with each stage of Emerson's life, she's liked being worn in different ways. From 0-3 months, she loved being all cuddled into my chest, and then 3-4 months old she wanted to face outwards to the world, and now around 7 months old, she likes being on my back. 
  • Sling Carrier // I went a little crazy with the number of carriers I bought when Emerson was born, but I used them all constantly (and still do). The Sakura Bloom sling is just so beautiful and I wear this whenever I'm dressed up and don't want to look like I'm going on a hike.
  • Diaper Pail // I'm a sucker for Amazon reviews and this one took the cake when I was looking for diaper pails. It's the perfect size, is hands-free and fits snugly next to the dresser. Plus, it's really smell-proof and can hold a TON of diapers.
  • Organic Changing Pad Cover // I laid this cover on top of Emerson's changing pad cover to keep things clean. It's waterproof and super easy to throw in the washer/dryer. I also used it on her bassinet/crib when she was tiny and would spit-up/blow-out on the regular.
  • Changing Pad // This is a no-brainer and again, was the best-reviewed and cheapest I found via Amazon. I made this changing pad cover to go with it.
  • Baby Jogger City Stroller // We got the Baby Jogger City Versa stroller. Again, a crazy amount of Amazon review-reading when into this decision and I'm really happy with the result. This stroller is GREAT for just about any surface/terrain and Emerson naps in it constantly. I really really love the amount of storage it has on the bottom. If I'm doing light grocery shopping, I can use the bottom as a cart. We bought this car seat adapter so our Maxi-Cosi seat can just fasten to the top of the stroller. The stroller folds up pretty easily and nicely and fits snugly in the back of our SUVs.
  • Baby Bathtub // The thing I really like about this particular bath tub is that it transitioned from when E was an infant and would just lay with a bath sponge, to now that she's a 7-month-old sitter that wants to splash around. 
  • Musical Toy // I totally get why this is one of the highest-rated toys on Amazon for babies. When I'm leaving to go ANYWHERE in the car, I make sure I have diapers, wipes and this toy haha. It's the only thing that will distract Emerson when she's flipping out in the car and I only use it in the car so that she doesn't get used to, or tired of, it.
  • Baby Keepsake Book // I love this baby book and I was surprised by how much I have enjoyed writing in it and documenting all of E's milestones.
  • Wooden Rattle Toy // Emerson has loved this toy since she was about 3 months old and the way she plays it with continues to evolve. It started out as a toy she would grab and rattle and now she uses it as a teether.

3-6 months old:


  • Diono Rainier Car Seat // Depending on how quickly your baby grows, you may need to switch to a convertible car seat around this age. I remember listening to my mom friends talk about car seats and all of them swore by the Diono brand. It's narrower than other car seats on the market, which means you can fit multiple car seats in the back. And it's known as being one of the safest out there (huge plus). 
  • Banana Toothbrush // Awesome for when baby starts teething (and safer than the traditional toothbrush). Emerson also loves using this as a teether.
  • Sophie the Giraffe // Everyone gets this as a baby shower gift and I didn't completely understand why until E was about 4 months old and would chew on it all day. Now I take this everywhere with us for whenever she's feeling like chewing.
  • Doorway Jumper // Oh my gosh, our child is obsessed with this. She will jump for 45 minutes to an hour if I let her and she squeals with delight when I go to put her in it. It's a life saver when you need to do your makeup, make dinner, or do anything that requires you to use two hands.
  • Pack 'n Play // This was another thing everyone got as a shower gift, but kind of confused me until our baby turned 5 months. Now she plays in here like a champ. We also took it on vacation with us and used it as a crib for about a week and it was awesome. It folds and packs up so nicely and fits into the back seat of my car with ease.
  • Jellycat Bunny // This quickly became Emerson's favorite plush toy (and mine, too). It's BY FAR the softest plush toy I've come across and it's just so stinkin' cute.

6-12 months old: 


  • OXO Wooden Highchair // When I first saw this highchair, I was hooked. Aesthetically, it's beautiful. Functionally, it's easy to keep clean and fits into our narrow kitchen.
  • Silicone Food Feeder // I wasn't into the whole Baby Led Weaning thing, but I did like the idea of Emerson learning how to feed herself from a younger age. So this feeder was awesome for us. I'll just cut up avocado, banana, etc. and throw in it here and she'll chew/mouth on it and eat. It's also been a LIFESAVER for her teething. I fill it to the brim with frozen blueberries and let her have a field day.
  • Infant Spoons and Bowls // Buy a lot of these because they WILL be thrown on the floor quite often. I bought the more expensive bowls with the suction cup bottoms, and Emerson pulls them right off her tray and throws them on the ground, so I just buy the regular bowls now.
  • Silicone Teething Necklace // Oh the lengths I will go to soothe a teething baby, am I right? I like this teething necklace because I can put it on while we're out shopping (and Emerson is in the carrier) and she'll just chew away happy as a clam. It's also not terrible to look at, so I don't feel like I'm wearing a ridiculous baby toy on my neck.

That's it for now! I'm going to continually update this list as time goes on and I figure out what works/doesn't work for each stage. I'd love to hear what you think and what your favorites are!

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