Baby Registry Must Haves According to a Second Time Mama

Overwhelmed with building a registry because you’re not sure what you really need?

I’m a second time mom who thrives on minimalism and I’m sharing all my baby registry must haves.

If you’re a second time mama and not sure what the baby registry must haves for a second child are, this list is going to be for you, too!

I’ve broken down this list of baby registry must haves into a few categories to help you navigate. Feel free to browse the whole list or jump to the category you’re most interested in. 

• General – A catch all category for anything baby. This is where you’ll find all the good baby gear and general everyday items. 
• Sleep – The sleep essentials for my babies when they’re babies.
• Feeding – The breastfeeding and solid food items that I swear by.
• For Mamas – The things I love that make transitioning to postpartum life just a little easier.

Pro Tip for Second Time Mamas – If you need things for your toddler, add them to your registry! Most people either won’t know the difference or already love your toddler enough to want to get them a few things, too. Most registries will let you apply their completion discount to toddler items, so you can always add your toddlers items at the end when you’re purchasing what’s left on your registry.

Before you can even start adding your must have items, you need to create a baby registry! My favorites are Babylist, Amazon, and Target. I used all three as a first time mom to get all the different items I wanted and to maximize my completion discount. 

The second time around, I just used Amazon because they have the widest selection and their completion discount isn’t one-time use like Babylist and Target. Amazon gives you a couple months to use your completion discount on everything you purchase during that time up to a certain dollar amount. 

Amazon’s baby registry was easier to use a second time mom because I had a smaller sprinkle and had more things to purchase on my own. I loved that I didn’t have to plan out everything I needed and could just add and purchase with my completion discount as I went. The discount ended up being good all the way until my daughter turned 3 months old!

If you’re interested in building your baby registry on Amazon, click here to get started!

Disclaimer: As an Amazon Affiliate, I may make a small commission at no additional cost to you from anything you purchase or registries created using the links on this page.

Now that you have a registry site, it’s time for the fun part – adding the items!

Check out all of the items that I think are baby registry must haves whether it’s your first baby or your fifth.

All the big and little every day items that I couldn’t live without. You’ll want to check this out and add them to your baby registry ASAP.

This has been one of the most necessary items for having a child, but especially a second.

I compared all the different strollers that could convert from single to double when we had our first baby and we decided we liked the Uppa Vista system best. It rolls nicely (even over rough terrain), easily works with our car seat, and overall just functions well for what we need. 

If your babies are anything like mine, they’ll hate the bassinet so you’ll want to get the infant insert for the toddler seat. It’s a game changer. This lets your newborn sit in the big seat safely and comfortably in a reclined position (instead of flat like the bassinet). You can get one made by Uppa or this less expensive off-brand one I got on Amazon that works really well, too. 

To make our Uppa Vista stroller go from a one- to two-seater when our second baby came, we bought the rumble seat. Just a heads up, this seat can only be used on the bottom and you can only use the original seat that the stroller first comes with or the car seat (when the bottom seats reclined just so) on top, not the bassinet. If you do want to use the bassinet, or give your kiddos more space between seats, buy the upper adapters to raise the height of whatever you’re attaching on top. 

Being a second time mom means I’ve already tried all the different ways to get the newborn (and toddler) mess out of clothes and found what works. 

After trying them all out, this is my favorite go-to to get any stain out from newborn to adult. I keep a small bottle in the diaper bag, under the kitchen sink, and next to the changing table to catch stains early, plus a bigger bottle in the laundry room. 

It works pretty instantly on fresh stains but is even great for getting out stains that have already been through the wash, and even tough stains like grease and red wine. It is the only stain remover I will buy anymore!

This is an obvious baby registry must have but to be honest I completely forgot just how many diapers we needed in the newborn phase. Ordering the enormous boxes on Amazon made it easy because they were usually running a deal like “buy $80 worth and get a $20 Amazon gift card.” Then they just showed up at my house within a day. We love easy wins in motherhood. 

As a first time mom, so many people gave us diapers so I wasn’t really picky about which ones we used. Free was free! This time around I was a little pickier because I’ve learned how bad fragrances and other things in diapers could be (sorry, looking at you Pampers). 

My go-to diapers are the Huggies Little Snugglers and Little Movers (red boxes) and then Huggies Overnights when they hit size three (they don’t make smaller sizes in overnights). Huggies doesn’t use any fragrances in their diapers and we have next to no diaper rashes or blow outs/leaks in them. 

I do make an exception to my Huggies rule when we make a trip to Sam’s Club. Their store brand diapers compare really well to Huggies (rumor is Huggies makes theirs and Costco’s) and is so much less expensive than big name brands. We’re making more Sam’s trips as our family grows and thus far I’m a fan of their diapers and the price can’t be beat!

I already had the diaper pail from my first baby and we LOVE it, so much so that I was considering buying a second for the new baby. Thankfully and miraculously, our oldest was ready to potty train by the time her new sibling came so I only have one in diapers!

The great thing about this diaper pail is that you can use any tall trash bag with it, but I still like to use the name brand one. It’s a little more expensive but I’ve noticed it’s sturdier and holds the smell in better. 

The beauty of a baby registry is that you get the stuff gifted or buy it yourself at a discount so I put the good bags that I wanted.

For my sprinkle registry, I added the small bags to keep by our changing table and the mini bags for the diaper bag to lock extra yucky diapers in. When those kiddos start making stinkier poops those things are life savers.

My first baby only took a pacifier for the first few weeks and then decided it was not for her. I never knew the power of a paci until our second baby came and will almost instantly soothe or even just “power down” for a nap when we pop that bad boy in her mouth. 

So, naturally pacifiers became a baby registry must have for us after baby arrived, and lots of them! Those suckers always go missing or get dirty either from being dropped or a certain toddler taking a second stab at pacifiers two years later…

Since I breastfeed, I tried using the soothie style pacifiers the lactation consultants recommended but both of my girls hated them. And we tried every brand to no avail. 

The ones that did work like a charm were these pacifiers and basically everyone I know has babies who love them, too. Heck, my mom even said they’re the pacis my brother and I used as babies!

Having a humidifier has been such a game changer for us when my oldest is sick, so we had to get another one for Baby #2. It might seem overkill to have two but when both kiddos are sick at the same time you’ll be grateful to have two. 

I like our second humidifier so much better than our first. This one is much easier to fill without making a mess and to clean without worrying about mold growing. Plus it can double as a diffuser! It’s a great natural remedy for sick kiddos or to just freshen up the room. 

With my first baby, I loved the Oxo Tot bottle brush because it cleaned great, had the smaller brush built into the bottom, and had a great little stand. We repurchased a few over the course of my first daughter’s bottle days since I was working out of the home and pumping more. 

With my youngest now, I knew I wanted a silicone bottle brush that would have a little more durability plus the silicone bristles make it more sanitary. 

I love this set because it has a couple different kinds of brushes making it great for bottles, nipples, and pump parts. Plus it’s on a cute little stand so everything fits neatly next to my sink.

Baby carriers are a game changer and a baby registry must have for busy mamas or anyone with a velcro baby wanting to give their arms a break.

When you use them correctly, they’re also really good for babies’ physical development instead of using seats and swings all the time. 

For my second time and beyond moms, you need a baby carrier so you can keep you baby close while chasing your other littles. Trust me.

I could go on and on about baby carries and I have several different ones I use for different purposes. To keep it short and sweet, I’ve listed the ones I love and when I use them. 

• Baby Wrap (long strip of fabric you tie around yourself) – My every day wrap because it’s the most comfortable for both of us. It takes a bit to put on and can get hot if you wear it outside so it’s mostly for around the house. My babies nap super well in these.
• Hybrid Baby Wrap (if a baby carrier and a baby wrap had their own baby) – This one is easier to put on and a bit more breathable so I wear this during the summer and when we play outside. It’s great for on-the-go because it folds up nicely in your diaper bag and when newborns are a bit too small to be comfy in traditional baby carriers
• Baby Carrier (one with the buckles and clips instead of ties) – This one is great for when babies are a little older and everyone needs a bit more support. We carried my oldest daughter all over Italy in this one when she was 10 months old and everyone was comfortable. It also supports their hips really well and can be used forward facing.

Giving babies space to play with toys and roll around is crucial to their development, even as a little newborn. Play gyms are great because it gives babies things to look at, grab for, and space to roll around and play on safely. 

I have two play gyms that I used and loved for both of my babies. 

The first play gym I love is this popular one that is aesthetically pleasing and chock-full of developmentally stimulating features for babies. It has everything you need all in one. It also comes with a super helpful booklet with activity ideas for the different features to help your baby reach milestones each month. 

The second is this one that is colorful and slightly obnoxious but incredibly beneficial for development. As much as some of us don’t love the brightly colored kids things, those colors really do serve a purpose. So do the light up features and earworm songs that you’ll find yourself singing all day long. Embrace the colors and songs – it’s good for your baby and is only for a season.

When your back is too tired for baby wearing or you need to set baby down for a bit, you’ll want a bouncer seat. 

My two main choices for baby seats are the traditional BabyBjorn and this ingenius battery-operated one that bounces on its own. 

I love the BabyBjorn because it’s compact, has adjustable recline, is easy to wash when blow outs happen (which they do a lot in bouncer seats), and even folds up so it’s easy to store and travel with.

The battery-operated seat is fantastic because all it takes is a couple C batteries to bounce your baby into sleep bliss. This feature alone is a huge selling point, especially if you have multiple kiddos and can’t always bounce your babe to sleep. It is a little bulkier and doesn’t really allow for adjusting the recline, which are my main draw backs

Most bouncer seats are designed to fit newborns all the way through infancy. This one we got for my parents’ house even holds up to my toddler’s weight so I don’t have to worry about her trying to play with it. 

Having a good medicine cabinet stock from the get go is crucial with babies making it a major baby registry must have. When they’re sick or hurt you want to have what you need right on hand. I used my sprinkle baby registry as an opportunity to restock our medicine cabinet.  

Now I’m no doctor and I tend to be more natural and conservative when it comes to medicine, but I will share what we have in our medicine cabinet that has worked well for us so far.

Please check with your doctors before using any medicines including the ones listed below!

• Diaper Rash – Active Skin Repair Baby spray (make sure to fan it dry before you put the diaper on), Aquaphor Baby ointment, Boogie brand spray, breastmilk bath
• Pain & Fever – Infant Genexa for acetaminophen (paracetamol) and Dye Free Motrin for ibuprophen 
• Allergy – Genexa Kid’s Clean Allergy Antihistamine (talk to your doctor first as this isn’t labeled for infants) 
• Cold – Norm’s Elderberry Extract (talk to your doctor about age) and/or Zarbee’s Day and Night Cough Syrups (only over 1 years old after you’ve introduced honey) + Little Remedies Saline Drops + Frida Mom Snot Sucker (gross but so effective) 
• Teething – Earthley Wellness Teeth Tamer or Camila Liquid Drops
• Gas – Little Remidies Gas Drops and Frida Mom Windi (again, gross but so effective)
• Vitamin D Drops – Genexa Infant Vitamin D Drops or Mary Ruth’s Organic Vitamin D Drops for Infants & Toddlers
• Cuts & Scrapes – Active Skin Repair Baby spray or breastmilk
• Thermometer – Either an ear thermometer or a rectal one

I didn’t use sunscreen a whole lot with my first baby because she doesn’t burn easily with her complexion, but my second is a lot more fair so I knew we’d need this.

When we go to the beach, splash pad or are generally going to be directly in the hot Florida sun for a while, I always reach for this mineral sunscreen stick. It’s easy to apply and rubs in pretty well. They make a lotion too that applies pretty easily as well.

Both of my girls did not enjoy car rides when they were really little but they did way better if they had something to look at or play with. 

I love the spiral baby toys that wrap around the bar of the car seat or stroller. They’re adorable, stay in place well even with babes pull on them, and are soft enough to not become a hard full projectile if God forbid we had an accident.

You can get so many different kinds, but this is the one we went with this time around. 

It may seem like newborns don’t need toys because they can’t really “play” but they totally do! Newborns and young infants need stimulating experiences and interesting toys to explore their senses and build brain connections. 

Contrast toys like this soft fold out book are great for developing little brains and eyes. I also love rattles like this wooden one or o-ring one my girl love because they help babies track sights and sounds while they’re learning to grasp. And the little wrist and sock rattles are a must, too!

I know lots of  people love the camera to watch their babes in the backseat, but I just can’t get on board with having one more digital product to monitor them.

Instead, we go old school with these easy mount mirrors that go right on the headrests. They’re inexpensive, stay on really well, and let me easily see my babes. If you want something a little fancier, they make these with a remote light option so you can see your baby during night drives or even put on a soothing light show.

Adding more kiddos means you need more car mirrors to see them all. I’ll admit this obvious need was lost on me until right before Baby #2 came but thankfully I did remember we’d need more than one!

These are an absolute baby registry must have, especially since we live in Florida. There’s nothing worse than a hot, uncomfy, crying baby and having nothing to cool them down. 

I registered for two of these rechargeable stroller fans for my first baby and loved them so much I registered for another two for my second. They hold up super well (even after two years and a toddler’s playing), can attach to just about anything, and work perfectly to keep your baby (or you) cool.

I had both of my babies in summer, which means peak mosquito season. My poor oldest gets welts when she’s bitten so I searched for something that was safe for her and the new baby without all the harsh chemicals.

I found these mosquito stickers and was a little skeptical at first but man do they help! I put a couple on the girls and myself and we’re good to go. It doesn’t stop the mosquitos flying near us but we definitely get less bites.

Doing the monthly photos can sometimes seem a bit much or like a chore but these pictures are some of my favorites to look back on and see my oldest’s growth. I used these wooden signs from Etsy for my oldest and now with my youngest and they’re adorable  and have kept well over the years.

I also got a little “hello world” sign with date of birth, weight, length for my oldest and got another for my youngest daughter. It’s great for baby announcement pictures and to have as a keepsake.

Yes, you can add laundry detergent to your baby registry! It’s actually a baby registry must have since such little people make such an incredible amount of laundry.

I’ve tried so many different kinds of laundry detergent in search of a less toxic brand that still actually cleans the clothes. There’s nothing I hate more than having to rewash clothes because they just wouldn’t come clean. The stain remover I use is great but it can still only do so much.

I’ve tried to strike a balance between adorability and more “natural” and I think I may have found it. For most of our clothes, I use this affordable fragrance-free liquid detergent because I can always count on it getting them clean. For our sheets, towels, or any clothes that are more worn but not stained, I use these more natural laundry sheets.

The laundry sheets are more expensive and aren’t great for removing grime and stains, so I alternate detergents depending on what I’m washing and it’s worked so far.

Babies come with lots of little things that easily get lost – socks, pacis, etcs. And then they grow into toddlers and small children with lots of toys with little pieces that need to stay together. 

To keep my sanity, I found these organizer storage bags and I use them for everything. I’ve repurchased them several times because I use and love them so much.

I organize items in my diaper bag (diapering stuff, snacks, toys, extra outfits), my toddler’s toys and activities, and even use them to organize our suitcases when we travel. They were also so helpful when I was packing my hospital bag!

Bonus, they’re waterproof so they can double as those expensive wet-dry bags when you need to keep wet, drooly, or blowout covered clothes contained until you can get home.

They are a baby registry must have and you should definitely add like five of these multipacks to your list.

While you can absolutely use your regular towels for babies, I’ve found the smaller hooded ones are better for two reasons. First, the hood lets you keep your little one warmer, which is super important during the newborn phase when they can’t regulate their own temperate as well. Second, they’re much easier to navigate both to wrap baby up in and wash. 

I love these organic cotton hooded towels and continue to repurchase them. They’ve lasted super well since my toddler was a baby, come in really cute patterns, and are thicker and more absorbent than lots of other hooded towels out there. We really love their wash cloths, too!

You might think you don’t need or have the space for this, but trust me it is an absolute baby registry must have!

Once your baby starts moving, you’ll want a safe place for them to play without worrying about them. It is also great for horizontal parenting (aka laying down) on those days where you are just dog tired and need the babe to be entertained but contained.

For our first baby, we used a play yard fence with this play mat but quickly learned our baby could use it like a walker once she started really moving. We switched our house around to make a play room with a baby gate at this worked great!

We’ve since moved from that house and find ourselves without a play room. To remedy this, we’re opting for a play yard (play pen) with an attached bottom so there’s no option to push it around the living room floor this time.

Good sleep baby items are serious baby registry must haves because new parents will do just about anything to get their precious baby to sleep. Coming from a mama who had one baby in particular who was a more challenging sleeper, these are my must have baby registry items for sleep. I can’t guarantee they’ll make your little one sleep better but they’re certainly worth a try!

Having a second baby meant we needed to get a second baby monitor. We loved our first one so much that we decided to repurchase it!

For our first baby, we got the wall mounted version of the Nanit Pro but this time around we got a new camera with the floor stand. This let us have all the awesome Nanit features but still have the flexibility to move it where we needed, like from our room to baby’s nursery when it’s time to transition them.

I really love the sleep analysis features of the Nanit. It even has a premium plan that lets you access even more sleep data plus the full video history in case you need to go back and watch anything. I highly recommend!

The other great thing about the Nanit Pro is that you can pop the camera out and use a little stand when you’re traveling. We unfortunately didn’t realize this was a thing until way too many family trips later, but it’s a huge help now. 

Who doesn’t love cute baby clothes? Those little sleepers are just so cute and functional that you’ll have your newborn in them all the time! They’re an absolute baby registry must have since everyone loves buying baby clothes. 

They say wisdom comes with experience, and I feel like that has been me in a nutshell as a second time mom. I’ve learned more about some harmful chemicals that are put on or in most children’s clothes, so I’ve started buying organic cotton whenever possible to avoid them. 

My two favorite brands for baby (and toddler) organic cotton pjs are Burt’s Bees and Little Planet. They’re both affordable, come in super cute prints, and hold up well over time getting softer each wash. They do both run a bit big, Burt’s Bees especially, so keep that in mind when buying!

We also love a good bamboo pj down here in Florida because they’re so soft and cooler to wear in the hot months. Bamboo is also stretchy so I feel like we get a little more wear out of these in baby years than traditional fabrics. My two favorite brands for baby and toddler pajamas are Kyte Baby and Caden Lane. 

By far and above the weirdest baby product I’ve come across but man does it work!

This thing was a life saver with our first and now with our second, too. It’s basically a little machine that plays an audio of someone going “shhhhh” over and over.

I absolutely hate having to shush repeatedly even though my babies are soothed by the sound, so this product is worth its weight in gold. If you’re anything like me, save your breath and your sanity and get this shusher.

Having a good bassinet is crucial in those early months! We love ours because it glides easily on the floor when it needs to be pushed away from the bed, adjusts to meet your bed height, and has a partially collapsible side that makes getting baby in and out super easy. They don’t make our exact version anymore, but Halo came our with a great upgraded version of it. 

The one draw back I have about it, and really all bassinets, is that the mattress it comes with is basically glorified cardboard with a little padding. It’s designed that way for a firm and safe sleeping surface but my babies did not sleep well on it.

Save everyone the loss of sleep and upgrade to the cushier mattress pad!

Even if you don’t go with this brand, most bassinet mattresses are junk and have mattress pads you can buy for them to make it comfier while still being safe. 

If you’re looking for bassinet sheets, we love these organic cotton ones! They’re great because they can fit any size basinet mattress.

When we had our first baby, I registered for the Babylist swaddle box so we could try out a few different swaddles to see what worked best.

The clear winner was this hands-up swaddle because our babies (and many others we know) didn’t like have their arms swaddled by their sides. It has a double zipper so it’s super easy for sleepy diaper changes and the babes just look too cute when they’re in it! 

Pro Tip – Get a couple for when there are inevitable diaper mishaps in the night!

The great thing about this swaddle is there’s a transition product with removable sleeves to easily move from swaddle to sleep sack all with one product. You just zip off a sleeve to leave one arm unswaddled for a few nights and then the other once baby’s used to it until you’re ready to move to a looser sleep sack all together.

Swaddles are great for the newborn days but your baby will spend the majority of their infancy sleeping in something else. We’ve found the wearable sleeping bags or blankets or sleep sacks are the best and safest option. 

We love the Kyte Baby brand for sleep sacks because they’re the softest bamboo, come in lots of different colors and weights, and are the best quality to stand up over time.

But, if you’re looking for a more affordable option, we’ve also purchased and really liked this Kyte Baby dupe on Amazon.

Once your baby starts to walk, or if they’re just like mine and hate regular sleep sacks, you can opt for the walker or jogger version of sleep sacks. It’s basically a sleep sack with legs instead of a bag.

We found our oldest hated having her legs tangled and contained in a regular sleep sack once she learned to roll, so this was such a great find when we were transitioning away from swaddling products.

We have mixed feelings about sound machines in our house but overall have found they work really well to help our girls sleep.

Everyone we know loves their Hatch sound machine but we really wanted something that didn’t have wifi, bluetooth, or need an app to work it. 

We found this awesome sound machine that doubles as a bedside night light and have loved it. It has several different variations of “white noise” but also plays music and nature sounds, too. There’s a timer option so you can use it to fall asleep but not the entire night, and it has lots of different colored light options to choose from. 

We also have a couple of the travel sound machine from this brand. It only has a few sound options but is awesome for tossing in the diaper back or taking on trips.

Feeding a baby is a full time job and you need the best tools! This category has all your baby registry must haves for breastfeeding and solids starting with newborns phase through early toddlerhood.

Having a little breastfeeding freezer stash gives me peace of mind and this milk collector has helped me do that with both of my babies.

Just pop it on the boob you’re not feeding on while nursing on the other and it will collect the let down and any other drips. It keeps you from wasting that precious milk plus keeps you from wasting nursing pads or soaking your shirts.

Trust me, you’ll want at least two to rotate between so you’ll always have a clean one ready to go! 

I usually use collected milk to top off bottles, help diaper rashes and baby acne, and give milk baths to keep baby’s skin smooth. 

Even if you directly breastfeed, you need some kind of pump just in case. Take it from a mama who breastfed my first baby for 18 months through teething nursing strikes, mastitis, and a stomach bug that almost put me in the hospital. If your baby isn’t feeding well or you’re feeling too ill, you need to be able to drain your breasts and/or bottle feed your baby. 

Fun Fact – Most major insurance plans cover one breast pump, replacement parts, accessories, and even breastfeeding education support for each pregnancy. You can use the Aeroflow Breastpumps website to verify your insurance, see what pumps and things your insurance covers for free or for a copay to upgrade, and learn how many classes and/or interactions with a lactation consultant your plan covers. This isn’t an affiliate plug, just one mama sharing the best breastfeeding resource I know with another.

For occasional use, I prefer this manual hand pump because it’s easy, requires very little set up, and is the best at getting the most milk in the shortest amount of time (in my opinion). Make sure you get the right size flanges, too!

When I was working full-time and pumping with my first baby, I needed and preferred my hospital grade pump. I got it for free through Aeroflow with my insurance plan. If you’re pumping regularly you need a hospital grade pump to keep your milk supply up. 

For hands free pumping, I used Aeroflow for my second pregnancy to get a wireless, in-bra pump since I didn’t plan on pumping a lot. It’s super easy to use and really convenient when I’m trying to care for a baby and chase a toddler around. 

Whether you’ll be bottle feeding full time or just looking for some flexibility (mama needs a night out every once in a while!), bottles are definitely a baby registry must have.

When I was working full-time with my first baby, I had 8-10 bottles to make sure I always had clean ones. Now that I’m a SAHM, I only have a couple. Make sure you add however many you think you might need plus an extra or two.

I learned about glass baby bottles way too late in the game with my first baby but knew I wanted to ditch the plastics with my second. Turns out it’s a good thing I did because our old bottles now have a class action lawsuit open against them about microplastics. Yuck!

Both of my breastfed babies have taken really well to these bottles and they come highly recommended by lactation consultants. They can be a pain to clean with all the little parts but I promise you they’re worth it to reduce the gas bubbles and belly pain! You’ll also want a couple silicone sleeves for the glass bottles to make them easier to grip and prevent breaking. 

Pro Tip – Add some extra bottle nipples to your registry so you have back ups! I prefer the Level 1 for our breastfed babies to help avoid bottle preference.

I used these plastic breastmilk storage bags with my first baby but learned about this super cool breastmilk ice cube tray by the time I had my second.

I loved the ice cube tray idea because it reduces single use plastics, meaning less microplastics for baby plus better for your wallet and the environment. The tray I have is fantastic because it has fill lines for ½ oz and 30mL so you know exactly how much milk is in each, has a silicone base making it easy to pop out individual cubes, and is compact with a tupperware-style lid so it’s easy to store in my freezer space.

The cube tray is great for moms who don’t need to store a huge stash. It’s worked great because each tray holds about a bottle’s worth of milk. I still use the plastic bags occasionally but I love having the option to do either.

Whether you want a less messy way to introduce solids or want to make baby friendly popsicles to help relieve teething pain, these teether pops are an absolute baby registry must have. They’re super easy to use and clean plus they don’t leak and make a mess like other ones.

I first started using these pop molds to make breastmilk popsicles to help with teething before we introduced solids. My baby loved them and it was such a help for the pain and to still get some calories in her when she was on a teething nursing strike.

When babies get older, you can mix it up with purees or smoothies

This is something I was not prepared to need so many of. Babies are still pretty young when they’re allowed to drink water, so cups get dropped on the floor, smeared in food, or full of backwash and germs while they learn to drink. It’s a gross but necessary step in their skill development. 

Save yourself the straw cup headache and go straight to these easy clean sippy cups. They don’t spill (unless dropped hard), are easy for baby to use, and so easy to clean compared to other cups out there. They even come in a stainless steel option if you’re trying avoid plastics!

Chances are someone (or a few people) will gift you the terry cloth bibs with some cutesy saying on them. While these can be cute, I don’t find them to be all that functional. 

Instead, I would consider these bibs baby registry must haves:

• Bandana Bibs – Super cute and fantastic for drooly, teething babies. Get lots of these!
• Muslin Bibs – Similar in shape to the aforementioned terry cloth ones but the materials softer and more absorbent. These are great if you’ll be doing a lot of bottle feeding to protect clothes and wipe up messes. 
• Silicone Bibs – Holy grail when babes start eating break food. They catch good easily with their big pocket and clean up really well.
• Bib Shirts – Kind of like a smock and not as easy to put on as the silicone bibs, but so helpful for protecting clothes from messy eating. Your laundry will thank you!

When babies start solids and turn into pouch devouring fiends, having some reusable pouch options will save your pocketbook. Plus you can usually make purées and smoothies much healthier at home without the preservatives needed to make pouches shelf stable. 

We have loved these reusable silicone pouches for making all different kinds of slurpable snacks and treats. I usually make a blender full of something yummy, fill the pouches up, and pop them in the fridge. Then when you’re done, rinse them out and stick them in the dishwasher! My toddler still loves them so you’ll get a lot of use out of them!

Snack cups are a great way to contain baby snacks like puffs when you’re on-the-go and to teach independent eating with less mess. They’re for babies all the way throughtoddlerhood.

I swear we have a bunch of these snack cups but they’re somehow always missing or dirty when we need one. Trust me, you’ll want several!

Our clever little toddler has learned to take the tupperware-style lid off of hers, which has resulted in many a mess in places we did not want it. Hence, the use of “spill proof” snack cup. To combat this, we’re switching to the twist top version of her snack cups in hopes her grip strength won’t be a match for these.

Baby registries aren’t just for babies – they’re for moms, too! There are all kinds of things to help moms recover and be comfortable during postpartum.

You’ll already be sacrificing a lot for your little baby, so make sure you add some of my baby registry must haves for mamas listed below. Bonus – most registries offer a completion discount for postpartum items for moms, too!

If you’re planing to breastfeed, you need these miraculous little things! These are my number one baby registry must have for any breastfeeding mamas.

I didn’t know about this nipple saving product for my first round of breastfeeding but figured I‘d already survived without them once so I didn’t need to invest in them a second time around either. WRONG. 

After about 4 hours into cluster feeding a piranha-esque newborn in the hospital, I ordered these things for Amazon overnight delivery and had my parents bring them to me the next morning.

They completely healed and saved my cracked and bleeding nipples. I wore them constantly for the first few weeks of breastfeeding and they helped so much. Trust me, you’ll absolute want these!

If you’re breastfeeding, you’ll quickly find there’s nothing better than a good nursing bra. But they can be tricky to find without breaking the bank!

So, which affordable bras to get? I love these for sleep, these for every day, these for working out, and these for pumping. I also love this one to wear on its own like a cropped tank for sleep or around the house. 

Some people don’t get a lot of joy out of buying practical things like this, but still put them on there hoping someone will buy it for you. Worst case scenario, buy it for yourself with your baby registry discount later on. If it’s not on your registry then the discount won’t work!

We all know to take a prenatal vitamin when we’re pregnant, but did you know you actually need a POSTnatal vitamin, too?

And no, I don’t mean just continuing to take your prenatal like you were before – which is totally what I thought I was supposed to do with my first baby. 

Your body needs different nutrients to heal from birth than it does to grow a human. It makes sense when you think about it, right?

I’ve really loved this postnatal vitamin because it’s got all the things I need to support physical healing, breastfeeding, and emotional well-being (because Postpartum Depression/Anxiety is real friends and is impacted by your nutrient levels!)

The company also strives to use the cleanest and most bioavailability ingredients to give the most benefit possible. I have definitely noticed a difference since taking these.

I feel like there are two camps with lanonlin (the lovers and the haters) but it’s a double whammy baby registry must have for me. I use it for stretch mark prevention and for sore nipples with breastfeeding. 

Alternating between silverettes and lanolin helped soothe sore and cracked nipples so much! Plus it’s natural so no need to wipe it off before baby nurses or worry about chemicals. I loved this one as a nipple cream because it’s pure unrefined lanolin, made in the USA, and comes in a convent little glass bottle to keep on your nightstand.

I also love lanolin for helping with skin elasticity and stretch marks both during and after pregnancy. My own mom swears it’s the reason she didn’t have stretch marks with her babies and I do, too. It’s sticky as all get out but so worth for the intense moisturization it gives! I used this one for my skin in both of my pregnancies, and you can this one on your nipples, too.

Everyone gets the baby cozy and cute clothes, but what about mama?!

If you’re like me, you’ll spend much of the early days of postpartum in pajamas. These pjs let me be comfy during those early days where I was too tired to change but also feel cute and a little put together to stay in when I was ready for visitors. Breastfeeding friendly lounge sets like this one are also a great option!

I highly recommend making comfy pajamas a must have for your baby registry, especially button front ones if you’re breastfeeding. You deserve to treat yourself, too!

I feel like this is another thing like lanolin that either falls into the love them or hate them category for pregnancy and postpartum. But if you’re a mama who is prone to nausea and vomiting you’ll want to consider becoming an essential oil lover!

I had horrible morning sickness with both of my babies and was pretty sick during my labors, too. One of my amazing nurses gave me a gauze pad with an essential oil blend that helped beyond belief! I recommend it to all of my friends who have morning sickness now. It’s a combination of:

• ginger
• lemon (or lemongrass)
• lavender
• peppermint (or spearmint)
• cardamom

I’m no doctor so I’m not guaranteeing it’ll for sure work or is safe for all pregnancies, so make sure you check with your doctor before you try it. If they do okay it, I hope it helps you like it did me!

Leaks happen all the time in the early stages of nursing so you’ll want to make sure you have lots of nursing pads. They’ll save your clothes, prevent embarrassing leak stains, and even provide extra padding so your nipples don’t show through your shirt.

I use two kind of nursing pads – disposable and washable. I love these disposable nursing pads to have on the go or when I just want the convenience of throwing them away afterwards. Trust me when I tell you you’ll want the massive value pack box.

I also love these washable and reusable nursing pads. They’re so much softer and comfortable than the disposable ones and they’re definitely more budget friendly for the long term. I don’t even mind having to wash them because I do laundry so often anyways. The only downside is they’re not quite as absorbent as the disposable ones so you have to change them more often.

You’ll probably think I’m crazy for suggesting this one, but getting a new comforter or big comfy blanket before baby comes is a game changer!

You’re likely going to spend a lot of time in or on your bed with your new baby. Your bedroom and bed need to be a comfortable and welcoming place that you enjoy being! Getting a new comforter or even a great comfy blanket (my favorite super soft one here) can make a huge difference for your sleep and your mood.

I’ve gotten a new quilt comforter before each of my babies came and it has gotten me more excited and happy to spend time in my room. Plus, I feel better having something fresh and new for baby to be on instead of the same old comforter our dog has been sleeping on with us!

Babies do need a lot of things but it might not be quite as much as you thought! Hopefully this list has given you some tried and true baby registry must haves plus a few fun but essential extras you might not have thought of. Take it from a second time mama – this is every baby registry must have item I would have if I did it all over again!