16 Nice-To-Have Baby Registry Picks Parents Swear By

Starting off strong, this was the most mentioned nice-to-have Babylist parents said ended up on their registry and a product my little family uses constantly. A waterproof outdoor blanket has many uses, whether you’re just in your backyard or heading to the park or beach. This one is machine washable, folds up neatly and even has a strap for easy carrying. It also comes in two sizes to give you options for more space.

Sometimes the best registry additions are the most non-glamorous, practical ones. And in this case it’s good ol’ laundry soap—nothing fancy, but you’ll use it constantly. A few parents called out Tide Free & Gentle specifically (which also happens to be the top pick in our best baby detergent guide) and it makes sense. Babies are messy creatures—whether it’s spit up, drool, a leaky diaper or a blowout, you’ll be washing a lot of baby clothes in the first year of parenthood. Stocking up on a few bottles of gentle detergent wouldn’t hurt!

Feeding sessions and middle-of-the-night wake-ups mean a lot of time sitting in one spot—and a standard-length charging cord usually isn’t long enough to scroll while plugged in. A 10-foot cable means your phone stays charged and within reach whether you're in the glider, on the couch, or in a hospital bed waiting to meet your baby.

Hear us out—a coffee machine isn’t for the baby. But a handful of Babylist parents shared in our poll that a new machine was a random addition to their registry, and this is something we can get behind! There are few things better than a nice, hot cup of coffee in those bleary newborn days. If you’ve already got an espresso machine or a coffee maker you love, add some of your favorite pods or bag of beans to treat yourself later.

Friends and family wait nine long months to finally see your baby’s sweet face, and once they arrive, keeping everyone in the loop can feel like a full-time job (especially while you’re busy adjusting to life with a baby). The Tinybeans app makes it easy to let your village see photos and updates in one place without you mass-texting your entire camera roll. It’s also private, unlike sharing photos on social media.

Bath time is already one of the better parts of the newborn routine, and a warm towel waiting on the other side makes the transition out of the tub a lot smoother. Stick your baby's towel in the warmer before bath time starts, and by the time you're done it's toasty and ready to wrap them up. It's a small touch that sets a calm, cozy stage for the bedtime routine that follows. (And don’t forget, you can use it too!)

Washing bottles is a many-times-a-day reality with a new baby, and having the right setup makes it a lot less tedious. This kit has everything in one place—silicone cleaning brushes, a soap dispenser and a carrying case that doubles as a drying rack. It's great at home, and even better when you're traveling and need to clean bottles without a full kitchen setup.

Your baby's first diaper changes will probably happen at the changing table. But as they grow—and you get more comfortable—diaper changes happen wherever you happen to be. A caddy stocked with diapers, wipes and cream in every room you frequent means you're never sprinting back to the nursery for something you need.

Your baby's cries are designed to get a response from you—that's why when they fuss, you instinctively run down the list. Diaper? Milk? Nap? But knowing what to do doesn't make it easier to hear. Loop earplugs dampen the sound just enough to take the edge off without blocking it out completely, so you can stay regulated and calmly meet your baby's needs. As one parent put it in our poll: "Not to ignore your baby! But for those times when your baby is crying and crying, it is easier to stay sane when that noise is [dampened] a bit." These also come in handy when you want to grab a quick nap while someone else is looking after your baby, so you’re not on alert.

You’ll likely spend a lot of time contact napping during baby’s first year, which means you’ll need something to keep yourself occupied. A few different parents mentioned adding an e-reader to their registries. They’re a nice alternative to doomscrolling. This one has different hue and brightness options so you don’t disrupt you or your baby’s nighttime sleep and isn’t in greyscale (so you can still see those pretty covers).

Do you need an electric power swivel glider? Not really. Is it really nice to have when you're feeding baby or rocking them to sleep at 2 am? Absolutely. You'll spend more time in this chair than you expect, and being able to easily recline or swivel—while holding a sleeping baby you don't want to wake—is the kind of thing you don't know you need until you desperately need it.

At 3 am, the last thing you want to do is dig around in the dark for a pacifier while your baby fusses. A glow-in-the-dark pacifier is a small thing that makes a real difference—these emit just enough light to spot in a dark room, but not enough to disturb your baby's sleep.

Even the most organized diaper bag can easily descend into chaos. My favorite fix is a dedicated pouch for everything: one for first aid, one for toys, one for my own essentials and one I call my restaurant kit—think crayons, a bib and disposable placemat plus a few snacks. Everything has a home, which means you're not digging through the whole bag every time you need one thing.

A well-stocked diaper bag is a must-have, but the real parenting hack is having backup supplies in your car that you rarely have to think about restocking. Forgot to add a new pack of wipes to the diaper bag before you left? There’s some extras in your trunk. Baby spit up on two outfits and you're out of a change of clothes? Grab a spare outfit from the car. Consider it your parenting safety net on wheels.

Daycare, Baby and Me classes, the gym childcare room—any place your baby's stuff leaves your hands is a place things can get lost. Mabel's Labels are waterproof, dishwasher-safe and actually stay put through countless washes, so your baby's bottles, sippy cups and spare clothes actually make it back home. A small thing that saves a surprising amount of frustration.

Diaper cream is a staple, but applying it with your fingers means washing your hands every single diaper change—or just giving up and using way too much. This tube has a spatula applicator built right in, so you get the right amount exactly where you need it without getting cream all over your hands.