Registry Essentials to Transform Your First Days with Baby

There are several great registry checklists out there to help guide you toward the right baby gear for your expanding family. Car seats, strollers, feeding gear…you know you need it, and there are fantastic guides available to help you choose the right one for you.

But there are a few key things that aren’t sold in stores that many parents wished they had when they brought their newborns home—things that would have made their transition into parenthood a bit easier (and a lot more magical).

Here, a few of the most common things parents would have loved more of in their first few weeks home with baby:

1. Register for a freezer full of food

When you’re feeding your newborn around the clock, it’s tough to find the time (or the energy) to feed yourself. Register for home-cooked meals that are easy to freeze and reheat, so you can keep your own energy up without constantly having to order take out.

2. Find a family photographer before baby’s born

Tiny fingers, tiny toes…it’s amazing how small your baby is when they’re just born. Then you blink, and six months have passed. Don’t wait until baby’s arrival to book a family session with your favorite local photographer. Better yet, register for funds for your photography session, so you have no excuse not to capture this moment in time before it’s gone.

3. Seek help for all the other little ones in your household

Caring for everyone else in your household gets a bit harder while you’re meeting the demands of a new baby. Your furbaby will appreciate regular dog walks, while your other children will enjoy accompanied trips to the park to get their wiggles out. Adding dog walking and babysitting to your baby registry can help ease your new daily demands.

4. Get your hands on all the storage money can buy

Get ready to take an insane amount of photos and videos. No, really…get ready. Whatever storage you have on your smartphone right now may not be enough to capture all of the firsts you’re about to experience with your baby. Get ahead of your memory demands by registering for your preferred storage method of choice: external hard drives, a subscription to cloud storage or a large GB smartphone or camera with a few extra memory cards.

5. Hire a postpartum doula

To know what a postpartum doula is is to want one. They are someone who takes care of and advocates for you, so you can better take care your new baby. Whether you want (or need) help with giving baby their first baths, emotional or physical support for yourself or even someone to help you with a bit of light cooking and cleaning, it’s a service worth researching and registering for if the thought of bringing home baby feels a bit overwhelming.

6. Cash funds on your registry = more bonding time

For some working parents, paid leave ends before they’re ready to return to work (but hey, if you’re itching to go back before your leave is over, more power to you!). If you anticipate wanting to stay home longer with your baby, don’t hesitate to register for cash funds to cover your income gap. The extra time you’ll get to spend together will be priceless.

7. Make cleanliness a priority

If you’re the kind of person who thrives on a clean and clutter-free environment, then brace yourself: your family room can quickly fall into a state of chaos without someone diligently staying on top of the mess. Whether you prefer a professional cleaning service, or would like a good friend or family member to visit every so often to help you do a load of laundry, the gift of cleanliness can often feel restorative and refreshing when there’s a newborn in the house.

8. Say yes to hand-me-downs

Many new parents struggle with just how much waste babies can generate. That shiny new infant tub, for instance, gets a mere 4-6 months of use before your baby’s ready to sit up in the bath. And those bodysuits and baby leggings? They outgrow those even faster! If you have friends with kids, they might be eager to pass their gently used baby gear on to you. Add things like hand-me-down books to your baby registry to signal to friends that you’re open to pre-loved gear looking for a new home. (Here’s some info on what gear is great used, and what you look for new.)

9. Research sleep consultants

While it’s hard to predict what kind of sleeper your baby will be, once you find out that they’re not so great at it, you’ll want all the resources you can get at your fingertips. Many professional baby sleep consultants offer guidance packages to parents before baby’s born to help you get off on the right foot and establish healthy sleep habits. Then, if you’re blessed with a spirited non-sleeper, you’ll know exactly whom to turn to to help your baby sleep better. Another sleep idea to consider registering for? A night nurse. Having someone come over to watch your baby even one or two nights a week can be really restorative.

10. Have a celebratory sip or snack ready

You just brought a new baby home. Even better, they’re sleeping for longer than a two-hour stretch for the first time ever. It’s time to celebrate. Plan ahead to treat yourself! Ask for a gift card for home delivery of your favorite, previously forbidden foods (sushi anyone?), or add a nice (like, really, really nice) bottle of bubbly to your registry to mark the occasion. You deserve it!

While traditional registries don’t allow you to add some of these gifts, Babylist is a free, all-in-one baby registry that lets you add anything from any store, as well as help, favors and cash funds too. When you’re building your baby registry, think about all the things that don’t just support your baby, but support you and your own unique journey into parenthood and add them to your Babylist.