You found out you’re pregnant, congrats!

Now what do you need to buy? I’ve got you covered with the actual basics you’ll use. You can use this as a checklist for your baby registry.

It can be extremely overwhelming to think about all of the things you’ll need for a baby. But in reality, you don’t need that much. Here’s a list of my ride or die baby registry items we use on a daily basis.

BABY CARRIER

I promise you that baby wearing is the best thing in the world. You can wear baby when you eat, when you’re on a walk, doing the dishes, or just around the house. It provides comfort for baby and you can multitask. Just what every mom needs. My number one favorite baby carrier is the Baby Bjorn Mini. It’s so easy to put on and take off. And in my opinion, not confusing like a lot of other ones. Once baby is bigger I’d recommend the Baby Bjorn Harmony or Baby Bjorn Carrier One.

BATH TUB

We’ve gotta get baby nice and clean, and be comfortable too! There are so many bath tubs on the market but my pick is the Frida Baby Bath Tub. You place it in a normal sized bath tub or shower and it will grow with baby. We used this one until Olivia was around 6-7 months old, then we used the normal bathtub. I’m happy we kept it because Wesley is using it now and loving it!

DIAPERS AND WIPES

Now this is a must, not a need. We opted for the Coterie diapers for both of our kids. They’re soft, absorbent and well worth the price. You can use BRIDGETTE for 20% off your first order!

CERES CHILL BREAST MILK COOLER

This is something I discovered my second time around. I didn’t breastfeed with Olivia, but I am with Wesley. When we are out and about and I need to pump, this cooler is perfect. The inner or outer chamber can hold ice or breast milk, depending on how much you’ll be pumping. You can also use it for late night pumps when you don’t want to leave bed to go to your kitchen. BRIDGETTESHERI will get you a discount!

BOTTLES

Formula or breastmilk fed, you’ll likely need bottles. Babylist has a great bundle where you can try out a few bottles. I’d recommend going that route so you can see what baby likes. Olivia loved the boon Nursh bottles and Wesley is loving the Evenflo bottles.

BOUNCER/CONTAINER

You definitely need a safe place to put down baby when you aren’t holding them. For us, we loved the Baby Bjorn Bouncer, Skip Hop Activity Center, and the Snuggle Me Organic Lounger. The bouncer and lounger you can use from birth, but the activity center you need to wait a little bit longer to use.

PLAY MAT

Tummy time is SO important. That’s something you learn along the way and really have no idea about until baby is actually here. Having a play mat gives baby a safe place to practice that tummy time and build neck strength. We opted for the Lovevery play mat because it comes with so many features. It’s definitely on the pricey side, but well worth it. You can add little cards on the wooden pieces for baby to stare at and you can also attach some toys for sensory time.

CAR SEAT

This is an actual need, not just a want. If you are going to be out and about with your baby while they’re an infant, I’d recommend getting an infant car seat that you can take in and out of the car without having to take baby out of the car seat. We went with the Nuna Pipa series. For Olivia we had the Pipa Lite LX and Wesley we decided on the Pipa URBN. The biggest difference between the two is the URBN can be used without a base. This means you can clip the car seat in and out of any car. Whereas the Pipa Lite LX we needed to have a base and the car seat clips in and out of the base, with the base always staying in the car. I HIGHLY recommend going to a store in person where you can try out all different kinds. You’ll also need a car seat once baby is no longer an infant. We went with the convertible Nuna Exec that you can use from birth to a booster seat. It’s pricey, I know. But there’s a ton of other options. Our parents have the Graco Extend to Fit and that one gets the job done too.

STROLLER

There are a million strollers on the market. It can be extremely overwhelming to know what to pick. My biggest tip would be to think about your lifestyle. Do you need a jogger? Are you planning on having more than one kid so you’d need a double stroller? Do you want a travel stroller? Are you going to use an infant car seat? We got the Nuna Mixx Next and I love it more than anything. It’s a full size stroller that came with a seat you can use from birth to toddler, a bassinet attachment, and an attachment for the car seat to clip into. We also ended up buying a Nuna TRVL stroller as well. This is a lightweight travel stroller and the car seat will clip into it as well.

CLOTHES

Zipper onesies are going to be your best friend for a long time. I would really look for ones that have a double zipper too or inverted zipper because you’ll be doing a ton of diaper changes and the last thing you want to do is fully undress your baby. The best ones are the Cloud Island ones from Target. The modal ones are extremely soft and stretchy too. Other great brands are Kyte Baby, GunaMuna, Wild Bird and Old Navy has really affordable ones!

SLEEP SACK

Kyte Baby is our go to here. A sleep sack is basically a sleeping bag baby will sleep in inside of their crib. The Kyte Baby ones are soft, they have different ranges of thickness, and they are double zipper. So perfect for the easy changes. Once baby outgrows then they can get the walker sacks. Olivia is in them right now and it’s adorable!

CRIB

A crib that is convertible is going to be your best bet. One that can go from infancy up until a twin size bed. We love the Babyletto brand! Olivia has the Hudson and Wesley has the Yuzu. We also have the Gelato and that one stays at the grandparents. A travel crib is a great investment too for those nights where you won’t be home. We love the Baby Bjorn one because it’s so lightweight and easy to put together.

HUMIDIFIER

I know we’ve seen the traditional humidifier that emits a little mist, right? Well my favorite one doesn’t do that. It doesn’t have any mist whatsoever, you can clean it in the dishwasher, and the filter gets delivered to you every month. The Canopy humidifier is something I’ve been using for about 3 years. We have one in our room and one in Olivia’s room. It’s sleek, anti-mold, and easy to clean. A dream.

FIRST AID ESSENTIALS

Baby is going to get sick, have tummy aches, need their boogers cleaned, all of the things. I should probably do an entire post on what we get!

TOILETRIES

Last but not least, you need some toiletries for baby. Basics are a wash and lotion. If you’re on a budget, the Pipette body wash, lotion and their body oil is my top choice. If you can splurge, Tobby Todd’s body wash, lotion, and all over ointment are truly the best. Some other amazing brands are Ella Ola, Dabble & Dollop, and Evereden. I love all of the brands but you never know what baby is going to like or have a reaction to until you try. So there are some options.

Overall, I know it can be overwhelming to make a baby registry. But you really don’t need that much. Hope this was helpful!