Ultimate Baby Registry Must-Haves 2021

April 29, 2021

I’m teaming up with twin sister and best friend Kara to share our ULTIMATE baby registry must-have baby products!

This post is in partnership with buybuyBABY, a brand I love. All opinions here are my own.

Welcome to our complete baby registry essentials list! My twin sister Kara is collaborating with me on this registry list since we thought it would be best to get two different perspectives on what works and what doesn’t! I mainly bottle fed my babies after a few months, and Kara exclusively nursed both her children. So we each have different items we can’t live without depending on how you choose to feed your babies! There are a million baby products out there but trust us- from experience, you’ll rarely use them all! So save time searching and save money by only picking out some essentials to get your registry started to help ease your transition into motherhood! We have 4 children between the two of us (all 4 and under) and here are the items we have truly loved along the way!

My sister Kara and I both have been pregnant at the SAME time with each of our two pregnancies!!! Trust us, it wasn’t planned at all! haha! We also both did our baby registry at buybuyBABY, and shop there regularly for all our baby and toddler essentials. It was fun for us to create our registries together! We loved doing our registries at buybuyBABY because they offer so many amazing discounts and perks!

Diapering:

Pampers Pure Diapers and Pure Wipes // Our go to items for diapering are the Pampers Pure (especially for the newborn stage) diapers since they have a blowout catching backing that literally saves you from so many dirty clothes and washes! Pampers Pure Wipes are our favorite wipes are the Pampers Pure wipes. They are made with no harsh chemicals, and are 99% water. They are a bit pricier than the coveted Costco wipes. But I find I actually save money by using LESS with these!! They are really moist (sorry I hate that word too ha!) and get the job done. These wipes also never gave our babies diaper rashes. These both never gave our babies rashes and did a great job at cleaning up!

Munchkin Diaper Pail // We both got the Munchkin STEP Diaper Pail as gifts when we were pregnant, and LOVE it. It is the only one that we feel truly blocks the scent of even the smelliest diapers! It’s been a little over 4 years and that thing is still holding strong!

Hatch Smart Changing Pad // This isn’t a must have for everyone, but it is definitely one of those items we actually are so grateful we had! I had a little trouble in the beginning nursing Dane, so it was helpful to use the changing pad scale to weigh him. You can weigh your baby before and after each nursing session, to see exactly how many ounces your baby drinks. I also was able to log and track is weight and feeding patterns through the changing pad’s app on my phone!

Sleep:

This one is one of our favorite topics! We both tried so many products to help our baby sleep. Thankfully we found ones that actually worked great for our babies. Just keep in mind every baby is so different, and what worked great for us might not work great for your baby.

Hatch White Noise Machine // The Hatch is a great white machine! It is on the pricier side, but we agree it’s 100% worth every penny. You can control the white noise volume, the sound, change the light color or have no light on at all all from your phone. You also can control it from the bottom of the machine. The Hatch is great for when they get older as well, so you really get lots of use out of it! We use the nightlight feature for our toddlers!

HALO Bassinest // For your new baby to sleep in, we both loved and used the Halo bassinet and kept it in our room during the newborn stage. We both used it for all our babies, and it was perfect for what we needed. I liked how you can adjust the height, so it is level with you in bed. I had piece of mind knowing my baby was sleeping safe in the bassinest, but also was literally right next to me. During the middle of the night feedings, the side railing can be unlocked so it easily comes down. You can gently reach in and set the baby down without straining yourself. As a newly postpardum mom, this was a lifesaver!!

Owlet // The Owlet Smart Sock 3 Wearable Baby Monitor is by far the most important safety items that we got for our babies! We both know of people and friends who’s babies have tragically passed away from SIDS and we hope this provides even a fraction of peace of mind and an added layer of safety (among other safety guidelines) to help reduce the risk of that happening. The sock takes time to get the right position and might have false alarms when the baby’s foot is really small but eventually you’ll be able to get accurate readings and peace of mind while baby is asleep!

Swaddles // Kara’s baby Hayden loved the Miracle Blanket swaddle, and slept so good in it! It is hands down so great and “houdini” proof for even the strongest babies. My babies both slept great in the Swaddle Me velcro swaddles! I didn’t really both swaddling them the traditional way, because this was just so much easier and they were never able to break out of these ones. We recommend registering for two different kinds to see which one your baby ends up liking best. If you want a traditional swaddle, my favorites were from Aden and Anais!

Health & Bath:

Fridaybaby Health Kit // Go ahead and just add this Fridababy Big Bundle of Joy 6-Piece Newborn Care Kit to your registry and you’ll thank us later. You will want every item in here at one point during your baby’s 1st year. This kit is so great to have these items prepared for the moments you’ll need them most! But our Top 3 out of this kit is the Nose Frida, the Windi for when baby is gassy and constipated, and the craddle cap scrubber.

Baby Bathtub // We love this simple and lightweight Baby Bath Tub Support. It is so easy to clean and perfect from the newborn stage until they can sit up on their own in the tub.

SKIP*HOP Moby Rinser // This works great to get all the suds out after shampooing, and gets water evenly all over the head!

Travel:

UPPAbaby Vista Stroller and the UPPAbaby Mesa car seat are both of our favorite stroller/ carseat travel system! Not only is it pretty, it glides so easy and grows with your family. The UPPAbaby Vista stroller and UPPAbaby Mesa infant car seat are our FAVORITE stroller/ carseat travel system! Not only is it pretty, it glides so easy and grows with your family. It can accommodate up to 3 children, has multiple different seating configurations, a huge undercarriage basket and the Mesa car seat makes it easy to put on and off the stroller with no needed attachments!

Portable White Noise Machine // Our biggest sleep trick once our babies were moved into their nursery is white noise. I also kept white noise on when my babies slept in our room with us, to block out any sounds from outside or if one of us had to shower at night, etc. Also, while a newborn baby can sleep literally anywhere, as they get older and more alert- the world gets more interesting and it’s harder for them to want to settle for sleep. This portable white noise machine was such a great find. We kept attached to their infant seat or stroller, and it helped with on the go naps and while we went out to lunch, car rides with a chatty toddler and so on. It kinda helps them sleep out and about longer and through more startling noises as they get older. We did use this off the bat though so it became a “sleep cue.” We would turn it on when we wanted them to sleep and it was a great “cue” for them to take their naps no matter where we were.

Pack-N-Play // We both have a couple of the Graco® Pack N’ Play® Portable Playard. It is a classic and super easy to set up and take down! Our children have always slept great in them while traveling.

Diaper Bag // The Freshly Picked Diaper bag is both of our favorites because of all the compartments inside of it. Not to mention, it’s super cute and stylish! The leather outside is easy to clean and goes good with any outfit. The inside has 10 pockets and stretchy pockets for bottles and sippy cups. It wipes clean and comes with a matching changing pad that stores on the bottom! We also love that it is backpack diaper bag. Which if you have a toddler that loves to run, you know why this comes in handy haha!

Lounge + Play:

Dock-A-Tot // The Dock-A-Tot is great to bring around the house for naps, traveling, etc. We also love this Fisher Price baby swing during the newborn phase! If you’ve tried everything to get your baby to take a nap or settle down, and still nothing worked this thing has been a LIFE SAVER so many times!

Boppy Newborn Lounger // The Boppy newborn lounger is a great way to set your baby down when they need a little awake time and you want to read them a book and talk to them during the newborn stage. It also is a great tummy time tool to practice neck strength and control! Both Dane and Hayden had silent reflux and we used the Boppy lounger to keep them upright after feedings to keep the milk down and prevent unnecessary spit up.

Skiphop Activity Center // Trust us when we say you’ll definitely want to add this Skiphop Activity Center to your registry! This was Dane and Hayden’s absolute favorite way to be entertained when they start sitting up independently and perfect while you need to take a shower or make dinner! Kara actually kept one upstairs and one in the basement next to her laundry room because she loved it so much!

Playmat // We love the Fisher-Price® Deluxe Kick and Play Piano Gym and the fun noises they get to make by kicking the little piano. This mat entertains them and keeps their attention for a long time and is super compact. You can fold up and easily pack this in a suitcase. The reposition-able toy arch grows with baby from lay and play to tummy time and sitting up. I also linked two other playmats we both had and the babies loved!

Mamaroo or Baby Swing // We both received the 4moms® mamaRoo for our baby showers and highly suggest getting it. It can recline back or you can have the seat sitting more upward if your baby has reflux and needs to stay on an incline. The mamaRoo can be controlled with your smart phone device and has many swing setting options! We would also suggest getting the 4moms® Newborn insert for the newborn stage. I love how it has white noise built into it and it is more compact than other swings. It is also great for baby once it is more alert and older to entertain them so we could get some chores done!

Feeding:

Burp Cloths // I kept a bunch of these in rooms all through out the house, in my diaper bag, and in my car!! You never know when you’ll need one and I use them ALL the time. We’ve tried a bunch of different kinds that are good, but by far the one we love the most is the Aden and Anais shoulder burp cloth/bib!

Boppy Nursing Pillow // For nursing, Kara and I both loved the Boppy nursing pillow and how easy it is to transport anywhere in your house and very easy to wash. The Lansinoh nursing pads are a must have item if you plan on nursing and to prevent getting soaked while nursing on one side and especially in those first few months when you’re producing a lot of milk. The Medela® Nursing Sleep Bra is perfect for sleeping in because there are no clicking straps you need to take on and off. Makes for a much easier middle of the night feedings. For the daytime, the more supportive Bravado Designs Ballet Nursing Bra is great and so comfy. The first fews when you’re nursing around the clock I just live in this Bravado Designs Classic Nursing Cami! One thing you will definitely need right off the bat in the hospital when baby starts latching is a good nipple cream. My favorite and go to is the Earth Mama Organic Natural Nipple Butter. I would advise to keep one in each place you typically nurse your baby so you have this handy after every feeding to apply!

Bottles // The Comotomo and Dr. Brown’s have been my two favorite bottle brands!

Baby Brezza Formula Dispenser // I nursed Dane the first few months, but then had an unexpected surgery when my appendix burst. I was on antibiotics and ultimately made the tough decision to switch Dane to formula. It worked out in the end, and he was happy and fed- that’s all that matters! Since we were making Dane so many bottles, and in the middle of the night still, we bought the formula maker. It basically is like a coffee maker but for formula- so genius right?!? You push the amount you want, set the temperature, and it instantly will perfectly mix the formula within seconds. I also loved how his milk didn’t have bubbles, which made him way less gassy compared to when I would have to hand make them and shake them.

4Moms High Chair // Kara and I both have the 4moms High Chair and we’ve used it for all four babies of ours! Besides the cute and stylish design it is so easy to wipe clean and so comfortable. I never worry about them being able to climb out of this. It has a 5 point harness, magnetic tray top helps prevent unwanted spills and helps with self-feeding, and keeps the 4moms plates & bowls in place to help prevent it from falling off. Once baby gets older and can start sitting at the table the tray comes off and you can adjust the height of the chair to fit on the dining table!

Bottle Warmer // This actually came in handy more than I thought!! We used it to safety thaw frozen breast milk and warm up bottles!

Boon Drying Rack // This is a must-have, especially if you are using bottles, for all your pump parts, and pacifiers.