Baby registries are a great way for new parents to get useful and must have baby products for their new baby without spending extra money and a great way for friends and family to gift only products the new parents can really use.
But like any other registry there are a ton of absolutely unnecessary items you really don’t need for your baby.
I know it is hard to figure out what you really need and what you can save money on especially when you are a first time parent.
I personally put a lot of stuff on our baby registry that I thought we really needed and ended up not buying and I am happy we didn’t.
And like probably every other parent we also ended up with way too many clothes (because I wanted to buy some and we got some gifted)
If you want to find out what you should absolutely buy for your baby read more in the post about nursery must haves.
There are affiliate links in this post, meaning, at no additional cost to you, I will be compensated if you click through and take action. For full disclosure click here.
You can have different baby registries with the big retailers like , Amazon and .
But let’s dig in what we really don’t need on any baby registry.
What should you NOT put on your baby registry?
1. Baby clothes
Yes, it is great to have a good variety of baby clothes.
If you do want to buy some yourself it might be a great idea to buy baby clothes a few sizes bigger already.
Chances are high that you will be gifted a bunch of newborn and maybe 0-3 month sized baby clothes whether you put them on your registry or not.
We had so many clothes for out baby that she didn’t even get to wear them all because she grew out of the little sizes so fast and I hated that she couldn’t wear everything.
2. Wipe warmer
I asked a bunch of moms what the most unnecessary items are for a baby and a wipe warmer was one of them.
The idea of a wipe warmer itself is not bad.
It sounds nice to have warm wipes instead of cold ones for your baby but in reality you are gonna end up with dried out wipes and always forget to turn the wipe warmer on when you actually need it so they will still be cold anyway.
Save your money and rather buy baby products you will actually need.
3. Sterilizer
Whether it is a bottle sterilizer or one of the big ones for the microwave that you can add pump part into too – don’t buy it.
Most bottles and breast pump parts can be boiled to sterilize with things you already have in your house – a Pot and water.
And in all honesty when your baby is a few weeks old, washing them out really good with hot water and dish soap works just fine too.
This might also be interesting:
– Most useless baby items
– Nursery must-haves
– Genius hospital bag snacks
– 19 Creative baby shower venues
4. Bottle warmer
I did have a bottle warmer because I got it used from a good friend of mine and the few times I used it I ended up just holding the bottle under running hot water instead cause that was warming the milk faster than the bottle warmer.
When you are on the go and need a warm bottle you usually also use hot water so why waste money on a specific bottle warmer when you can just use hot water instead?
And if nothing is available your body can warm up the bottle too.
5. Baby bottles
Yes, you do not need to put baby bottles on your registry.
I had a handful of bottles and actually got them all for free.
Want to find out how?
Read my post on baby freebies.
There also might be bottles with nipples your baby just won’t drink from so if you got a lot of those bottles you can’t even use them.
It is better to buy another 1-2 bottles when you are actively bottle feeding and know which ones work best later on.
6. Diaper genie
I never had a diaper genie and never wanted one.
Why get a fancy trash can with expensive inserts when you can use a normal trash can too?
It is just important to empty the trash can daily and you won’t have any dirty diaper smell in your house.
And remember those tons of plastic bags we all store somewhere in the house?
They make a great insert for your regular trash can.
7. Stuffed animals
What is your baby gonna do with stuffed animals?
It is totally fine to have one or two as nursery decoration or to have a custom print on it with the birth stats but in general no newborn baby needs stuffed animals.
8. Baby shoes
A Baby will most likely start anywhere from 9-14 months to start walking and that is when you can think about buying shoes for them.
Before that baby shoes are just decoration that they grow out of way too fast.
If you live in a area that is warm enough it is a lot better to let them walk around barefoot as much as possible anyway.
9. Crib bumpers
Crib bumpers are not just unnecessary, they are also dangerous.
You shouldn’t have anything in a baby crib besides the baby, tight fitting pajamas or sleep sack and the fitted sheet under your baby.
Anything soft inside the crib is a safety hazard that can cause your baby to suffocate.
10. Crib set
For that exact same reason you also don’t need to get extra crib bedding sets.
Your baby can not sleep with a blanket and pillow for safety reasons anyway.
Rather save that money and buy a nice bedding set when your kid is old enough to actually use it.
11. Owlet smart socket
The Owlet smart socket is a great invention.
But it can really mess with your anxiety when the alarm goes off in the middle of the night simply because it slipped off.
They are very expensive and you will only use them for a short amount of time.
For me the cost doesn’t justify it for the time you are using the socket and multiple parents report false alarms with it.
Rather have your baby sleeping close by.
12. Baby detergent
There are plenty of companies out there making laundry detergent that is especially good for sensitive baby skin.
I never used any of them.
Make sure the detergent you are currently using isn’t too harsh with chemicals or maybe even switch to a natural one for the whole family and save yourself the time and extra money to wash everything separate.
Unless your baby has an allergic reaction to the detergent of course, then it might make sense to buy one extra for babies.
13. Baby proofing equipment
Your newborn baby won’t open doors or get into drawers anytime soon so you can leave baby proofing gear off your baby registry for now.
Once your baby starts moving around more and getting into stuff you still have plenty of time to find out what baby proofing products work best for you.
We have one big doorknob to the garage where I could never find a door knob cover big enough so we ended up just using a baby gate for the hallway that leads into the garage.
And I honestly also never used any of the baby proofing set I bought besides the corner protectors for furniture.
I found other baby proofing products just more useful for our situation.
14. Baby mittens
What can I say?
Baby mittens are just really not necessary.
If you stay on top with cutting the tiny fingernails there is no reason to buy mittens and if you really need one your baby’s sock works just as well.
15. Breast pump
There is really no need to add a breast pump for breast milk on your baby registry.
Most insurances will cover one at no cost to you.
All you need to do is contact your insurance and find out what information they need from you.
And even if you don’t get one from insurance you can try WIC (if you qualify for it).
16. Diapers
Well, this is one you could argue about but hear me out.
You should not add diapers to your baby registry simply because your baby could be allergic to a specific brand and you end up with lots of diapers you can’t use.
And in my experience it makes more sense to rather put some extra money aside each month and buy only 1-2 boxes of diapers ahead so you don’t end up with hundreds of diapers in the size your baby just grew out of right after you opened the box.
Especially newborn diapers are not needed on your registry.
If you do want to add diapers just add the smallest bag you can find.
You won’t believe how fast your baby is grown out of newborn size and the hospitals usually let you take a few extra diapers home with you when you get discharged.
It makes more sense to ask for instead so you can buy the diapers as you need them.
17. Bumbo seat
I don’t even know why this one is so popular.
There is no mom I know that loves the bumbo seat.
It is made with soft material where babies can wind themselves out super easy and they can only be used on a save surface like the ground.
I would not use it on a table because it just doesn’t seem save to me and after a few months your baby won’t fit in it anymore.
18. Bathtub specifically for newborns
This one is pretty obvious – your baby will be grown out of a newborn bathtub in no time.
Newborns also do not need a lot of baths in the first few weeks or even months of their lives.
It makes more sense to buy a bathtub that comes with a newborn insert.
We were using and my two year old can still fit in it out so it was well worth the investment.
19. Bathrobe
I mean yeah it might look super cute to put your newborn in a tiny bathrobe but it is really a waste of money to get one.
A hooded towel will work way better and longer for your baby.
20. Baby swing
For some parents a baby swing can be a true lifesaver and the best investment ever made while others end up with a high prices swing just for their baby to not like being in it at all.
If you really want to use a baby swing it might make more sense to see if a friend will let you borrow one or buy a used one for a fraction of the selling price and find out first if your baby is on team baby swing or not.
21. Baby Blankets
You will most likely end up with some receiving blankets since they are a popular gift for baby showers and maybe even a customized blanket from a loved one.
Since your baby can not sleep with a blanket they are most likely outgrown the small baby blankets by the time they could actually use them.
It is great to have a handful of blankets and it absolutely makes sense to get a few more when you live in an area where it gets really cold but you won’t need to add them to the registry since you will most likely end up being gifted at least one.
22. High chair
Your baby will not be using a high chair until about 6 months when they slowly start eating solid food.
And even then some parents end up not even using one in the first place.
It makes more sense to buy a high chair when your baby actually needs it later on instead of adding it to your baby registry.
What other parents ask:
Absolutely not! Put all those high ticket items on your registry if you don’t have them yet. Your friends and family can share the price of a high ticket item making it affordable for everyone that wants to pitch in and your life a lot easier.
I hope this list of what not to add to your baby registry was helpful to you.
I know that especially first time parents can get really lost with all the baby products available out there.
Are you expecting a baby? Subscribe to my email list to get pregnancy and baby-related information, fun stories and the best offers for new moms. Plus a free printable Baby shower Bingo in your email.
Pin it for later:
