Baby Gear and Registry
Here is my master spreadsheet of baby gear:
Notice there is one sheet for Months 0-3 and another for Months 4 and beyond
Filter on the “How Essential?” column to see what is needed Day 1 vs. Essential (at some point) vs. Optional
Make a copy of this doc so you can edit and add your own columns such as “purchased” or “delivered”
When?
Second trimester is the right time to start compiling your gear, including through a registry if you choose
People typically share out the link for their registry when sending invitations for a baby shower, which could be later in second trimester or in third
Even people not invited to your shower may ask for your registry link, especially your parents' generation
Which?
Amazon and Babylist are the best two registry sites
Both give you a 15% discount if you want to buy remaining registry items yourself
Both allow you to add items from other websites
Both allow group gifting (useful for big items)
Babylist allows you to create “cash funds” for more experiential things like infant care/first aid classes, babysitter/night nurse fund, pre/post natal massage, food delivery, newborn photoshoot
Zola - a wedding registry but I used it because it's the only one I know of where you get to control when you actually ship items which was essential for me given that receiving packages is difficult where I live. Good option if you have the same issue!
What to include?
It's up to you what you want to buy yourself vs. allow others to gift. You can use a registry website to compile everything in one place but then first buy some things yourself before making it public (for instance, some of the less cute items like nipple cream and diaper pails).
For expensive items you buy yourself (e.g. glider chair, highchair, stroller), consider checking out eBay or Facebook Marketplace since families outgrow all this gear and you can find lightly used items for much cheaper. We even got a Nanit baby monitor on eBay at nearly half-price that worked perfectly.
Some items are useful immediately, while others won't be relevant until many months in (i.e. spreadsheet is organized by 0-3 months and 4+ months). You could put all of it on your registry if you'd rather just get it in one fell swoop, just know that a number of items will be away in the closet until you need them.
Make sure you get all essential items at your house by 8 months in case baby comes early. Big ticket items (car seats, strollers, bassinet, glilder) can sometimes take a while to ship or be in stock.
Keep in mind that babies have very different preferences, so a product that works well for one family might be a dud for another. This is especially true of bassinets (including the SNOO), swaddles, pacifiers and bottles. If you can try before you buy (renting, borrowing from a friend) that's ideal, or get a variety pack before you buy multiple of one brand.
Minimize stuffed animals or blankets on your registry because these are the most popular gifts for people to randomly gift you on their own
If you have a FSA, many items related to nursing or baby's health are FSA eligible (indicated in the gear list tab) so you'll want to purchase those yourselves to get the tax savings. You can submit receipts for reimbursement, or apply directly through the FSA store. Amazon also has a "FSA/HSA eligible" filter in its search options.
