Baby Shower Coming Up? Your Baby Registry Might Not Need Everything You Think

Preparing for a baby can turn a simple shopping list into a very long one. Bottles, sterilisers, bouncers, monitors, newborn clothes, changing tables, high chairs... suddenly everything feels essential.

If you're creating a baby registry for your baby shower, the goal shouldn't be to have everything. It should be to have things you'll actually use.

Think about when you'll need it

Not everything needs to be ready before your baby arrives.

A high chair, for example, usually won't be needed until your baby starts eating solid foods at around six months. Older-stage toys and larger equipment can wait too.

Focus your registry on the first few months. You can figure out the rest once you know your baby and your routine.

Don't ask for too many newborn clothes

Newborn clothes are a popular baby shower gift, but babies can move through this size surprisingly quickly.

Instead, include a mix of 0–3, 3–6 and 6–9 month clothing, and think about the season your baby will reach each size.

That 6–9 month winter coat might be beautiful, but not if your baby will fit into it in July.

Test before you stock up

It can be tempting to register for a complete bottle set, but babies don't always take to the bottle or teat their parents chose.

The same can happen with bouncers, swings and carriers. One baby might love something another refuses to use.

For products like these, starting with one, borrowing one or waiting until you know what works can save money and clutter.

Some things can be preloved

Not every baby shower gift needs to arrive brand new.

Clothes, books and many baby items may have only been used for a few months by another family and still have plenty of life left.

Safety matters, though. Be more cautious with products such as car seats and sleep equipment, and always check the item's condition, history, current safety guidance and whether it has been recalled.

Put practical things on the list

The most useful gifts aren't always the most exciting ones.

Muslin cloths, bibs, nappies and everyday basics may not look impressive on a registry, but they're often the things parents reach for constantly.

A useful registry is better than an Instagram-perfect one.

And when your baby outgrows it?

Eventually, many of those “essentials” won't be essential anymore.

Before storing good-quality baby items indefinitely or throwing them away, consider whether another family could use them.

Through Let’s Match Mums, children's preloved clothes, toys and suitable baby equipment can be passed on to another mum who needs them.

Buy what you'll use. Accept preloved when it makes sense. And when you're finished with something, give it the chance to be useful again.