Our Must-Haves for a New Baby Registry

Whether or not this is your first baby, the months leading up to the arrival of your little bundle of joy can move faster than the blink of an eye. And it may seem like you’re racing against your due date as you rush to finish your seemingly endless to-do list. Starting a registry for your baby is one way to ease the stress and cross a few items off your list. 

Your baby gift registry gives your friends and family an inside look into what you need to care for your newest little addition, from newborn necessities like diapers and wipes to car seats, nursery furniture, and even special items like a baby memory book to celebrate once-in-a-lifetime milestones. As the due date approaches, collecting the basics to care for a new and growing baby is a vital part of parenthood. Creating a registry full of your personal preferences for what you want and need is the easiest way to get that all done while letting your eager village support you.

Whether you're expecting or just stocking up on baby shower present ideas for your pregnant loved ones, we've compiled a list of our must-have commemorative items to contribute to a complete baby registry. Learn about what to expect when creating your registry, when to give unique baby gifts, and more with our expertise. 

What’s a Baby Registry?

A baby registry is a wish list of gifts that new parents would like to receive when their baby is on the way. Similar to creating a wedding registry, this wish list also serves as an organizational tool to take stock of what you have and still need for the baby. 

Taking the time to make a list of both wants and needs is a straightforward way to communicate to your guests which presents would be helpful and appreciated. When you make a registry, take the guesswork out of gift-giving for your loved ones and receive the baby gifts you actually want as you prepare for your baby's arrival.  

What to Expect When You're Creating a Baby Registry

If you're preparing to register for unique baby gifts, you must know what to expect. First, you'll want to sign up for a registry through a business, either online or in person. Most registries, like our gift registry, are designed so that you can add items from different companies to create your dream new baby gift wish list. From there, you can add any present you want or need, whether it's a first Christmas baby ornament or a high-tech car seat.

Finally, share your baby registry with your friends and family. As your loved ones buy presents off the registry, the option will be marked accordingly or be marked as no longer available for other viewers, so you can avoid getting duplicates of anything. The gifts will either be automatically shipped to your house or your guest's house to be delivered when the time is right or as they attend your baby shower. We know how tiring pregnancy can be, so remember that you can even do all of this registering from the comfort of your own home.

What Makes the Best Baby Gifts?

Whether searching for registry inspiration for your own baby registry or hunting for unique baby gifts for a loved one, you may wonder what makes the best baby gifts. Every item, from functional essentials like bottles, swaddles, and gear to commemorative keepsakes, is equally appreciated—as long as it comes from the heart.

We believe some of the best baby gifts help you slow down and enjoy every little moment, and our commemorative keepsake items help families celebrate everyday milestones so they can relieve cherished memories over and over. If you’re wondering how to curate a gift for infants that gives a lasting impression, look no further than commemorative keepsakes.

Whether you choose a personalized Christmas ornament with their name and birth year or a collection of children’s melamine dinnerware, these unique baby gifts are designed to be cherished and serve as a physical representation of a time in one's life. Celebrate every important moment with a commemorative and meaningful gift.

Pro tip: go the extra mile and give Big Sister or Big Brother ornaments to their siblings when a baby is announced to include the whole family in the fun!

Baby Gifts for Big and Little Milestones are Perfect Registry Additions

There’s a long timeline of baby’s “firsts” to commemorate—so why should the registry stop at gifts for the birth? When you’re searching for the perfect, thoughtful new baby gift, think outside the box and look for unique commemorative keepsakes that help celebrate these exciting milestones and more:

• First birthday
• First hair cut
• First Christmas
• First steps
• First word

The Timeless Traditions of Baby Gifts

While baby registries may be a newer tradition, cultures have been giving gifts to infants for thousands of years. If someone you know is expecting, it's generally believed that it's the perfect time to shower them with love, attention, and new baby gifts to help them transition to parenthood.

Anything from the typical gift list, such as bibs, toys, and picture books, to more symbolic gestures like the money tree plant or the Chinese red envelope, is a thoughtful and supportive way to show support for the parents and excitement for the baby on the way. 

Coton Colors Must-Haves for a Baby Registry

While there are many functional items that are essential to creating a baby registry, we want to highlight a few of our keepsake items that appeal to the sentimental crowd. Take a look at our must-haves to complete your baby registry with these five types of gifts:

1. Picture frames
2. Ornaments
3. Stuffed animals and blankets
4. Baby books
5. Nursery decor 

1. Fill a Picture Frame with Family Photos

As every new parent knows, there are countless moments in a baby's life you’ll wish to capture on film. From the delivery room to the first steps, that camera roll will fill up in no time! That's why we suggest adding multiple beautiful picture frames to your baby registry. To keep your home cohesive, choose designs that complement your décor, whether the frame will be placed in the nursery or the living room for all to enjoy. 

Picture frames are the perfect present for the arrival of a baby because that baby can grow up surrounded by images of their earliest days. When searching for a gift, choose an elegant Blue Pinstripe Square Frame to elevate your home décor with happy family pictures. Bring a playful touch to any room with our charming gingham pattern and show off your baby portraits with a sweet pink frame. If you're looking for a unique baby gift, give the gift of tangible memories for the baby to enjoy once they're all grown up! 

If you're a thoughtful loved one who selects a picture frame to gift, take it up a notch and print a photo to put in the frame before you give it to the parents. And don't forget that you can personalize any of our picture frames with whatever details you'd like. Add the baby’s name, date of birth, birth weight, and more to immortalize the moment in the photo.  

 2. Give a Personalized Ornament for a Unique Baby Gift

Add commemorative glass ornaments to your registry to celebrate your baby's important milestones. Every step of pregnancy and the early years of child development deserves to be celebrated, and adding personalized ornaments to the registry gives a physical and loving reminder of those special moments. That's why we design timeless and colorful ornaments for every milestone imaginable, from holidays to gender announcements.

There's something special about taking the baby ornaments out of the storage boxes every year and hanging them on the tree together as a family. But you don't have to wait until the holidays to enjoy them! You can show off your keepsake ornaments year-round and celebrate every day with ornament stands in their room on a bookshelf. Reminisce over the baby years together as a family with our milestone and Christmas ornament gifts. 

Pro tip: if you are commemorating something specific, don't forget we can personalize almost all our ornaments with a name, date, birth weight, or special memory or message! 

Our Popular Baby Ornaments:

Browse some of our most popular children's ornaments designs when adding commemorative items to your baby registry:  

• Stork, We're Expecting  
  
• Rainbow of Hope  
• It's a Girl 
• It's a Boy 
• Welcome, Sweet Baby (also comes in blue and pink!) 
• My First Christmas (just one of many festive designs) 
• First Year Milestones

3. Gift Soft Stuffed Animals and Blankets

Babies always seem to form inseparable bonds with their first stuffed animals and baby blanket toys. We always recommend adding soft blankets and plushies to your baby registry so your young ones have a life-long companion to accompany them through their childhood. Choose from our pink, blue, and gender-neutral designs to find a matching color palette for your nursery décor and inspire your guests to choose a loveable stuffed animal for a unique baby gift. 

A few years ago, we launched a collaboration with zestt organics to create a collection of classic baby toys and blankets you and your baby will love. Your baby deserves high-quality and safe stuffed animals, so we partnered with the environmentally savvy textile brand to design our exclusive knit products, from the throw blankets to the toys.

Every product is crafted with non-GMO cotton, processed without toxic dyes and chemicals, and crafted at ethical facilities. But act fast—these luxurious and adorable stuffed animals have a limited stock, and once they're gone, they're gone.

4. Capture Memories with Baby Books

Ask any parent, and they'll tell you the days go by quickly when they're little. That's why we recommend adding memory baby books to every baby registry and learning to use your book to document the indescribable journey. Don't let the moments pass by without taking notes to remember years later, one line at a time. Take the pressure off yourself to self-publish a beautiful, picture-perfect scrapbook and focus on what's most important—capturing the moments so you can remember them forever.  

Our Celebrate Me Books are the perfect gifts for infants. Grab the Celebrate Me Book in blue for your little boy or a blush pink Celebrate Me Book for your daughter and keep track of every "first" and funny moment as soon as they're born. When they grow up, you can pass the book on to them, and they can take the story of their life into their own hands!

5. Find Gifts that Elevate Nursery Décor

Don't forget to add charming and playful décor items for the nursery when making your baby registry. Decorating the nursery when the baby is on the way is one of the most exciting and exhausting steps of newborn preparation. Make the process a little easier by choosing simple items that elevate your nursery décor, and your guests will enjoy lending a helping hand.

Ceramic crosses are one of our favorite nursery décor items, whether sitting on a shelf or strung on the wall with a silk or velvet ribbon. Choose from pinks, blues, or a gender-neutral Ecru to find the perfect cross to complete your nursery. If they aren't bought in time for the baby's birth, don't worry! Keep them on your registry as a potential baptism or christening gift.

Piggy banks are whimsical and useful, making them the perfect accessory for a child's bedroom and a must-have item on your registry. Our adorable ceramic piggy banks are a top-selling baby item. Choose from different color options, like the beautiful blush Pink Gingham Piggy Bank, and personalize it to make it a one-of-a-kind present. A piggy bank is always a hit if you're looking for a rare and new baby gift for a friend. Start their savings in their very own bank with loose change and pass on that responsibility as they grow older. 

When Should You Give a Baby Gift?

Generally, friends and family give expecting parents their new baby gifts at the baby shower or after birth. Whether a couple hosts a shower before or after the baby arrives is up to them, so it's a smart idea to select a present from the registry weeks in advance so you're ready to give it when the time comes. And, with nine months leading up to the baby's arrival and countless milestones after that, there are many occasions to give a present! 

Whether you've been searching for unique baby gifts to bring to a shower or want to create your baby registry soon, use our five must-haves to start the wish list of your dreams. Celebrate the many milestones with treasured presents and create an organized registry full of all your wants and needs as you prepare to bring new life into this world. And one more thing – congratulations!