10 Things I'd Skip on the Registry

Registries are built by retailers, which means they are optimised for total basket value rather than for your cupboard space. Two babies later, here is what I would leave off, and what I would put on instead.

1. The wipe warmer. Solves a problem that lasts four seconds and dries out the wipes.
2. A changing table. A pad on a dresser you already own does the same job and doesn't become useless in eighteen months.
3. Newborn shoes. They don't walk. They don't stay on. Socks.
4. The full bottle system before the baby arrives. Babies have opinions about bottles. Buy one or two of a couple of kinds, then commit.
5. Baby food maker. A pot, a fork and a blender you already own.
6. The diaper pail with proprietary refill cassettes. The refills cost more than the pail over a year. A regular lidded bin taken out daily works.
7. Crib bedding sets. Bumpers, pillows and quilts don't belong in a crib under current safe-sleep guidance, so you're buying decoration you can't use. A fitted sheet is the whole list.
8. Newborn-size clothes, in quantity. Some babies skip the size entirely. Five pieces, then see.
9. The second sound machine. One, in the room. That's it.
10. A full matching set bought before the room exists. Buy the pieces you love as you go — a set ordered in advance commits you before you have seen the room.

What I'd add instead

• More muslin blankets than seems reasonable. Burp cloth, sun shade, changing mat, nursing cover, pram blanket. You cannot have too many.
• A second crib sheet and mattress protector. The 3am change is the whole reason.
• Storage, not stuff. Baskets and closet organizers are the least exciting thing on a registry and the most used.
• A good lamp for the chair corner. Covered in the nursing corner guide.
• Gift cards. Unromantic, endlessly useful in month three when you know what you actually need.

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