Babies require a lot of stuff. You need items for bathing the baby, feeding the baby, clothing the baby, etc. Besides the necessities, it is important to remember that new parents have needs too! Your life is going to be turned upside down so don’t feel bad about registering for some items that will improve your quality of life.

I personally used Baby List for my registry because I loved that you could add services that weren’t products to your list. Gifts such as babysitting or doing the laundry don’t cost a thing but are sure appreciated.

To see everything I would recommend putting on your baby registry plus a FREE PRINTABLE BABY REGISTRY CHECKLIST sign up directly below for my monthly newsletter!

   

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Amazon Prime (Best Gift Ever)

   

If you don’t already have Amazon Prime you will absolutely want it as a parent. With Prime membership you get unlimited photo storage, deals before anyone else, free 2-day shipping, access to awesome movies and shows, plus so much more!

When you realize you need more pacifiers – hop on Amazon Prime. No one gifted you a baby bathtub? Get it on Amazon with free 2-day shipping with Prime. Seriously, it’s the best.

If you are going the disposable diaper route note that you’ll save 20% on diaper subscriptions. Trust me, you’ll be going through A LOT of diapers.

Pacifiers

   

Yes, pacifiers are obviously for the baby but really they are to keep the parents’ sanity intact. When our first daughter refused to take a pacifier I was so disappointed, especially because she had colic. Our second daughter loves her pacifier and it makes a world of difference!

I highly recommend getting a pacifier clip. We went without a clip for a month or two but the pacifier kept falling out of her mouth. The pacifier would roll under furniture, drop onto the doctor’s office floor, and we would lose them altogether. Now that we have a clip there are no more problems.

Many of our friends’ children like these pacifiers but our daughters weren’t having this kind at all. I wish I had known the pacifiers our kid likes the best now come in glow-in-the-dark options, genius!

   

Meals

   

New parents are exhausted and the last thing they want to do is make a home-made meal. It is so nice to get food from people who come to see the baby.

I also loved getting the gift of a Plated gift card. You get to go online, select the meals you want to be sent, and then all the ingredients, plus easy to follow recipe cards, are sent right to your doorstep. Hello Fresh and Blue Apron are other companies that offer the same experience.

   

Books

   

Parenting books are wonderful to reference whenever you have baby questions. As a new parent, you will undoubedtly have questions, especially those first couple weeks. Do not go on Google!

I used to teach child development classes and have tons of knowledge about pregnancy, birth, and taking care of a newborn but I still went to my bookshelf a number of times when I had questions. Remember you will be sleep-deprived and not thinking clearly. Plus, you won’t have to call the pediatrician as much if you have great baby care books on hand.

   

Babysitting

   

Babies arrive and many parents kiss their social lives goodbye. This doesn’t have to happen! One of the best gifts you can ask for is babysitting. Maybe even pick some dates in the future so that they are on your calendar then you will be less likely to back out.

Once the baby is born you may feel weird asking people to babysit. If the service is given as a gift you will be more likely to take people up on their offer. A new parent wants someone they can trust watching their precious child.

If you are gifting parents-to-be the gift of babysitting go above and beyond by including a gift card for the date – maybe to a local restaurant or movie theater.

   

Camera

   

One of the more expensive items you may want to register for is a nice camera. Once you are a parent it might be nice to have a camera that isn’t your phone. You will be taking a ton of photos of the new baby and you will want them to turn out as best as possible. It is not like you can re-take the photos, babies grow so fast!

I would highly recommend getting a tripod to take family photos – that way you too can be in the picture!

   

Cleaning

   

People can be funny about other people cleaning up after them, I know I am! New parents also don’t always like to ask for help. But the household chores can take a backseat when you are recovering from giving birth and trying to find a new normal with a crying newborn.

The gift of a cleaning service is awesome! Another great idea is to register for yard word – raking leaves, mowing the lawn, shoveling – depending on the time of year.

Want to know my most treasured cleaning tool with babies and toddlers (and a dog!) – my carpet cleaner. I won’t go into detail but kids can be really gross. The things that end up in your carpet will disgust you and you will want to have an easy-to-use, powerful carpet cleaner.

   

Ear Plugs

   

Ha, just kidding. Not really. Maybe noise canceling headphones would be more appropriate to register for. As long as one parent can attend the baby the other may want/need a little silence.

   

What would you add to this list? What makes a great gift for parents of a newborn?