Baby Registry Reviews

Setting up a baby registry is not a "must," but it does come in handy when you need a checklist of what you still need to buy to prepare for baby's arrival. Also, if you happen to have a baby shower, having a baby registry ready will allow family and friends to purchase what you need. 

If staying organized is not enough incentive to start a registry, many registries allow for some percentage off baby items starting about 2 months before until 2 months after your due date. These are typically called "completion discounts." Even though the savings may not seem like much, it surely does add up! Some of these registry sites give you a "free" bag of samples for making your registry with them. 

The good news with creating a baby registry (or two) is that the process isn't too difficult. Thanks to technology, most baby registry sites already have parents' "must haves" organized by category (ie. nursery), then further organized by subcategory (ie. cribs, recliners, changing tables, bedding, etc). It takes a good amount of the mental work out of the process. The only thing you need to decide is between stroller system A or stroller system B. 

Below are four websites I used to make my registry and the information is up-to-date as of the time of this posting: 

Babylist

• What I love:  I love that I can add products from other websites (ie. Amazon, Target, Walmart) to this registry. Babylist shows the different places your family and friends can purchase the product from and whatever the respective price is...so people can shop via Walmart but still get your registry item. It makes for a great centralized registry. 
• Cons:  Most of the products on their website are high-end and name brand, so some stuff may be out of your budget. Some of my older relatives didn't understand how Babylist worked. 
• Completion discount:  Yes. You get 15% off your registry for items sold by Babylist.com starting 60 days before baby's expected arrival until 6 months after your baby's arrival date. It is a one time use only and certain brands are excluded from the discount. 
• Freebies:  Get a "Hello Baby Box" by creating your registry, completing 40% of your registry checklist (ie. add stuff to your registry), and purchasing $30 of gifts from the Babylist shop (this can be purchased by yourself or others). You do need to pay for shipping. 
• Personal experience:  I personally didn't opt for a "Hello Baby Box," so I can't comment whether or not it would have been worth it. 

Amazon

• What I love:  Lots of options while shopping, from high end brands to some random ones. They have fast, reliable shipping. Items ship to you as soon as they are ordered. The fact that I can apply this discount multiple times. They offer an extended return window of up to 1 year for items purchased on your registry (you know, in case you change your mind). 
• Cons:  The discount only applies to baby, pregnancy, and postpartum items. 
• Completion discount:  The baby registry owner gets 15% off (there is a way you can change registry owners with your partner/spouse). Registry must be active for at least 14 days to be eligible. Discount begins 60 days prior to arrival date and expires 90 days after the arrival date. You can apply the 15% discount on orders up to a combined value of $2,000, for a maximum discount of $300. You can apply this discount for multiple transactions.
• Freebies:  Get a free "Welcome Box" by making a registry and 1) joining Amazon Prime, 2) adding 10 unique items to your registry, 3) purchasing $10 from your registry, and 4) requesting your box. 
• Personal experience:  I personally purchased milestone cards and a seatbelt lock to meet the spend requirement, then got my free box! My free box came with a light green baby registry bag, swaddle, onesie, bottle, pacifier, and other small samples (ie. Aquaphor baby, Cerave lotions, Cerave shampoo, Munchkin diaper spray, etc). 

Pro Tip:  Some baby registries require that you spend some amount of money before you qualify for a free gift. Add what you need to your registry, make sure that it qualifies, and purchase it off your registry to meet the spending. Then, enjoy your free gift!

Target

• What I love:  Physical stores nearby so you can see the items in the flesh. The completion discount applies to all categories. They offer an extended return window of up to 1 year for items purchased on your registry.
• Cons:  The completion discount can only be redeemable up to 2 times. You need to join Target Circle and add the offer to your account. 
• Completion discount:  You get 15% off things on your registry. Discount begins 8 weeks prior to arrival date and expires 6 months after the arrival date. Your registry will need to be active for at least 14 days. Excludes items sold and shipped by Target Plus 3rd Party Partners. 
• Freebies:  Target offers a "Free welcome kit" for creating a baby registry. That's it, no need to purchase anything! You will just need to generate a barcode on your Target Circle app, which you take to the Guest Services desk to claim your free welcome gift. 
• Personal experience:  I was a bit disappointed because I was unable to get the free welcome kit, despite visiting different Target stores in the area different times and trying to call ahead of time (which is what they recommend). Some people have reported that they were able to get the welcome kit shipped for free, but I was never able to find that option. The kits are subject to availability, but I found it to be a bummer that the kits never seemed to be available. 
  

Pro Tip:  Add a diaper fund to your registries. This doesn't mean you have to buy diapers with the fund, although you can. You can use the funds to buy other baby essentials instead!

Walmart

• What I love:  Physical stores nearby so you can see the items in the flesh, and ability to add items to the registry by visiting the store and scanning barcodes. They offer an extended return window of up to 1 year for items purchased on your registry. They have "baby days," where there are special sales on select baby items. You just need to check frequently to see what is on sale. 
• Cons:  No completion discounts. 
• Completion discount:  None
• Freebies:  Free baby registry box just by making a registry. 
• Personal experience:  Since I made my registry back in April, I haven't been successful in getting a gift box. The gift box was always out of stock, despite checking availability from time to time. 
  

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The verdict -- Of the four baby registry sites I used, I highly recommend Amazon's baby registry. It's easy to make, the process is streamlined, everyone knows how to use it, shipping is reliable -- need I continue with all these pros? I also like that they honor their promise. Yes, I had to spend $10, but I made sure it was on things I would have purchased regardless. I got my gift bag with free shipping too!

Did I convince you to make your baby registry? Which baby registry site did you end up going with and what was your experience?

Nicole G.

@nextwithnicole // @nursenicoleg