Gear

Is a Budget Baby Registry really possible? There’s no question that having a baby is going to take a little funding.  The good news is that, although there are certain items that you really shouldn’t get as hand-me-downs (e.g., car seats) – you don’t have to splurge for high-quality items.  There are many budget baby registry finds on the market today, including stylish clothing and gear that won’t break the bank.  Here are our picks for your best budget baby registry, keeping your wallet in mind.

Budget Baby Registry: Gear & On The Go

We often recommend babywearing, which has wonderful benefits aside from the hands-free aspect. One of our favorite stylish, yet affordable brands on the market is Infantino. This Infantino Flip Advanced 4-in-1 Convertible Carrier ($29.99) grows with your child; suitable for babies 8 to 32lbs. It offers four ways to carry: newborn facing in, older baby facing in, facing out, and back carry. For a budget-friendly wrap-style carrier (without the difficulty of a wrap), we also LOVE the Baby K’tan ($59.95) carrier.

Baby Trend Snap N Go EX Universal Infant Car Seat Carrier is one of our top recommendations for families on a budget. The Snap N Go turns your infant car seat (we like Graco’s infant car seats) into a travel stroller so you don’t need to have a whole stroller system.  However, when baby grows out of the infant car seat, you’ll need a high-quality lightweight stroller like our favorites – the Summer Infant 3Dlite Convenience Stroller or the super sleek Larktale chit chat.

Looking for the convenience of a travel system? Graco has you covered!

Lastly, in the early stages of baby, you’re going to have to tote around a lot of stuff. We love the Baby K’tan as our stylish value find.  Take a look here to read what some real moms had to say about Baby K’tans hands-free diaper bags.

Budget Baby Registry: Bedroom/Nursery

One of the 2016 safe sleep recommendations from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) is for infants to share their parents’ bedroom for at least the first six months and, optimally, for the first year of life, based on the latest evidence. So, it’s likely you’ll need a sleeping arrangement for your bedroom. If you’re looking to adhere to AAP guidelines, the super portable, affordable, and safe-sleep approved BRICA Fold N’ Go Travel Bassinet is a dream for your wallet. Do note, it’s only meant for use up to 6 months and, you’ll likely have to put the bassinet on the floor, which may not be practical for a number of reasons (e.g., frequent night-time nursing, pets, etc.) For something sleep-approved that requires less bending over and also grows with your child, go with the Graco Pack ‘n Play On The Go Playard with bassinet.

You’ll need a crib mattress of course and our budget pick is and always has been the Safety 1st Heavenly Dreams White Crib Mattress. Our general go-to brand for high-quality cribs that won’t break the bank is DaVinci. The Jenny Lind crib shown above will add great style to your nursery without breaking the bank. Ikea also has excellent crib options. Cribs are really a blank canvas regardless – and a great crib sheet can add that pizazz you need. We love the multi-packs by Peanutshell or Ely’s & Co.

For use inside or outside of the nursery, do NOT forget some muslin swaddle blankets, which have multiple uses beyond just swaddling.  Parents just rave about these 100% organic swaddle blankets from Moonjax said to be among the softest of their kind out there.  While they are on the pricier side, the multi-pack gets you a great deal on something you’ll use all the time.

Wearable swaddles like the Swaddle Me Original swaddles are also a great, budget-conscious option. Swaddles create a cozy, womb-like feeling for baby and prevent the startle reflex that can wake your newborn infant. A three pack of these costs around $35 or less

While the wildly popular Wubbanub may be described by some as pricey and hardly fit for a budget baby registry, we’ve added it for two reasons: 1. it’s a 2-in-1 product (pacifier + lovie) so we feel that this justifies a higher price tag and 2. if you’re having a shower, it’s great to register for this item as a gift. An important thing to note about Wubbanubs, due to safe sleep recommendations, reserve the Wubbanub for supervised snoozing only.

Nanobebe flexy pacifiers are an excellent choice for sleep!

Since the launch of Gugu Guru in 2015, the VTech DM221 Safe & Sound Digital Audio Baby Monitor has remained our leading budget baby monitor recommendation across the board. If you’re looking for a video monitor, we would recommend the Summer Infant Glimpse Video Baby Monitor as our budget video monitor pick coming in at less than $100.

You’ll need a cool mist humidifier for your home. It will help immensely when baby catches the sniffles and even when breastfeeding! We have always been huge fans of Crane USA and their excellent humidifiers.

Budget Baby Registry: Layette

Generally people love to gift clothing, so try to register for specific items that you know you’ll love. We always recommend adding pajamas in a variety of sizes and some basics that you know you’ll use. Check out our post on newborn clothing necessities Clothing is also something that you can easily score as hand-me-downs or from BST (Buy/Sell/ Trade) groups on Facebook. You’ll want to get lots of onesies and zippered pajamas (snaps are terrible in the middle of the night.) To make sure you have some of the basics covered, you can also register for an economical layette set like this Essential Newborn Baby Layette Set from SpaSilk. Here’s a budget tip – go gender neutral for clothes.  If you plan to have more babies, you can re-use what you have and if you don’t plan on having another, you can trade or sell gender-neutral items more easily.

Budget Baby Registry: Feeding

Regardless of how you plan to feed your baby, you’ll definitely need some burp cloths. One of the most popular burp cloths is actually labeled as a diaper! The Gerber Birdseye 3-Ply Prefold Cloth Diaper. A pack of 10 will cost you less than $20.

Though it’s certainly not the least expensive pillow on the market, nursing moms love the My Brest Friend Original Nursing Pillow, which comes in a variety of colors and styles. You’ll also want to pick up some nursing pads as well. For mothers who are not exclusively breastfeeding, the Evenflo Balance + Bottles are an excellent high-quality budget choice. Parents love the angled bottle for reducing gas and ease of use. Don’t forget a bottle brush too.

As baby starts solids and graduates to self-feeding, the Fisher-Price Spacesaver High Chair is our top budget choice. In fact, Gugu Guru’s founder, Monica, used this chair for her two babes. For baby’s adventures dining in, you’ll also need soft-tip infant spoons, suction bowls and bibs (note: there are drool bibs and there are feeding bibs, we’re speaking of the latter.)

Budget Baby Registry: Bath & Potty

Here’s the truth about diapers: you may have to try a few brands before you figure out what works best.  It’s not unusual that one diaper brand is deemed as superior and leak proof by one parent, and that same brand is labeled as inferior by another.  It’s also not unusual to switch along the way.

Huggies Little Snugglers, Pampers Swaddlers, and Luvs are often loved by many parents. Also, don’t look past your bulk buy stores (Costco and Sam’s Club both have excellent diaper options). Target also has an excellent line of diapers, which many parents swear by! took the cake. Budget hint: try Amazon’s Subscribe & Save service for 5% off diapers and also wipes.

Even though this post is about saving money on baby products, Gugu Guru would encourage our readers not to skimp too much on products you put on baby’s skin, e.g., hair & body wash or lotion. Luckily, we found Earth Mama’s line of safe baby wash, perfect for those newborn suds.

For infant bath tubs, Summer’s Splish ‘n Splash Newborn Tub has always reigned supreme among parents for a best budget find. Shown here, this tub will grow with your little one all the way to toddlerhood!

For adorable and budget-friendly hooded towels and washcloths, look no further than Luvable friends.

Budget-minded parents will be happy to know that you can get all of your health and grooming essentials in one fell swoop with the Safety 1st Deluxe Kit

Budget Baby Registry: Play Time

For our favorite budget play mat, the beloved Infantino brand comes in again with some amazing options.

Fisher Price consistently has some great play options. You can find some exceptional toys, bouncers, and seats for baby to use throughout the house.

For more tips on how to save on anything and everything baby, arm yourself with the bible of budget parenting: Baby Bargains.

Looking for more help! Check out our shop today for many of our favorite budget finds.