The 5 Best Baby Registries for Expectant Parents

When it’s time to create a baby registry, it can be hard to pick just one. There are so many options to choose from with unique assortments of gear, accessories and fourth-trimester must-haves. (Don’t worry, there are plenty of baby sites that allow you to create a universal registry, meaning you can add items from all your favorite stores and keep it organized in one nifty place!) But before you start browsing and sorting, you’ll want to do some due diligence. So what are the pros and cons of each baby registry store or site—and which baby registry has the best perks? Keep reading to learn more about the best baby registries and the enticing bonuses they offer.

Best Baby Registry Pick: Amazon

Amazon has everything you could possibly need or want, so it’s really no surprise that the retailer is one of the best baby registry options out there. Plus, the website has tons of baby gear from parent-favorite brands, including Graco, Evenflo, Nanit, UPPAbaby, Bugaboo and many more.

• What you’ll love: To help you make your selection, Amazon provides registry users with ideas and inspiration across all baby gear categories, from baby bottles to strollers. Better yet, it offers a cash fund for diapers, convenient thank-you tracking and its beloved fast, free shipping for customers with Prime accounts. And if you decide a gift isn’t meeting your needs, you can return it for a full year free of charge. What’s more, expectant parents and active Prime members who register with Amazon also receive a free welcome box with sample-, travel- and full-size surprise items for baby and themselves, as well as a 15 percent completion discount on their baby registry for up to $300.

• What your friends and family will love: Another reason Amazon is one of the best places for a baby registry? It makes shopping as easy for your loved ones as it does for you. Plus, group gifting options allow loved ones to pool their money for some of the more expensive items on your list (think car seats and cribs).

• Potential downsides: Things at Amazon tend to sell out or change prices, so if you do use it for your baby registry, odds are you’ll need to update items for sell-out consistently. They also recently sunset their feature for creating a universal registry.

Best Baby Registry Pick: Pottery Barn Kids

Pottery Barn Kids is the go-to for creating a chic nursery full of boho decor with tons of options for personalization. The brand also sells trusted gear from innovative industry-leading brands, including Nuna, UppaBABY, Doona and more. Pottery Barn Kids is also committed to baby’s health and environmental sustainability, making it one of the best baby registry sites out there. All of their baby furniture is 100 percent Greenguard Gold certified, meaning it emits less chemicals and creates healthier indoor air quality for baby (and you). Additionally, all of the company’s cotton products are organic, safe for baby’s sensitive skin and sustainably sourced.

• What you’ll love: Along with a focus on healthy and sustainable products, Pottery Barn Kids creates curated in-app lists for their most popular registry items to help you get started, as well as free nursery design services so you can get the exact aesthetic you’re looking for. Hate shopping online? Visit any of their retail locations instead to shop in person and get design tips. The brand also allows you to add items to your registry from sister brands, including Pottery Barn, Williams Sonoma and West Elm. On top of all this, they also feature a 15 percent registry completion discount for up to six months after your event date. (Parents expecting multiples will also receive a special 10 percent discount!)

• What your friends and family will love: A registry with Pottery Barn Kids offers loved ones curated gift ideas and plenty of options for personalized gifts. And if guests do buy something not on the registry, it’ll be added to the registry so other guests know it’s already been purchased. The retailer also allows family and friends to ship gift-wrapped items and include a printed card, both of which add an extra-special touch.

• Potential downsides: While Pottery Barn Kids has some amazing benefits, unlike some other baby registry sites, they don’t have group-gifting options, free shipping or freebie items. Their return policy is also on the shorter end, at 90 days.

Best Baby Registry Pick: Crate and Kids

Crate and Kids is one of the best baby registry sites because it pulls out all the stops to make it easy for parents-to-be to create a registry that’s full of functional and stylish products with rave reviews. Case in point: Amidst buybuy BABY’s bankruptcy news, the brand is offering an easy transition for customers with existing buybuy BABY registries, as well as 20 percent off their most wanted item. Like many other baby registry sites, Crate and Kids also has a 15 percent completion discount on any unpurchased items for up to six months after your event date. Similar to Pottery Barn Kids, the brand also gives 10 percent off to parents expecting twins or multiples.

• What you’ll love: Crate and Kids makes it easy to create the registry of your dreams. Not only does the site have a list of most-loved items and checklists for all the essentials you’ll need, but it also gives free in-person and virtual consultations to help you further narrow down items. You can even add curated bundles to your registry with one easy click. Finally, Crate and Kids features tons of on-trend brands to choose from, including Stokke, Nuna, Dagne Dover, BabyBjorn and more.

• What your friends and family will love: Along with available registry items, loved ones have the option to give a Crate and Kids gift card, as well as donate to a group gift for big-ticket items. Plus, the registry remains active for 18 months following the event date to make purchases easy for any late gifters.

• Potential downsides: The baby registry site doesn’t give out a welcome gift, offers a shorter return window (90 days) for non-furniture items and has a higher order total ($49) for free shipping. Additionally, only customers with iPhones can currently use the Crate and Barrel app for their registry.

Best Baby Registry Pick: Target

There are lots of great perks that make Target one of the best places for your baby registry—especially for first-time parents. It’s no secret that babies require a lot of gear, and it can be hard to keep track of everything you need to register for. Luckily, Target has a checklist feature for different categories of gear to help you sort through all your items. Plus, it tracks what items have been purchased and who purchased them, as well as who you’ve sent thank you notes to. A baby registry with Target also includes a free one-year trial with Shipt, which offers fast, free shipping for groceries, diapers and more to make that first year with baby easier.

• What you’ll love: Target sends expectant parents free items (over $100 in value) when they start their baby registry, as well as gives a 15 percent completion discount and free returns for a full year. The retailer also includes a full year of exclusive deals on all baby essentialsand offers redeemable points with each purchase. The cherry on top? They’ll also price match your item if you find it cheaper somewhere else.

• What your friends and family will love: Target’s group gifting options allow gifters to contribute to a digital Target gift card, which the registrant can then use to purchase more expensive items on their registry. Plus, loved ones can buy their gifts from the online registry and easily pick it up curbside or in person at their nearest Target store, which may come in handy for baby shower gifts.

• Potential downsides: Target only does returns for registry items in stores. You’ll also want to be mindful of where the items you add to your registry are sold, as the pricing may differ depending on whether it’s bought online or at a local store.

Best Baby Registry Pick: Walmart

Walmart is well-known for its low prices and incredible deals, but the brand also price matches when you find a lower cost elsewhere. (Note that the price match is only applicable for one product per day.) Plus, customers can easily add items to their registry while shopping online or in store through the Walmart app with the help of “Hoo the owl.” Simply fill out a form, and based on your answers, Hoo will populate a registry for you that can easily be edited to match your tastes and needs.

• What you’ll love: The big-box retailer has many of the same benefits as the other best baby registry sites listed, including free returns for up to one year, free shipping on orders over $35 and a free welcome box. However, it also throws in a free postpartum care box for expectant moms that’s mailed out during the third trimester, complete with products from popular brands like Frida, Palmer’s, Organic Valley and more.

• What your friends and family will love: Gifters can shop online or in store at one of Walmart’s many locations and can have their items seamlessly marked as purchased as long as they have the registry barcode.

• Potential downsides: Unlike many of the other baby registry site options, Walmart does not offer a completion discount or group gifting options. Plus, you’ll need your receipt for easy returns if an item doesn’t work out.

Ultimately, deciding where to register can be a tough decision to make—and the best baby registry sites for each family will look different based on their individual needs. Do your research, weigh your options and rest assured knowing that you can’t go wrong with any of the baby registry websites listed above. Bonus: If you’re leaning toward registering with all your favorite retailers, know there are also registry websites—like The Bump!—that allow you to consolidate them in one organized place.

Plus, more from The Bump:

The Bump Baby Registry FAQs

Your Ultimate Baby Registry Checklist

Baby Gear: What to Splurge on and What to Skip