How to create a baby registry, step by step

A baby registry is a list of things you'd genuinely like help with, made easy for the people who want to help. That's it. It isn't a test of how prepared you are, and it doesn't need to be finished in one sitting. Here's a sensible order to do it in, so you make the big decisions first and the fun ones last.

Step 1 — Start earlier than feels necessary

Many people start somewhere in the second trimester and add to it for weeks. That gives you time to research the handful of big items — car seat, stroller, sleep space — before anyone asks for the link. Aim to have a shareable version ready before shower invitations go out.

There's a practical reason too: store perks often come with timing rules. As of September 2026, for example, Snuggle Bugz's completion discount requires a registry that has been active for at least 60 days with at least 25 unique items. Whichever store you use, read the current terms early so you don't miss a window.

Step 2 — Decide: one universal list, store registries, or both

• A store registry keeps everything in one shop. Upsides: store perks such as completion discounts, gift tracking at checkout, and easier returns. Downsides: guests have to shop there, and you're limited to what that store stocks.
• A universal list lets you add items from any store, plus cash funds and things no store sells. Upsides: freedom, and guests can buy where they like. Downsides: purchases are usually tracked by guests marking items as bought, and returns go through whichever store they used.
• Plenty of families do both: a store registry for the big items with perks, and one universal link that points to it alongside everything else.

Our comparison of registry options in Canada covers what the main services offer. The most important rule is simple: give guests one link to start from. Three separate registries on an invitation is homework.

Step 3 — Build the list by category, not by aisle

Walk through sleep, feeding, diapering, bathing, clothing, travel, health and nursery, and add only what you'd buy anyway. Stores are laid out to make everything look essential; categories keep you honest. Our registry checklist has realistic quantities for each one.

Step 4 — Mix price points on purpose

Guests come with very different budgets, and nobody enjoys scrolling past a $900 stroller looking for something they can afford. A list that works usually has:

• Lots of small items — board books, washcloths, sleep sacks, burp cloths — so anyone can find something.
• A solid middle band for guests who want to give one meaningful thing.
• A few big items that people can go in on together. If your registry supports group gifting or contributions, turn it on for these.

Step 5 — Add cash funds for the things money is best at

Diapers, childcare, meal delivery in the early weeks and education savings are all things a box can't cover. A specific, clearly named fund ('Diapers for the first few months') feels far less awkward to contribute to than a general request for money. Our cash fund guide has wording you can borrow.

Step 6 — Decide what you're happy to get second-hand

Clothes, books and many toys are easy second-hand wins, and saying so on your registry ('we'd love hand-me-downs for clothes!') saves people money. A few items deserve more care:

• Car seats: Health Canada says a second-hand seat should have the National Safety Mark, all its parts and manual, no recalls, and should never have been in a collision. If you don't know its history, don't use it.
• Cribs: Health Canada says cribs made before September 1986 should not be used, and recommends against cribs older than 10 years. Traditional drop-side cribs have been illegal to sell in Canada since December 29, 2016.
• Anything: check the Government of Canada recalls database before accepting it.

Step 7 — Give guests the details they need

• Sizes and seasons — '6–12 months, winter' is far more useful than 'clothes'.
• Colour or style preferences, briefly.
• Short notes where they help: 'small apartment, so compact please'.
• Where gifts should go. Check your registry's privacy settings before sharing a public link with your home address on it.

Step 8 — Share it (without feeling like you're asking)

It's now common and widely accepted to include the registry link with a shower invitation, especially a digital one. For everyone else, share it when people ask — and they will. Letting a host or close friend pass it around is the traditional way to take the awkwardness off the parents entirely.

Step 9 — Keep it current

Remove things you've bought yourself, add what you've discovered you need, and revisit the list after the shower. If your store offers a completion discount, that's the moment to use it on the remaining items — after checking its exclusions, since some programs exclude big-ticket categories like car seats and strollers.

Step 10 — Thank people as you go

• Log who gave what the day it arrives. Future-you, sleep-deprived, will not remember.
• Mention the actual gift and how you'll use it. 'The sleep sacks are already in heavy rotation' beats a generic thank-you every time.
• For group gifts, thank each person who contributed, not just the organiser.
• For cash, say what it went toward rather than the amount.
• Aim for a few weeks, but a late, warm note is better than none. People understand there's a newborn involved.

The most common registry mistakes

• Registering for newborn-size everything. Ask for bigger sizes too.
• Leaving the big safety items to whoever buys them. Choose the car seat and sleep space yourself.
• No small items, so guests on a budget feel stuck.
• Several links with no starting point.
• Forgetting to update it after the shower.

If you want the list, cash funds and shower invites under one link, that's what MyBabyBase is built for. But the steps above work with any registry.