What Is The Best Baby Registry For Me?
Amazon vs Target vs Babylist: which one will give you the most benefit?
When I was pregnant with my first baby, I had literally zero clue what gear and products I would really need to keep a baby happy and thriving in our home. I had honestly never really been around babies much and was the first in my friend group to have one. So the thought of starting and perfecting a baby registry was a very daunting task for me that took me months adding and deleting products.
And then there is the big questions: Where do I register?
With retail sites shifting shopping to more of a virtual experience these days, online retailers have pushed the traditionally brick and mortar stores when it comes to the baby registry game. This is giving both registry creators more options in products, but more benefits too.
In this article we are going to talk about what I like to think of as the Big Three of baby registry sites:
Amazon
Target
Babylist
We’ll be going over the pros and cons of each registry option to help you decide which ones may be worth your time to sign up for.
And spoiler alert: you can sign up for more than one registry! In fact, I encourage you too. Registries are not just to give your loved ones a list of new baby wants and needs, its a way to save money and get freebies on the things you want to purchase yourself!
Amazon
Amazon is consistently one of the most popular places to shop for Americans. So it makes sense that their baby registry would be a go-to for parents to be.
One of the biggest appeals to registering on Amazon is the wide variety of products you’re able to select. Boutique brand who are not on Amazon are not available to register for, but I think you’ll find 95% of everything you want can be registered for on Amazon.
Other than product selection, here are some benefits Amazon Baby Registry offers:
Prime members get a Welcome Bag of freebies once $10 worth of product has been purchased off of your registry. Free shipping too! I’ve created a couple of TikTok’s showcasing what I received in my Welcome Bag’s both times. You can peek at what I got here and here. This time around to get my welcome bag quickly I just added stretch mark cream to my registry and purchased it for myself!
15% discount can be used on items from your registry (you can continuously add items to your registry) 60 days before your due date
15% discount can be used on items from your registry 90 days after your due date, multiple times! You can do this every day for 90 days if you want and the items qualify
Diaper fund. You can set up a fund for diapers for your friends and family to contribute to
Tips from Taylor:
A LOT of items qualify for the 15% discount, you may be surprised! It’s not just baby products. Be sure to add any postpartum or pregnancy comfort items to your registry (you can make these items private so others can’t see them) to get 15% off once you qualify for the discount. Even items like free and clear laundry detergent qualify! A vacuum may not, but I would add anything you plan to purchase off of Amazon to your registry and add to it your cart through there because you may get lucky and it qualify for the discount!
The 15% discount after baby is born IS NOT a one time coupon. You can literally use this every day for 90 days. I made this mistake and plan on taking full advantage of it my second time around.
Target
Target is another incredibly popular retailer that offers a great baby registry option. A couple of the pros of Target are that there are physical retail locations, so not only the parents-to-be but the baby shower attendee’s can see the gift options and pick them out in person.
The only con I see to the Target registry is that you are limited to items only sold at Target. They have a wide variety of products to choose from, but no where close to what Amazon or Babylist allow you to add.
However, Target offers a lot of valuable benefits when you sign up for their baby registry:
A welcome bag with freebies, no purchase necessary. You can order this online and pay shipping or go to the customer service desk at your local Target. You me have to go a few times before they have one in stock. My understanding is they get one large shipment every so often, no regular schedule.
A 15% discount can be used on items from your registry (you can continuously add items) 8 weeks before your due date, once online and once in store. This can be found in your Target Circle account.
Year of benefits - exclusive discounts available to you through the target circle app.
Tips from Taylor:
Have a plan for your 15% in store discount. Look what your local store has in stock! This would be a great opportunity to get a large item like a car seat or swing. I honestly don’t even know what happened, or what even qualified when mine accidently got used on a random Target run, but I was not able to make the most out of it
The Year of Benefits is what I think makes Target’s registry one of the most appealing. I think this is one everyone should sign up for. It doesn’t require you to make any minimum purchase to receive the Welcome Bag, discount, or Year of Benefits
Check your Target Circle app for Year of Benefit deals regularly! I magically had discounts on much needed postpartum items right after I had my baby. Discounts on Good and Gather brand food, and spend $50 get a $10 gift card offers.
Save up any gift cards you receive or earn through the Target Circle app to use on large purchases
Babylist
Babylist touts themselves as “the best registry”. I did not use Babylist for my baby regisrty, but I can tell you that most of the baby shower invites I do receive include a registry on Babylist.
Babylist definitely comes out on top when it comes to product selection. Their website states that you can ass “anything from any store”. Amazon, Target, Walmart, boutiques, Etsy, you name it! You should be able to add whatever you want to this registry! I think this is a huge benefit, especially if you are looking for a stroller or specific baby gear that major retailers do not carry.
Other Benefits Babylist offers:
welcome bag with freebies after $10 purchase is made from your registry, plus shipping
One time 15% discount can be used on items from your registry (you can continuously add items) 60 days before your due date
an abundance of articles and curated baby product lists to help any mom-to-be pick out the best products for them and their baby
price comparison of each item from different stores, so you, your friends and family can get the best price
While I didn’t use Babylist myself, I know a lot of people who have been happy with this registry. I think if you are looking to just have one streamlined registry and don’t really care about maximizing discounts, this is the best option. You can register and compile your list of products all in one place and make things easy on your guests!
Conclusion
If you are looking to take advantage of savings and have great registry options, I think that Amazon and Target are a great combination to register for 97% of everything you could want and get great benefits!
If you want to keep things simple, go with Babylist!
Tips to maximize completion discounts
Here’s how to get the most out of your completion discount/s:
If using it online make sure you are adding the items to your registry first!
Add to cart through your registry
Add any and all items. You may be surprised what qualifies. Amazon will tell you if it qualifies for the discount.
Think about items like:
Cleaning essentials
Laundry Detergant
Postpartum essentials
Breastfeeding gear (nursing bras, milk storage bags, milk catchers, pumps)
Diapers and wipes
Gear that baby will grow into or need multiple of (sleep sacks, feeding gear, higher flow nipples, seasonal clothing)
Replacement parts for breast pumps and bottles
Stock up if you can while you have the discount! This is also a great strategy to use so you’re not spending as much money when you’re out on maternity leave.
