Baby Registry Must-Haves: Night Nanny Support & Gifts Parents Really Need

Yes, gearing up for a new arrival means adding essentials like bottles, burp cloths, diapers, and wipes to your registry. But these basic items aren’t the only helpful things to have on hand for a newborn. While adorable onesies and rattle toys are fun to gush over and add to your list, there are other gifts that truly make life easier for new parents.

With guidance from certified gift registry expert and owner of Gold Coast Doulas, Kristin Revere, we’re sharing five baby registry must-haves that differ from the traditional items and instead act as helpful services for new parents. Trust us, you’ll be glad you stole these ideas for your own baby registry.

5 Baby Registry Must-Haves

1. Night nanny services

One major service that’s a must-have for your baby registry is a night-time nanny. These professionals swoop in for the night shift, relieving you of baby feedings, diaper changes, and soothing your little one back to sleep, all while you rest up through the night.

Night nannies help out the way you tell them to. Which means you’re still part of your baby’s life and not just “handing them over” to someone else. For example, a night-time nanny will feed your baby exactly how you tell them to, whether that’s through a bottle or physically bringing your baby to you for the night to feed.

If you think you may need some additional help around the house and more support and advice for feeding and setting up new systems, then you’re probably better off hiring an overnight postpartum doula. You can think of these experts as a step up from a night nanny.

Whatever kind of overnight help you’re looking for, we love recommending the registry service BeHerVillage to get you the help you need. (Pssst… if you’re in the West Michigan area, Gold Coast Doulas offers helpful overnight services and gift cards for new parents!)

2. Meal delivery

Realistically, caring for a newborn sometimes means you forget to eat. Or have no time to make yourself a much-needed nutritious meal. “The last thing you have the time and energy for when you have a newborn is cooking,” says Kristin. That’s why our doulas at Gold Coast suggest adding gift cards for meal delivery services to your baby registry.

Delivery services like DoorDash or Uber Eats come in handy for new parents since they bring your favorite takeout meals right to your home with a hassle-free experience. There are even postpartum-specific meal services like Restorative Roots, sending you super-nourishing meals that aid your body during the recovery process. The best part of these services is that these meals come frozen, which means they’re easy to store and heat up later, so you always have meals on hand ready to eat.

3. House cleaning services

Ah yes, arguably the number one baby registry must-have. Between the endless loads of laundry, dirty dishes in the sink, floors that haven’t been swept or mopped in weeks, and dust that’s building up on every surface, having a local cleaner come in to handle it all will take a load off your shoulders—literally.

You’ll have a lot going on once your little one arrives, whether you’re expecting your first baby or more. The last thing you need to worry about is cleaning the house. “If you’re the type of person who gets stressed by a messy house, this will be an important point for you to figure out before your baby arrives,” Kristin says. We suggest adding gift cards or a funds bucket to a local cleaner on your registry so you can be prepared once your baby arrives.

You’ll have plenty of time to cross off house chores on your to-do list when your little one is a bit older. But during the sweet newborn bubble, you’ll just want to focus on being in the moment.

4. Laundromat gift cards

Similar to house cleaning services, having laundromat gift cards on your baby registry is always a good idea. To be honest, your laundry plus your baby’s will pile up quickly. Having these gift cards on hand makes this task mindless and super easy to accomplish.

Here’s something neat—many laundromats are drop-off and go. But in some areas, they will drive out to your home and pick up your laundry, wash it, and leave it folded on your doorstep. Check in with your local laundromat to see if they offer this helpful service!

5. Lactation consultant support

Choosing to breastfeed? Then don’t skip out on hiring a lactation consultant, especially if you can get one gifted to you on your registry. Breastfeeding is a major learning curve for you and your baby—no matter if this is your first rodeo or not—and these experts provide the best guidance for anything that may arise during your breastfeeding journey.

They’ll help you monitor and track your baby’s weight gain, educate you on the best feeding positions and techniques, support you through issues like mastitis, low supply, and so much more. The great news is, you can easily register for lactation consultant services on BeHerVillage for friends and family to gift you.

One last piece of advice? “Find out if any in your area do in-home consults, and don’t forget to check with your insurance provider ahead of time and see what’s covered. You may find out that some lactation classes or visits are covered,” suggests Kristin.

In a nutshell, creating a baby registry can be incredibly overwhelming, especially once you consider all you’ll need for your little one. But adding gift cards or funds buckets on your registry for more out-of-the-box services like night nanny support and meal deliveries will be a huge blessing when the time comes. If you need help figuring out which services are right for you and all the essentials you’ll need for baby, Gold Coast Doulas also offers baby registry consultations that take away the guesswork of registry creation!

Kristin Revere, MM, CED, NCS, is a certified birth and postpartum doula and the founder of Gold Coast Doulas in Grand Rapids, Michigan. She is also the co-host of Ask the Doulas Podcast and co-author of Supported: Your Guide to Birth and Baby.