A baby shower list (and universal registry) where the duplicates do not pile up
A baby shower is the one occasion where guests genuinely cannot guess. Some things you need five of. Some things you need exactly one of, and a second is a box you have to store, return, or quietly pass on.
Nadia & Sam's baby list
7 gift ideas ·Baby shower ·1 already reserved
Muslin squares
We need about twelve. Two packs, and nobody has ever regretted more.
Sleepsuits, 3–6 months
Not newborn size — everyone buys newborn and they last a fortnight.
Pram
The big one. Happy for people to club together, or for a used one.
Bottles and a steriliser
Say how many, not just what
Quantity is the whole problem at a baby shower, and it is the thing a plain gift list never captures. Write it into the wish itself — "muslin squares, as many as anyone likes" against "one baby monitor, please only one" — and guests know instantly which is which.
For anything sized, put the size in. Newborn clothes are outgrown in weeks, and guests almost always buy too small.
A newborn checklist with quantities
The list below is the shape most first lists end up taking. Quantities are the point: they tell a guest whether to buy one, buy several or leave it to someone else.
| Category | Examples | How many |
|---|---|---|
| Sleep | A cot or bassinet, fitted sheets, sleep sacks | One cot, please only one; three or four sheets; two or three sleep sacks |
| Feeding | Muslins, bibs, bottles, a bottle brush | Muslins in any number; six to eight bibs; four to six bottles if you plan to use them |
| Changing | A changing mat, nappies by size, cream, wipes | One mat; nappies welcome in sizes 1 and 2, not newborn |
| Clothes | Bodysuits, sleepsuits, hats, socks | Six to eight of each per size, mostly 0 to 3 and 3 to 6 months |
| Bath and care | A baby bath, hooded towels, a thermometer, nail scissors | One of each, two or three towels |
| Out and about | A pram, a car seat, a carrier or sling | One of each, please only one; the pram is a natural group gift |
| Nice to have | A play mat, board books, a night light, a white-noise toy | One of each is plenty; books in any number |
Type the quantity into the wish itself, so "muslins, any number welcome" and "one baby bath, please only one" read differently to everyone who opens the page. Guests act on what they can read.
Sizes, and why guests buy too small
Newborn clothes are the classic duplicate and the classic waste: bought in the smallest size, worn for a fortnight or never. Ask for the sizes the baby will actually spend time in.
| Label | Roughly fits | Ask for |
|---|---|---|
| Newborn (50) | The first two or three weeks, under about 4 kg | One or two outfits at most |
| 0 to 3 months (56 to 62) | The first three months | A few of each item |
| 3 to 6 months (68) | The spring or autumn after the birth | Most of the clothes on the list |
| 6 to 12 months (74 to 80) | Sitting, crawling, first winter or summer | A few things for later, season in mind |
Put the size into every clothing wish and mention the season the baby will be that size in; a snowsuit in 62 is only useful if 62 falls in winter.
The reservations do the coordinating
When someone claims the pram, everyone else sees it is taken and moves on. Nobody has to run a spreadsheet, and nobody has to be the person who asks the group chat whether the cot is spoken for.
Guests need no account for any of this. They open the link and type a first name, which matters when the invitation list spans four generations.
Secondhand, borrowed and handed down
Much of what a newborn uses is needed for weeks, not years, and a lot of it is sitting in a relative’s loft. The list is a good place to say so: "Anyone finished with a Moses basket?" or "a bouncer, secondhand very welcome" works exactly like a shop item, and whoever has one reserves it.
The usual exception is the car seat: only secondhand from someone you trust, with its history known, and never after an accident. Everything else is fair game, and saying so on the list gives guests permission they are often glad of.
For whoever is hosting the shower
The host is usually a friend or sister, not the parents, and the list makes that easy. The parents-to-be own the list; the host shares the link with the invitation, prints the QR code for the table, and can see reservations like any other guest, which is useful for steering people towards what is left.
The list does not stop at the shower. It stays live for the gifts that arrive after the birth, and for the relatives who could not come, and the parents still see none of the reservations.
You are not told what is coming
Reservations are hidden from whoever owns the list. You can keep adding to it in the last few weeks without learning what is already wrapped.
How do I ask for several of the same thing?
Add it once and say so in the wish — "muslin squares, any number welcome". For things you want exactly one of, say that instead. Guests read it and act accordingly.
Can I add secondhand or borrowed things?
Yes. Write it in plain words rather than pasting a link. "Anyone finished with a Moses basket?" works exactly like a shop item.
Can somebody else run the list for me?
The list belongs to one account, so whoever holds that account manages it. Sharing the sign-in details with a partner is the usual way to run it between two people.
What happens after the baby arrives?
Nothing automatic. The list stays where it is until you remove it, which is useful — first-birthday lists tend to want half the same things.
Does it work as a universal baby registry?
Yes, in the sense that matters: items can come from any shop or from no shop, guests need no account, and one link covers everything. What it does not do is handle payments or completion discounts, because no money passes through the site.
What sizes should we ask for?
Mostly 0 to 3 and 3 to 6 months (56 to 68), one or two newborn outfits at most, and a few things for 6 to 12 months with the season in mind. Put the size into each clothing wish.
Should the pram and the cot go on the list?
Yes, marked as one only, with a line saying people are welcome to club together. Whoever reserves it gathers the others; the group gift page explains how that usually works.
