Welcome to the wonderful world of baby registries! As a soon-to-be parent, you are probably wondering which baby registry website is the best one to use, and you’re also probably curious about which ones offer the best discounts and perks. In this blog post, we will compare some of the most popular baby registry websites and help you decide which one is right for you.
In this blog post, we will compare the best baby registry websites and help you decide which one is right for you. You have a few great baby registries to choose from and it’s worth it to look into each of your options because each store has their advantages, freebies, perks, and drawbacks.
We’ve analyzed and compared each of the popular baby registry sites, and ranked them for you to help you make a decision.
The Best Baby Registry Websites
Here are our top 5 picks for the best baby registry websites.
- Best Overall Baby Registry: Amazon Baby Registry
- Best “Modern” Baby Registry: Babylist
- Best Big Box Baby Registry: Target Baby Registry
How to Select a Baby Registry Site
But this can be an overwhelming process, as there are many different baby registry websites to choose from. How would you even begin to know which baby registry website is right for you?
There are some key factors to consider when choosing where to register:
- Convenience: Is it more convenient for you (and your friends/family) to have your main baby registry at an online retailer like Amazon, or do you prefer an in-person experience like shopping at Target?
- Free Shipping: Another thing to keep in mind is whether or not the website offers free shipping. This can be a great perk, especially if you are registering for large or bulky items.
- Completion Discount: As your due date gets closer, you’ll receive a coupon or discount code to purchase any remaining items that aren’t purchased for you from your registry. This is known as the completion discount, and it is a HUGE factor in deciding where to register. You will likely need to buy some items off your registry for yourself, so this definitely helps when you’re making such a big and important purchase.
- Return Policy: Stores will usually provide a more generous return policy for items purchased from your baby registry. Since most baby showers happen weeks before your due date, this gives you a chance to get settled with your new items and also try them out once your baby is born.
- Product Selection: Even though a lot of baby registries are now universal, meaning you can add products to your registry from any website, the retailer’s own product selection is an important factor. If you’re primarily looking for non-toxic baby products, for example, it’ll save you time to register with a retailer that carries these products.
- Price Match Policy: A price match policy is important because it helps ensure that you get the most competitive pricing on any items you buy from your registry.
Most retailers will also give you a free registry welcome box for creating your registry. While it’s fun, I don’t think the contents of the free welcome bags should sway you when trying to choose from the best baby registry sites for you.
How Many Baby Registries Should You Create?
Even if you aren’t having a baby shower, it’s smart to create a baby registry. You’ll want to create 1-2 baby registries, depending on your needs and preferences, as well as that of your friends and family. One of these will be your main baby registry, and the other can be a backup or an additional registry like a furniture registry at Pottery Barn Kids or a big box registry so that friends and family can shop in person.
It’s really up to you, though! Some women prefer to only register at one store, while others may prefer to register at multiple stores to take advantage of the discounts and freebies. If you use a universal baby registry like Babylist or MyRegistry, you might end up creating multiple registries and organizing them through your universal registry.
You can always register at more than one store for the perks, and still only use one main registry for your friends and family. That said, you probably don’t want to waste your time, so let’s look at the best baby registry websites.
The Best Baby Registry Websites — Reviewed
Now that we’ve looked at what to consider when choosing a baby registry site, let’s check out how each of the most popular baby registry sites stacks up against one another.
Here’s an overview of each company’s completion discount; return policy; selection of organic and non-toxic products; and price match policy.
Discount | Return Policy | Summary | |
Amazon | 10-15% | 365 days | + Largest product selection + Great registry perks – Discount limits apply |
Babylist | 15% | 9 months | + Universal registry + Register for non-traditional items – Discount and returns policy limits apply |
My Registry | Varies | Varies | + Easy to use universal registry + Syncs with other baby registry websites – Small fee for cash fund donations |
Target | 15% | 365 days | + Convenient locations + Good, growing selection + In-person returns + Universal registry |
Pottery Barn Kids | 20% | 90 days | + Good for furniture and baby gear |
Walmart | None | 365 days | + Limited but growing selection + Easy in-person returns – Not a universal registry |
So, which baby registry website is right for you? Consider your needs and budget to make the best decision for you and your family. Here’s a detailed breakdown of each of these baby registry websites to help you decide.
1) Amazon Baby Registry
Best Overall Baby Registry Site
Amazon’s Baby Registry is one of the best places to register for your baby. In fact, I recommend that all expecting parents create an Amazon Baby Registry because Amazon is one of the best baby registry sites and carries the largest selection of natural and organic products.
Here are some of the perks of registering with Amazon:
- 10% completion discount, which gets bumped up to 15% if you are a member of Amazon Prime/Amazon Family
- Free two-day shipping on millions of products with Amazon Prime; fast, free shipping on purchases over $49 for non-Prime members
- 365-day return window on most products purchased from your baby registry
- Competitive pricing and a wide selection usually means you save money on your baby essentials
- Universal baby registry allows you to add products from any site to your registry
- Free welcome box for creating your registry, while supplies last, for Prime members. This is a pretty good welcome box that currently (at time of writing) includes a free muslin swaddle and other goodies. Here are step-by-step instructions on how to claim your free Amazon welcome box.
- Get discounts, free parenting eBooks, maternity savings, and so much more
- Manage your registry on-the-go with Amazon’s mobile app
- Registering at the world’s largest online retailer means nearly anyone can shop off your registry
- Amazon’s unmatched customer service
And some drawbacks:
- The completion discount is only eligible on items sold and shipped by Amazon.com, meaning that it won’t apply to products sold by third-party sellers.
- You don’t have access to “in-store” assistance.
Amazon has really stepped up their baby registry offering in the past couple of years. I also recommend joining Amazon Prime (right now, there’s a free 30-day trial for new members). For $119 per year, you’ll save 20% on diaper subscriptions, receive special coupons and deals geared toward families, receive free Two-Day Shipping on millions of products, and gain access to unlimited instant streaming of thousands of movies and TV shows (this is a huge benefit once your little one gets a bit older) and unlimited, ad-free streaming of over a million songs. I love Amazon’s commitment to customer service and feel confident recommending that parents shop with Amazon for most of their purchases.
2) Babylist Baby Registry
Best Modern Baby Registry
Babylist has become a popular choice for a baby registry, and it’s easy to understand why. Because they focus exclusively on baby registries, all of their information and tools are specific to helping you maximize your baby registry experience.
Their registry is a universal baby registry, meaning that you can add items from any store onto your registry, making it simpler for you (and your baby shower guests) to view everything in one place. That means you can add items to your registry from Amazon, Etsy, BuyBuy Baby, Nordstrom, Target, and even online boutiques that don’t offer a registry.
They also offer group gifting and you can register for non-traditional items through their group funds, including a diaper fund, meal fund, doula services fund, college fund, and more. This is a really nice feature that truly recognizes your and your family’s needs during the postpartum phase.
Here are some of the perks of creating a Babylist registry:
- Universal baby registry allows you to easily add any item from any store to your baby registry.
- Convenient to create — just use the bookmark button or the Babylist app.
- The Babylist store carries a wide variety of baby products for you to include on your registry.
- Get a 15% completion discount to the Babylist store.
And some of the challenges of using Babylist:
- Because it’s a universal baby registry, anyone shopping from a non-Babylist store on your registry must input their order number on the Babylist site to mark an item as purchased. This can be confusing and can result in duplicate purchases.
- The return policy for non-Babylist items defaults to the store’s standard return policy. For example, if you add an item from Target onto your registry, you wouldn’t get access to Target’s extended baby registry returns window.
- Returns to the Babylist store can be more difficult than returning items to some big box stores.
3) MyRegistry.com
If you’re planning to register at multiple stores and want convenience over perks, MyRegistry’s Baby Registry is a great choice to consider. Their software makes it easy to create one master registry through a number of stores because you can sync your registries to MyRegistry. This works with a number of popular baby registry websites like Amazon, BuyBuy Baby, Pottery Barn Kids, and more.
Some of the perks of creating a baby registry with MyRegistry:
- You get maximum product selection through their easy-to-use universal baby registry.
- Set up as many other store registries as you’d like to and sync them all to your master, MyRegistry baby registry. No manual updating needed.
- User-friendly app it easy to create your baby registry and add items to your registry.
And some of the limits and challenges include:
- Because of how MyRegistry syncs with other stores, their baby registery doesn’t offer group gifting
- A small transaction fee (5%) applies to group funds
4) Target Baby Registry
Target’s baby registry is more limited than Amazon’s in terms of the number of relevant natural/organic/non-toxic/etc. products you’ll find, but it’s still worth considering – especially if you end up buying a lot of items from there yourself. But I’m glad to see that Target is becoming way more organic/natural-minded and are really paying attention to customers that buy these products.
Here are the advantages of registering with Target:
- 15% completion discount eight weeks before your due date
- You’ll have one year from your due date to return or exchange items (amazing, right?)
- Target REDcard holders receive free shipping on most orders, an extra 30 days for returns, and 5% off all Target purchases. If you shop at Target as much as I do, it’s a must-have.
- After you register, you can pick up a welcome kit at Guest Services that includes up to $50 worth of samples and coupons
- Target has almost 1,800 locations in 49 stores in the United States. Target may be a convenient choice for friends and family members who prefer to shop in person.
- The registry is now a universal registry, meaning that you can add products to your Target registry from any website.
And some drawbacks:
- Their selection of natural, organic, and non-toxic products is still limited, but growing!
- I also received some mixed feedback on the customer experience (for example, Target automatically added Johnson & Johnson products to baby registries), so personally I would still stick with Amazon.
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5) Pottery Barn Kids Baby Registry
Pottery Barn Kids has done an excellent job of offering a wider selection of non-toxic baby products and furniture. In addition to offering several GREENGUARD certified furniture products, they now also carry brands like Nuna, Maxi Cosi, and more.
If you are planning to buy Pottery Barn Kids furniture (including cribs or gliders), you may want to register there, too.
Here are the advantages of registering with PBK:
- If you plan on buying PBK furniture, your guests can contribute to your nursery furniture, decor, and other essentials.
- Get access to PBK’s registry concierge and ask all of your product-related questions
- Their 20% off completion discount is very generous!
- Register for items across their entire family of brands, including Pottery Barn, West Elm, and Williams Sonoma.
- PBK offers personalized gifts that your baby shower guests will love to give your baby.
- Use their mobile app for managing your baby registry.
- If you’re a cardholder, you’ll get 10% back in rewards on every PBK purchase you make.
While I love and recommend PBK’s registry, I wouldn’t recommend making it your only registry because their selection is still pretty limited. Go with this if you’re planning to make a lot of purchases from Pottery Barn Kids.
6) Walmart Baby Registry
Walmart is another popular choice for an online baby registry website. If you live near a Walmart, or your baby shower guests do, you might want to consider registering at Walmart. They have a growing selection of natural baby products and essentials that it might make sense.
The perks of a Walmart baby registry:
- When you create a baby registry at Walmart, you will receive a free baby box with samples and coupons.
- Some items shipped and sold by Walmart are eligible for 24-hour shipping. They also offer in-store pickup. Both of these features are great if you are creating a last-minute registry.
And some things to consider:
- If you’re looking to create a non-toxic registry, Walmart may not be the best choice. While their selection is growing, it’s still limited. They do carry brands like Haakaa, Frida Mom, and Chicco Cleartex.
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Final Thoughts on Your Baby Registry
There are several great baby registry websites to choose from. I hope this list was helpful in choosing where to register! At the end of the day, creating your baby registry is about choosing the products you want to use for your baby, and crafting a parenting style that works for you.
More Registry Advice:
- Don’t Forget These 30+ Important Things on Your Baby Registry
- The Best Baby Shower Gifts for Natural-Minded Mamas
- 11 Must-Read Baby Registry Tips and Hacks for New Moms
- Ultimate Non-Toxic Baby Registry Checklist
- How to Claim Your Free Amazon Baby Welcome Box in 5 Easy Steps
- How to Share Your Baby Registry — Even if You Aren’t Having a Shower
And Some of Our Most Popular Baby Gear Guides:
- Non-Toxic Car Seats: How to Avoid Toxic Flame Retardants in Infant Car Seats
- The 15 Best Certified Organic Crib Mattresses for Babies
- The 7 Best Baby Bathtubs
- The Best Organic Baby Carriers for Babies
- 20+ Certified Organic Baby and Toddler Clothing Brands
- 20+ Best Diaper Bags for New Moms
- The Best Non-Toxic Disposable Diapers for Babies
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