Complete Non-Toxic Baby Registry Checklist
Written by:
Maia James
1. Safest stroller / 2. Pocket bib / 3. Rash protection / 4. Non-toxic car seat / 5. Better cloth diapers / 6. Plastic-free breast milk storage / 7. Silicone spoons / 8. Nursery air filter
Pulling together this list of all the non-toxic baby registry items a conscious parent could possible want was fun! Mostly, I’m struck by how much has changed since my last pregnancy–then again, it WAS 8 years ago! It almost makes me want to have another baby–almost.
To make sure I wasn’t missing any great new inventions (turns out, I totally was), I called upon my friend Stefanie Koenig, who is a conscious mom to Marlowe, 5, and Greta, 2.
Stef and I agreed on the following list of essential earth-friendly and toxin-free Good Stuff. We hope this helps you build a baby shower registry or just make sure you have everything you need for the final stage of pregnancy and early days of parenthood.
Some of the items below are available in our store (and I’m working on getting more there!), and otherwise I will include a link to where you can find them. In a few cases, if you purchase an item from our link we may earn a commission from Amazon or elsewhere.
By the way, if you’re creating a registry, we love MyRegistry.com, which makes it super easy to register from multiple stores rather than just one place.
So, without further ado, here’s what we think you need! I look forward to your comments and suggestions of other amazing Good Stuff for a new baby.
FEEDING
Bottles
The big rule here is avoiding plastic, which can leach chemicals. Glass and stainless steel are our top choices, but silicone is also okay. We like the following three brands the best.
Pura Kiki Stainless Steel Infant Bottle
We recommend the insulated ones so you can take them on the go and know that the milk will stay fresh!
How many bottles do you need?
I barely used bottles because I exclusively breastfed and worked from home, so I asked Stef to weigh in to answer this. My key takeaways from our conversation are as follows:
- Newborns only drink 1-2 oz of breast milk/formula at a time so you want smaller bottles and the slowest flow nipple so they don’t choke while they eat.
- If you are exclusively formula-feeding, 5 or 6 small bottles would work, as long as you’re okay with washing some bottles throughout the day.
- If you are only supplementing with formula, 3 or 4 small bottles would be fine. (Having backsups is always nice.)
- When the baby starts drinking larger quantities, you need the bigger bottles that hold up to 8 oz and also need to switch your nipple to a higher level one, so they can get more liquid and won’t get frustrated. Again, you need 5 or 6 bottles for an exclusively bottle-fed baby, and 3 or 4 for a baby that’s also on the breast.
Formula
If you won’t be exclusively breastfeeding, you can use our guide to figure out which is the best formula for your situation. My top pick is Loulouka for almost everyone. Because you can’t know for sure which formula will best agree with your newborn’s stomach, I recommend starting with no more than 7 or 8 boxes.
Burp Cloths
Depending on how much your baby spits up (I had one prolific spitter and one who almost never did), you’ll probably go through between one and five burp cloths a day. If you want to do laundry twice a week, I’d have ten on hand to be safe. (You’ll find that you use them for many other messes, too.)
Bibs
We recommend having 5-10 cloth bibs (sometimes I would put my babies in bibs just because of all the drool!), and two silicone bibs for when they start to eat solid foods.
Breastmilk Storage
Back when I was breastfeeding and pumping, the only option for storing pumped breast milk was in plastic bags. Now, you can avoid plastic entirely with these silicone solutions. (Depending on how much milk you want to store in your freezer, you’ll probably want between 6 and 10 bags of either.)
Stasher Reusable Silicone Bags
Snack-size is the best bet for breastmilk storage.
ZipTop Silicone Breast Milk Storage Bags
Snack-size is the best bet for breastmilk storage.
Pacifiers
My babies never took to the pacifier, but I am not against them. Just make sure to choose paci is made of natural rubber like the one below.
Plates, Bowls, and Spoons
When choosing dishes, plastic should again be avoided, but you clearly won’t be handing a toddler a glass bowl, either. For that reason, stainless steel and non-leaching silicone are two of my favorite materials for plates, bowls, and cutlery.
Sippy Cups
You won’t believe how quickly your baby switches from bottles to sippy cups (sometimes by 6 months!), and you’ll want to avoid sippies where liquid sits in–or baby sucks from–plastic. One plus to choosing a Pura baby bottle is that when it comes time to transition, you simply swap out the nipple top for the sippy or straw top, rather than buying an entirely new cup and tossing the old bottles. We also like the following sippy cups.
High Chairs
The safest high chairs are made of solid wood, and any plastic components should be free of BPA, phthalates, and polyurethane.
GEAR
You’ll want to make sure that strollers and car seats contain no flame retardants or other problematic chemicals. (Our Car Seat Guide provides a review of many popular brands, and the following model from Clek is our favorite.)
Car Seat
Stroller
Joolz Hub Non-Toxic Stroller with optional Bassinet
Newborn Wrap Carrier
Baby Carrier
Infant Lounger
Bouncer
Looking to protect your baby fabrics?
ProofPlus™ Baby Fabric Protector creates a harmless barrier that protects against damage and uncomfort caused by milk spills, spit-up, messy eating, drool, and other baby accidents. Simply spray this treatment on any fabric and watch it magically repel liquids and help protect valuable belongings from absorbing stains.
NURSERY & DECOR
Crib
Choose a crib and nursery furniture made of solid wood if possible, ideally with a no-VOC, nontoxic finish. Any of the dressers or changing tables from the following brands are also toxin-free, with the exception of the Ikea one.
Crib Mattress
Choosing a toxin-free mattress, whether for a crib or a King-sized bed, can be a confusing process, and our Safe Crib Mattress Guide endeavors to make it simpler. Naturepedic is our top-pick for a comfortable, safe crib mattress.
Travel Crib
Changing Table Pad
Once again, Naturepedic is our top choice for a flame-retardant free changing pad.
Playmat
Most mats for babies contain polyurethane foam. We chose CorkiMat as our top pick because it contains no polyurethane or flame retardants and comes encased in organic cotton.
Nursery Rug
Rugs are another place where you’ll often find flame retardant chemicals. Lorena Canals offers a large selection of machine-washable cotton rugs free of toxins. Below are a few of our favorite. (Make sure that the pad you put under the rug is made of 100% natural rubber rather than vinyl, which contains phthalates.)
Air Filter
CLOTHING & ACCESORIES
Ideally, your baby will be clothed in only organic cotton. If you can’t find certified organic, then look for an Oeko-Tex Standard 100 certifictaion, which prohibits the use of dangerous dyes and other toxins. Castleware is a brand we trust across the board.
Complete Organic Layette
Onesies & Sleepers
Pants
Mittens
Swaddles & Blankets
You’ll want to have at least three swaddles on hand, because your baby will inevitably pee through at least one each day. And you’ll find that you can never have enough cute organic blankets.
Sleep Sack
You’ll probably want a to stock a few sleep sacks, since babies will pee (or worse) through these, too!
Socks
Hats
Laundry Detergent
Any of the laundry soaps in our Detergent Guide are toxin-free and safe for baby clothes. The following two brands are customer favorites.
DIAPERING
I was certainly not a full-time cloth-diapering momma, but things have come a long way—if I had to do it again, I would absolutely give it a try!
Cloth Diapers
If you’ll be a full-time, cloth-diapering mom, we recommend 24 inners and 6 outters. If you’ll be a part-time cloth diaperer, go with 12 inners and 4 outters. (Your baby will need to move up to Size 2 when she hits 18 pounds)
Esembly Day Bag
Use code GOODSTUFF*10* at checkout for 10% off everything at Esembly
Esembly Day Bag
Use code GOODSTUFF*10* at checkout for 10% off everything at Esembly
Esembly Day Bag
Use code GOODSTUFF*10* at checkout for 10% off everything at Esembly
Esembly Overnight Insert
Use code GOODSTUFF*10* at checkout for 10% off everything at Esembly
ImseVimse Wet Bags
While this is designed for cloth diapers on the go, the large one could also used to line a diaper pail and reduce waste.
Disposable Diapers
If you decide to use disposable diapers (even part time), our Diaper Guide can help you choose the most eco-friendly brands. Nest is a reader favorite.
Diaper Wipes
We hope you’ll get addicted to the reusable variety, but you can register for several kinds and see which ones you like best.
Diaper Creams & Powder
Our Diaper Cream Guide will help you choose a toxin-free product for diaper rash relief. The following are our favorites.
Diaper Pail
BATHTIME
Less is more when it comes to using skin or hair products on your baby. A simple bar of soap is the most eco-friendly choice, and lotion is really only necessary if your baby has dry skin. Organic coconut oil is multi-purpose essential.
Baby Shampoo & Wash
Baby Lotion
Baby Bathtub
Organic Towels
Organic Wash Cloths
ON THE GO
Diaper Bag
Esembly Petite Pouch
Use code GOODSTUFF*10* at checkout for 10% off everything at Esembly.
Face/Hand Wipes
Hand Sanitizer
BOOKS
You’ll almost certainly be gifted many books, including multiple copies of Good Night Moon. Here are a few other wonderful first book ideas.
PLAY
Our Safe Toy Guide offers some guidelines for choosing toxin-free toys for children of all ages. What follows are some of our favorite toys and teethers for the youngest set.
Gym
Soft Toy
Teethers
Rattles
Doll
Versatile Toy
Lovey
Play Kits
FOR MAMA
Nipple Cream
My own breastfeeding experience was really tough, and I hope not one woman reading this goes through the same. If you have even a little discomfort, you’ll want a safe, soothing, toxin-free balm like my favorite from Green Goo.
Stretch Mark Balm
Sitz Bath
Reusable Nursing Pads
Nursing Pillow
Nursing-Friendly PJs
Nursing Bras & Tanks
Kindred Bravely Nursing/Pumping Tank
Discount code: MaiaJ15
Kindred/Bravely Organic Nursing/Sleep Bra
Discount code: MaiaJ15
Comfy Underwear
Leggings
Milestone Block Set
New Pregnancy Resource
Unique Footprints is an online pregnancy program that teaches you everything you need to know for your entire pregnancy and early days of motherhood. It includes pregnancy meal planning, prenatal yoga, birth and postpartum prep, fetal brain development, breastfeeding, baby care, infant sleep and safety, and much more. Unique Footprints is made up of a team of nurses, dietitians, counselors, infant sleep coaches, lactation consultants, and yoga therapists. Use code GIMME THE GOOD STUFF at checkout for a 10% discount.
Maia, Founder & CEO
Note: This article contains affiliate links or sponsored content, which means that if you make a purchase, we may earn a commission. We only recommend products that meet our strict standards for non-toxicity and that we use (or want to use!) ourselves. Thank you so much for supporting the brands that make Good Stuff!
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Hello! I’m wondering about safe playmats, do you know anything about the alzip mat from Wunderkids.ca? Is it a safe option? Thank you!
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