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These seasoned parents want you to know these are the products that are actually worth it.

I am a contributor and former BuzzFeed Shopping writer based in Cincinnati, OH where you can find me curating lists on ~a little bit of everything~ (and adding a few things to my own cart in the process).

Promising review: "I wish I had discovered this sooner and put it on my baby registry for my first kid! Excellent diaper cream in a spray form so your hands don’t get all sticky or gloopy. For severe rashes I still prefer Desitin Extra Strength but these are fabulous for everyday and especially for a nighttime diaper." —Roberta Stacks

Get it from Amazon for $9.97+ (available in two versions and multi-packs).

Promising review: "Buy this one! I ended up returning a two-tier drying rack from my registry because it was honestly so annoying to put things in and take them out when I needed them. It was also a pain to clean. This is one level, well made, and able to fit a lot! I love Oxo products!" —Sahar Ali

Promising review: "Such a lifesaver! Wish we had been told about this when making our registry. Continuous noise, it's loud enough, and it plugs in, so it never dies! All the other noise makers we bought had 20–60 minutes tops, or weren't loud enough. Easy to adjust the brightness and sound. From a phone app or directly on the device. Definitely recommend. It's pricey, but you save in the long run if you try other noise machines first. There are several settings for sound: waves, wind, stream, rain, forest, and then colors of light: green, red, yellow, orange, blue, teal — any color you want, really." —Amazon Customer

Get it from Amazon for $79.99+ (available in five colors).

This has a variety of sound options, a clip for easy attachment, and a long-lasting battery.

Promising review: "We had the Hatch Rest+ on our registry, which has been fantastic, but after running errands with a baby who has a hard time falling and staying asleep, I knew I needed something portable. We purchased this product and it has exceeded expectations, helping baby drift to sleep in the car, in a vineyard, at Target and more. It has a wide volume range, a number of programmed sounds (baby’s favorite sounds like a dryer, maybe), and a big ring that is easy to attach to a car seat or baby carrier. My only criticism is that it takes a few seconds to start. I understand why it was designed this way — to help eliminate extra buttons, but seconds count when there’s a sleepy/grumpy baby in tow. Put it on your registry from the get-go!" —Becka N

Get it from Amazon for $39.99 (available in five colors).

As you can imagine, babies' skin is sensitive, and there are soooo many different ointments and treatments out there, it can be hard to know. I think I'm drawn to this for a few reasons: I personally use Aquaphor products and love them so I have experience with them and feel comfortable with them, it has soo many different uses so I can just have one product on hand instead of a bunch of different ones, and it's pretty cheap (especially compared to other products) and comes in a hefty size so you won't have to constantly buy refills.

Promising review: "We've been using this diligently for every diaper change since my now 20-month-old was 2 months old. She has yet to get a diaper rash, and we only use a small amount to make a thin layer. A little bit of this stuff goes a long way. I wish I had known about this when I created my baby registry. Instead, I registered for overpriced diaper rash cremes that still sit on our changing table untouched." —TheFrijols

Get it from Amazon for $12.97+ (available in two sizes and multi-packs).

BTW: It has a waterproof compartment for used diapers, a mesh compartment for toys, and a pocket for wipes.

Promising review: "Do yourself a favor and add this to your baby registry! We did not with our first one because our diaper bag came with a changing pad, and we struggled with diaper changes on the go because the pad was small. We ordered this as soon as our second was born, and it has worked amazingly! It folds compactly, the pad itself is HUGE, it has so many pockets and compartments that we stock it with diapers for our toddler and newborn, and only have to take this to change them instead of the whole diaper bag. We love how the wipes compartment flips out, which makes it super easy to grab when you're changing them, and we have access to everything we need right there." —A. Martin

Get it from Amazon for $21.99+ (available in eight colors).

Promising reviews: "As a new mom, I overlooked adding these to the registry. Now that baby is here, I have them stashed throughout the house. Great gift for a new mom or dad who doesn't know that they will need these everywhere!" —Sara B

"When I was a new mom, I ordered several different brands of cute burp cloths with all different designs and colors. None of them comes close to comparing to these. These absorb so much better and are super soft and easy to clean. I use them every single day and still use them with my toddler just to clean stuff up or wipe his nose when he is sick, as it's soft and doesn't irritate him. Highly recommend these to any parent of babies!" —Momming Simplified

Get a pack of four from Amazon for $6.99+ (available in two pack sizes and nine colors).

This is probably one of the main things other parents told me to get as soon as I told them I was starting to shop for my baby. I knew I wanted a camera system, but I truly had no idea what that meant or where to start picking one. It even has a built-in light, which makes those middle-of-the-night feeding and changing sessions much easier, since you won't risk stubbing your toe like 10 times in the dark. This one is great because it works with an app on your phone, so you can always keep an eye on your little one. I also really like all the different features that come with the app — two-way sound, cry detection, stand alerts, white noise, lullabies, and more.

Promising review: "Works great. Easy set-up. I love being able to see my baby while she’s sleeping and know that she’s OK. The app has a bunch of features you can pay for, but the free tier is great and shows you what’s going on, which is most important. It also has background mode, meaning you can have the sound on and use other apps or lock your phone. I had a Netvue, and it spontaneously stopped working. The Nanit is more expensive, but you know it’s going to work. I wish I had gone with it from the beginning." —Jessica

Get it from Amazon for $289.99+ (available in two mounting options and with or without an external monitor).

Promising review: "I never write reviews on things, but I am for this!! I decided to buy this a few weeks postpartum, after having such a sore back from nursing all the time. I put the Boppy on my registry because it seemed more popular, but I would 100% recommend this over the Boppy! The Boppy offers pretty much no support. The baby rolls into you because the pillow sags, and it’s pretty much useless. This is a very firm foam, but it still has a nice soft cover. You can see in my picture here that I’m standing up and walking around while my baby is nursing. Also, the Boppy is behind me, being used as a donut pillow for a very sore postpartum bottom!! 🙃" —Laura

Get it from Amazon for $52.99+ (available in six colors).

I used this alllll the time in the early days when she would have hard little boogers stuck in her nose because I was worried about them blocking her breathing. This would make sure to get it without having to worry about shoving it too far in or damaging her tiny nostrils. 

Promising reviews: "OK, I'm kind of upset this wasn't recommended to add to my baby registry. It's one of those items you have no idea you'll really benefit from until you're in the trenches of parenthood. My baby absolutely hates the standard aspirator, so I crossed my fingers that this would do the trick. Um, I was able to use this during nap time?! It's such a simple idea, but it's well executed. I've used it to get out boogers of all kinds as well as ear wax!" —Roxy

"Must have! This thing is amazing; it works very well for us. Good length, and it's soft/firm. I was able to gently scoop my 4-month-old's earwax and pick out her sticky, crusty boogers. She enjoys being clean, so she sat/laid down very still for us. I would definitely buy this for a baby shower gift and definitely recommend it to anyone." —P. T.

Get it from Amazon for $9.98+ (also available in multi-packs, a version with a light, and with a case).

Promising reviews: "I am not sure why I didn’t have this on my baby registry. For a year, I used the plastic wipe holders that come with the wipes, and they would break, or when the wipes were getting low, the whole holder would come up when I’d try to pull a wipe out. I decided to give this a try. It’s worth the cost. It’s so easy to pull a wipe out one-handed, and I like that I can see when they are running low. They don’t quite fit two refill packs of the wipes, but one pack almost fills it up. It makes changing diapers with a squirmy baby much easier." —Teela

"The Oxo dispenser eliminates all struggles that I’ve experienced with other dispensers before it. I love that I’m able to pull out wipes, ONE at a time, without any difficulty or needing to use two hands. That aspect alone has made life so much easier. I highly recommend it! And the next time you’re in another crappy situation (you know the one), you will thank yourself for buying this." —Sammy B

Get it from Amazon for $25.86+ (available in three colors).

Promising reviews: "Wish I would’ve put this on my registry. My daughter has bad ear infections and the first time I had to give her the antibiotic it was all over both of us because she spit it out. With the Frida pacifier, all I had to do was just push it slowly into her mouth and she spit none of it out. It is a definite must have!" —AShort

"This thing is worth its weight in gold! A must-have in my opinion because it makes life so much easier. We use it with gripe water or Tylenol. We bought it because she would cough and sputter because she wouldn't swallow well when given it in the cheek, even in tiny amounts. It makes it a much faster process because all she has to do is suck like using a normal bottle or paci, and she has never turned away because of taste either. It also happens to soothe like a regular paci afterward. Great buy." —Sullivan

Promising review: "When creating our baby registry, we included the SwaddleMe. When it came time for the baby shower, we received EIGHT of them, from guests who swore by them. And we like the SwaddleMe just fine. But after we'd had the baby home for a few weeks and were looking into a swaddling product that allowed us to swaddle with the baby's arms out, I discovered the Halo SleepSack. You can easily swaddle either arms in or arms out with the SleepSack. For a late-night diaper change, all you need to do is un-velcro the wings and unzip the front." —Natalie D.

Get it from Amazon for $34.95+ (available in three sizes and 16 designs).

I already deal with anxiety in my everyday life, so if there's something out there that could give me peace of mind that my baby is safe while they sleep, you can bet I'm gonna get it. This has been such a game changer, letting me sleep without constantly checking the camera for movement. While this isn't as necessary now that my daughter is older, my anxiety says I will keep using it until she reaches the weight limit!! And TBH, this has really helped when she's been sick and congested, and I'm worried about her breathing at night.

Promising review: "Writing this review 12 months after purchase and 12 months after my THIRD baby was born. I wish we had gotten this sock with our first, but we were naive. This sock gives peace of mind and lets you know data — for yourself and to tell your baby’s care team. If baby is sick, it’s so helpful to just put the sock on and know what’s going on, then be able to share with your doctor also." —LD

"After using this for almost three months now, I absolutely love the Owlet! As a new mom who's been afraid of SIDS, this product has helped me to sleep at night. I had pre-partum and now postpartum depression, and one thing I have never worried about every single night is my baby sleeping soundly all throughout the night. I do still check on him, but I'm not panicking, trying to figure out if my baby is breathing. I love being able to see his sleep cycle and keep up with his movements! I feel that in this day and age, this is not a want but a need, especially for parents with anxiety!" —Alice Wood

Get it from Amazon for $299+ (available in two versions and three colors).

I feel like there's a trend out there of creating diaper carts with all the essentials you'd need throughout the day, but I couldn't have one of those cause I lived in a three-story townhouse, and I was not about to be lugging a cart up and down the stairs. This was a great option for me 'cause it has a bunch of different sections and pockets where I could store different items and know where they all are without just having them thrown into a center section and having to dig around to find what I need.

Promising review: "I was browsing online and came upon this diaper caddy. Oh my! I wish someone had bought me one during my baby shower, but it’s OK, it’s never too late to spoil myself for this caddy. I love the quality of the bag; it’s very sturdy. If you like to put extra items along with your diapers together, this caddy is for you because it’s very spacious. Easy to clean, easy to use and maintain, and very affordable." —Nou V.

Get it from Amazon for $19.95+ (available in two sizes and five colors).

Promising review: "My 3-month-old absolutely hates tummy time, will only do a minute or so at the most no matter what toy I’m holding in front of her. This has been the only thing to make it less stressful and hold her attention for 10 minutes or so. Glad I invested in it. I like that you can have it on with only the light or with music or a soothing sound. Definitely would recommend for all babies and a great registry add, I wish I had it on mine." —beautiful_disaster

Get it from Amazon for $34.92+ (available in two colors and two versions). 

This comes with the diaper pail, one carbon filter, and one roll of refill bags.

I thought this wasn't going to be that big of a deal cause how bad can baby poop smell?! And truthfully, it wasn't a *necessity* for the first few months of her life, but the moment real food got introduced into her diet, WHEW, did my opinions change. This does an amazing job of keeping the smell in. Sometimes, when it's really full, it releases a slight odor when you open it to put in a new diaper, but that's typically just a sign that you need to change it. You genuinely wouldn't know you have days' worth of stank diapers building up in this.

Promising reviews: "I didn’t register for this because I stupidly thought it wasn’t necessary. About three days after the baby was born, we ordered this guy immediately. This is the greatest invention ever, and this one is perfect. Super high quality. Definitely recommend." —Jarrad

"Pretty awesome design that really traps all odors! Fits a good number of diapers as well before needing to be replaced with a new bag. At first, I did not like the continuous bag feature where you have to tie it off to end and start a new bag, but now I’ve realized it’s quite convenient, so I don’t have to go get another bag and put it in; it’s already there." —Susan P.

I'm sorry, I love my baby girl immensely, but there is NO WAY I'm taking what's essentially a straw, putting it in her nose and SUCKING HER BOOGERS OUT?! Like, you've got to be kidding me, just the thought of that makes me gag. Sure, you can try to tell me there's a little filter inside so they won't actually get in my mouth, but no, I will not be partaking in that. I would much rather pay a little extra to have it done automatically and wayyyy the heck away from my mouth. A little insider tip: grab some saline drops to help loosen stuff up before going in with the aspirator.

Promising review: "I have no idea why I didn't put this on my baby registry! I got caught up in the Frida Baby excitement and stupidly asked for the manual snot sucker... the one where you put the tube in your mouth and inhale all their little germs directly into your mouth. How I didn't think that one through, I have no idea. 🤦‍♀️ I immediately got sick the first time I used that one on my baby. No snot came into my mouth; there was a filter to prevent that. But it didn't prevent the transmission of sick droplets landing directly onto my tonsils!!!! So I ordered this one instead, and I LOVE IT!!!" —Sami

Get it from Amazon for $39.99+ (available in 10 colors).

I got this well into my daughter's toddlerhood, but even without bottles to wash, I am obsessed. I load it up with her straw cups (because those are a pain to clean), syringes from when she has to take medicine, and other random little things I need to clean. I can pretty much assure you this thing will be sitting on my counter until my future second child is drinking out of regular cups that don't have a bunch of annoying little parts. And yes, I will admit this thing is a bit large, but I promise it is worth losing a little counter space to not be hunched over a sink for 30+ minutes at the end of the night. I do wish I would've registered for it and had it during the bottles and pumping stage because this would've saved me a loooot of time, but you can bet I'll be taking full advantage of it when I have another baby!!

Promising review: "I've only had this for about a week so far, but I love it!!! I had a smaller version, and I was running it at least twice a day. This fits all my pump parts and three to four bottles, so I only have to run one wash cycle a day. I may occasionally run two cycles if I have pacifiers or teethers to wash too. The water pressure on this is so much better, too. I feel like it cleans my bottles and pump parts so much more efficiently. I use distilled water for mine because we have hard water. Still worth it. This should be on every registry for anyone who plans to pump and/or use bottles." —Diana E.

IDK about you, but the thought of cream getting stuck under my nails gives me the ick like no other, so this was absolutely something I needed. This is seriously such a genius invention, I think any parent should have it. Plus, it provides an even distribution of diaper cream, and you don't have to contort your hand into awkward positions to apply it to the right places.

Promising review: "I came across this when I was adding things to my baby registry a year ago. I thought it was 'extra' and didn’t think it was necessary to have…BOY WAS I WRONG!! I wish I would have purchased this sooner! It’s so awesome! Spreads evenly and wipes off easily. Best of all, keeps my fingers clean! Don’t hesitate to buy this now!" —Sarah W.

Get it from Amazon for $6.99 (available in two colors; also available in a mini version for your diaper bag and a two-pack).

Play gyms are a great place to rest your newborn and have them engage with different textures and sights, a nice place to practice tummy time, and a little entertainment center as they start to get older. I really like the different sections on the mat that help keep your kiddo entertained, so they won't get tired of the same toys.

Promising review: "My husband and I honestly did not want to spend the money on this and didn't put it on the baby registry because we thought it was overpriced. We went for a different play mat instead. Now that our baby is nearing four months, we went and visited a friend whose baby has this play gym and our baby absolutely loved it. We had never seen that reaction with our current play mat. As baby gets closer to rolling over, we've noticed a need for a bigger play mat and this one checks all the boxes. It makes tummy time 100x more enticing and is super comfy to play around on. So glad we decided to 'splurge' on this mat...wish we would've just had it from the beginning!" —Ana

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BuzzFeed Shopping is service journalism first: our writers and editors spend all day shopping so you don’t have to, vetting products, fact-checking brand claims, and surfacing what actually helps in real life. We center readers over revenue, recommend products with authenticity (using real experiences, not ad-speak), and reflect our diverse audience, inclusive of a variety of price points, people, and needs. We cut through fake deals, favor useful info over glossy fluff, and recommend both budget and splurge options with context so you can decide what’s right for you — and still have a little fun along the way.

The reviews used in this post have been edited for length and clarity.