Hindsight is a great thing. In a lot of ways, baby gift registries are wasted on uninitiated parents. You know a lot more about what you need once your baby is here, and their likes and dislikes have been noted. But there are ways to register smartly, without regret, and without having to accommodate a heap of things you don’t end up using. Here’s how to build a registry that works.

Think about your day-to-day

Everyone parents differently, and not just in an emotional or mental way, physically too. Your lifestyle and location will dictate what baby gear will be your MVPs. If you’re always in and out of the car, a newborn capsule and pram connectors are smart choices. You’ll use them loads. But if you live in the city and go everywhere on foot, you might skip the capsule and go for a pram made for squeezing into cafes and folds down to nothing when you’re home. If you’re going to be spending a lot of time at someone else’s house, maybe your parent’s, then you might want a great travel cot straight away, and a second change mat rather than having to perfectly plan and pack a relocation kit several times a week. The cute, and standard protocol can get in the way when baby planning, but your parenting is unique to you, so think functionality and practicality. And you can feel really smug and satisfied about it later when things run smoothly.

Use the lists

It is a fact that birth is a mental roadblock. It’s almost impossible to see past it because it’s such a huge (like, mega) deal. So when you’re planning your registry, consult our lists. We’ve broken down what you need for every facet of your newborn’s life: feeding, bathing, clothing, bonding and going to the toilet. We also have lists that cater for you, and every transition. Your registry can, and should, include items for your postpartum recovery, for when you start to introduce solids, and for when you go on your first adventure away together. This gives you a big pool of areas to draw gift ideas from and will mean you definitely won’t get double ups. No one needs more than one breast pump. We promise.

Lovely and luxe perishables

Nappies and wipes might not be the funnest thing to put on your list, but boy, will they come in handy. Particularly if your favourites aren’t readily available at your local supermarket and it’s a needed-now situation. Balms, oils, wash and shampoos are beautiful things to be given (in multiples), and, if your olfaction is strong, once your baby is grown, the scents of these bottles will bring back a flood of newborn memories.

Ask for a safety net

Some things you’ll need a lot of: clothes, nappies, wipes, laundry detergent, but styles, brands, scents these are preferences that might come later, with your baby’s personality and your parenting style in full swing. Case in point: sleepsuits. There are suits for arms-up, suits for arms-down, or swaddles. Muslin swaddles, bamboo swaddles, swaddles with some stretch: choices. It’s great to have one of each to give a whirl, but once you find your style, you’ll want to buy more, so adding gift cards to your registry means you can do that and have someone to thank for it.