Gift-givers do best with items that already have a clear size, colour and price point picked out for them — anything left to guesswork tends to sit unopened in a cupboard. That's the filter behind every recommendation below.

Add: The Travel System or Pushchair

This is the classic big-ticket registry item, and for good reason — it's expensive enough that several people chipping in together makes a real difference, and most parents have already researched which model they want before the registry goes live. A travel system like the Graco Near2Me Trio 3-in-1, at £179.95, covers pushchair, carrycot and car seat in one purchase, which also makes it easy for multiple gift-givers to split the cost.

Put the exact model and colour on the registry, not just "a pushchair" — this is one category where guests genuinely want to buy the specific thing you've chosen, not surprise you.

Add: The Car Seat

Also a strong registry item, for the same reason — it's a defined, researched purchase rather than a matter of personal taste. An infant car seat such as the iCandy Cocoon 360, at £199, is specific enough that there's no risk of receiving the wrong thing, unlike more subjective categories.

Double-check compatibility with your pushchair before adding it — if you're registering for a travel system separately, confirm the car seat and chassis are from compatible systems, not just similar price points.

Add: Somewhere for Baby to Sleep

A bedside crib or Moses basket is genuinely useful as a group gift — it's a defined product, not a style choice most people have strong opinions about once you've picked the model. A Chicco Next2Me Armonia, at £139, is specific enough to register for directly.

This is worth registering for even if you already own one — a second sleep space for a grandparent's house or a different floor of your own home gets genuine use.

Add: A Baby Monitor

Useful as a gift because it's a defined, done-once purchase rather than something you'll want to swap out based on taste. A Hubble Nursery Explore Video Monitor, at £59.99, is specific and genuinely useful from the point the crib moves to its own room.

Skip registering for multiple monitors — one unit per home is usually enough; a second camera is a later purchase, not a registry essential.

Add: A High Chair That Starts Early

Register for a chair that supports a newborn from the start rather than one you'll need to replace at six months — a KAOS KLAPP Newborn Bundle, at £299, covers both stages in one purchase, which makes it a better group-gift candidate than a cheaper chair you'll outgrow fast.

One higher-value item that lasts years beats two cheaper ones that each last months — worth factoring into which version of a category you put on the list.

Skip (or Add Carefully): The Baby Carrier

A carrier is genuinely one of the few items worth trying on before buying, since fit and comfort vary enormously between brands and body types — something like BabyBjörn's Hold Airy Mesh Carrier, at £158.90, might suit one parent perfectly and feel wrong on another.

If you do register for a carrier, be specific about the exact model — this isn't a category where "surprise me" works out well.

Add: The Changing Bag

A structured changing bag is a genuinely useful group gift, since it's a defined product most people are happy to buy exactly as requested. Avery Row's Baby Changing Bag Bundle, at £115, comes with a built-in mat, covering two registry items in one.

Register for one changing bag, not a "just in case" second one — most parents end up with one bag they actually use daily and a second that sits in a cupboard.

Add in Bulk: Muslins and Nursing Support

Some categories are genuinely fine to register for in quantity, since you use far more of them than you'd expect — organic cotton muslins, at £35 for a set of two, and a nursing pillow, at £54, both fall into this category.

Muslins are one of the few things it's genuinely hard to over-register for — unlike most baby gear, you'll use more of these than you think.

Skip: Full Clothing Sets and Overly Specific Sizes

Clothing is one of the weakest registry categories — babies grow out of sizes fast and unpredictably, so a full newborn-size wardrobe registered months in advance is a common source of unworn clothes. If you do register for clothing, lean toward 0-3 and 3-6 month sizes rather than newborn specifically.

Ask for a feeding steriliser set instead of a clothing bundle if you're torn — a Tommee Tippee Bottle and Steriliser Set, at £70, gets used immediately and doesn't depend on guessing your baby's growth rate.

Skip: Gift-Set Bundles You Didn't Choose

Pre-made "new baby" gift sets look appealing on a registry but often duplicate things you'll buy yourself or include items you'd never have chosen — a basic, specific item like a Shnuggle Baby Bath, at £17.62, registered directly is more useful than a themed bundle that happens to include a bath as one of six items.

If a gift set includes one thing you actually need, register for that thing specifically instead — it's more likely to arrive, and you won't end up with five items you didn't ask for.

FAQ

What's the single best category to put on a registry?
Big-ticket, well-researched items like the travel system, car seat or crib — they're expensive enough that group gifting makes sense, and specific enough that there's no risk of receiving the wrong thing.

Should I register for baby clothes?
Sparingly, and in sizes beyond newborn — 0-3 and 3-6 months get more actual wear, since babies move through newborn size unpredictably fast.

Is it worth registering for a baby carrier?
Only if you've already tried it on and know it fits — carriers vary too much in fit and comfort to register for blind. See "Skip (or Add Carefully): The Baby Carrier."

Are themed gift sets worth adding to a registry?
Usually not — you'll often get more use from registering for one specific item you actually need than a bundle of several items chosen by someone else.