A hassle-free way to save money on baby items and get lots of free baby stuff?
Yes, please!
Find more joy from your bundle of joy with list of top baby registries to sign up for to score baby freebies, discounts, and coupons.
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List of baby registries
Here’s a table comparing the best perks from the top 5 baby registries, listed in alphabetical order.
Amazon*
- Rating: 4 out of 5
- Ease of use: 5 out of 5
- Free box of samples & coupons: YES, continental US only
- Shipping perks: Free, with Prime or minimum amount spent
- Registry completion discount: 10% non-Prime; 15% Prime
- Return policy: 90 days
- Group gifting: YES
- Universal registry: YES
- Other perks:
Babylist
- Rating: (did not use)
- Ease of use: (did not use)
- Free box of samples & coupons: YES
- Shipping perks: See each merchant's policies
- Registry completion discount: None
- Return policy: See each merchant's policies
- Group gifting: NO
- Universal registry: YES
- Other perks: Can request favors or cash instead
Buybuy Baby
- Rating: (did not use)
- Ease of use: (did not use)
- Free box of samples & coupons: YES, in store only
- Shipping perks: Free, if minimum amount spent
- Registry completion discount: 15%
- Return policy: 1 year
- Group gifting: NO
- Universal registry: NO
- Other perks: Price match and referral rewards
Target*
- Rating: 4 out of 5
- Ease of use: 4 out of 5
- Free box of samples & coupons: YES, in store only
- Shipping perks: Free, with Redcard or minimum amount spent
- Registry completion discount: 15% (once online & once in-store!)
- Return policy: 1 year
- Group gifting: YES
- Universal registry: YES
- Other perks: Price match
Walmart
- Rating: 3 out of 5
- Ease of use: 3 out of 5
- Free box of samples & coupons: Currently out of stock
- Shipping perks: Free, if purchasing qualified item
- Registry completion discount: None
- Return policy: 90 days
- Group gifting: No
- Universal registry: No
- Other perks: Price match
Which baby registry is best?
Winner: Target
Target’s baby registry* ranked number one by a landslide. Here’s why:
Reason 1. Convenience of brick-and-mortar stores
We aren't big on shopping, so we avoid malls and stores whenever possible.
But when you are shopping for higher stakes stuff, like for your precious baby, you'll often want to test out the physical product before you want to add it to your registry.
Going to a brick-and-mortar store means you get to see, feel, and compare the products before you decide it's something you want. Plus, if you and your baby just aren’t feeling it, it’s much more convenient to return.
Adding items to your Target registry is a cinch. Just use the Target app or borrow a handheld scanner from Guest Services to scan what you want.
Reason 2. Best welcome kit overall
Of all stores that give you free gifts for creating a registry, Target is the most generous.
The freebies and coupons are valued at over $100, which is more than twice the value of any other baby goody bags or boxes.
Reason 3. Best registry completion discount
As great as it is to save 15% on some of the costs of raising your baby, this perk goes from great to awesome when the 15% applies to everything else in the store.
We happened to complete our registry around the holidays, so we scored the discount on a whole bunch of Christmas gifts that year.
TIP: Add all the non-baby items you plan to purchase right before you complete your registry.
That way, you won’t have friends and family wondering why you have some random beauty products or adult-sized clothing if they're shopping off your registry.
The other bonus about this registry discount is that you can use it not just once, but two twice! Once online and once in-store. Two deals are always better than one!
Reason 4. Longest return period
Sometimes, you think you or your baby will want to use something but that doesn't end up being the case.
Having up to one year to return items will give you peace of mind when deciding whether you should or shouldn’t buy something.
NOTE: Buying everything at once to take full advantage of the registry discount only truly saves you money if you can pay for everything outright.
If you need to take on credit card debt to buy everything on your registry, DON'T do this.
Reason 5. Opportunities to stack savings
Target is our favorite store for stress-free coupon stacking.
Here are some of the various ways you can save even more on your registry purchases, on top of the completion discount:
- Manufacturer's coupons
- Target’s Circle app (formerly called Cartwheel)
- Target Redcard for an extra 5% off + free shipping*
- Ibotta app*
Runner up: Amazon
Amazon is another great baby registry* that’s very easy to use and has a lot of solid perks. But here’s why how they fell short to Target:
Reason 1. Ineligibility for baby welcome box in Hawaii and Alaska
Their welcome box, with $35 worth of free baby samples, is only available to those in the contiguous 48 states. We outliers in Alaska and Hawaii don’t get to enjoy this benefit.
TIP: If the baby box can’t be shipped to your address, consider shipping your free welcome box to another expecting couple who does reside on the mainland.
Reason 2. Prime membership required for the best perks
Amazon has some great discounts for Prime members, including their wildly popular 20% off all subscribe-and-save orders that can help you get some really cheap diapers.
Because we weren’t already Prime users, we had to sign up for the service. Luckily, Amazon lets you try it out for free for 30 days*.
TIP: Time your free Prime trial* for when you redeem your registry completion discount. That way, you can get 15% off the remaining items on your registry (as opposed to 10% for non-Prime members).
Once you're a Prime member, you can enroll in Amazon Family for free*, which offers exclusive benefits like a 20% discount on diapers.
You can then choose to cancel your trial if you don’t think Prime is for you.
Reason 3. Shipping is not as convenient for Hawaii and Alaska
We tried out Prime to take advantage of the 2-day Prime shipping, which sounds is great in theory.
But we wouldn’t actually know, because 2-day shipping is not a guaranteed for those living in these faraway states.
Reason 4. Doesn’t accept manufacturer’s coupons
New parents will get bombarded with so many coupons for various products. It’s a real bummer when you realize you can’t use them on Amazon.
Questions you may have
If you’re wondering which baby registries give away free stuff, the ones listed in the table above do.
Here’s the list again: Target ($100 value)*, Amazon ($35 value)*, Buybuy Baby, Babylist, Walmart (currently out of stock)
Be careful not to get caught up in everything that a store suggests for your baby, otherwise you’ll go broke.
Instead, check out my list of things you need for a new baby to help you filter through what is and isn’t absolutely necessary.
It covers which items you should buy new, get used, or should be able to find a decent alternative around the house. You can even find a handy baby essentials pdf printable if you click the link in the paragraph above.
It has all the items broken down by the following categories:
Pregnancy, Nursery, Clothing, Feeding, Changing/Bathing, & Other
That baby essentials post we linked in the question right above includes a section that goes over what specific items you do NOT need to purchase.
If we had to choose one thing to absolutely avoid putting on a baby registry, our #1 answer would be clothing.
In my experience, you are bound to get tons of hand-me-downs or cute outfits because people love buying clothes for your mini me.
And even if you don’t put it on your list, they’ll buy you clothes anyway because baby clothes are just so darn adorable.
Instead, we’d recommend saving the registry for the things where it’s more important to be more selective, like the kind of stroller or car seat you’d prefer.
That’s where people would really want your guidance to make sure they’re making the right purchase that will help you out.
Most popular baby registries
Here is more in-depth information for the top two online baby registries.
Closer look at Amazon's baby registry*
Overall Rating: 4 of 5
Overall, a solid registry that is easy to use (both for the creator and anyone buying off of it), with a wide variety of products to choose from.
I mean, it’s Amazon, so it’s a convenient and trusted place to get your most wanted baby essentials.
We had to knock off one star because we didn’t have access to all the perks of the registry, like the baby welcome box and 2-day shipping with the free Prime trial membership, since we live outside the continental US.
Ease of use: 5 out of 5
Amazon makes it easy for you to figure out what kinds of items to consider for your registry by suggesting items, organized by category. Leave it to the largest online retailer to make your shopping experience really straightforward.
We liked that we could make notes for each of the items (like to indicate color preferences), which friends and family could easily see when they looked at our registry.
They’re also great about notifying you when someone has purchased something on your registry and letting you track if you sent a thank you note yet.
Samples: Free welcome baby box
The samples and coupons are valued at $35, and can include things like personal care items, baby bottles and pacifiers, and diaper samples.
Shipping perks: Free, with Prime or if you meet the spending threshold
Amazon shipping is convenient, and they’ll even ship huge items like a car seat and stroller.
If you aren’t a Prime member, remember that you’ll have to meet the minimum spend amount to qualify for free standard shipping.
Registry completion discount: 10% for non-Prime members, 15% for Prime members
Amazon gives you a one-time discount on your order in the months close to your due date. This applies to any qualifying baby products.
Return policy: 90 days
You are allowed to return items that you or others have bought from your registry within 90 days of the expected due date you entered when you signed up.
If you don’t have the order number, you can give the name and associated email of the person who purchased the item to start your return.
To return an item, just simply print a label, stick it on the bag or box, and drop off to a UPS location. You won’t be charged if the item is eligible for return.
Group gifting: Yes
For higher-priced items, friends and family can chip in towards the cost rather than one person having to pay the entire price by themselves.
Universal registry: Yes
A universal registry means you can add non-Amazon products to your list. We personally did not use this service, but know that it is a benefit.
Sign up for Amazon's free baby registry*
Closer look at Target's baby registry*
Overall Rating: 5 out of 5
This is the best baby registry out there for the reasons we outlined earlier in the best baby registry section of this article above.
Ease of use: 4 of 5
We couldn’t give this the full 5 stars since Target’s website can be a bit clunky at times. Also, navigating the site to figure out what you want to add to your registry is not as easy to do as on Amazon.
Samples: Free welcome kit
Target outdoes the other registries with a kit of samples and coupons that’s worth over $100 in savings. You do have to visit a physical store to claim it.
Shipping perks: Free, if spend above minimum threshold or with Redcard
Like Amazon, if your order meets their minimum spending requirement, you can qualify for free shipping.
Alternatively, if you’re a cardholder of Target’s signature Redcard credit or debit card, then you can enjoy free shipping on any order.
Registry completion discount: 15%
When it’s getting close to baby’s grand entrance, enjoy a 15% discount on whatever else you buy off of your registry. You will be eligible for this discount starting a few months prior to your due date.
What’s awesome about this discount is that you can use it twice! Once in-store and once online.
Redcard holders get an additional 5% off, for a total discount of 20%!
TIP: This 15% discount applies to many non-baby items as well. Add everything you want to buy right before you use your registry completion discount and enjoy 15% savings on all kinds of stuff (some exclusions do apply).
Return policy: Up to 1 year
Target is generous with their return policy, giving you up to a full year to make your returns.
Group gifting: Yes
For the pricier things on your list, Target allows your friends and family to join forces to get you a higher priced item.
Universal registry: Yes
A universal registry allows you to add non-Target products to your registry. We personally did not use this service, but know that it is a benefit.
Other: Price match
Target will recognize a competitor’s price if it meets the conditions of their price match guarantee.
This is not always applicable in Alaska and Hawaii, though they will match their own company’s online price. On several occasions, we found a better price on Target’s own website and they gave us the lower price, no questions asked.
Sign up for Target's free baby registry*
Other baby registries
Other stores offer baby registries too. While their benefits are not as comprehensive as the most popular ones above, they may be worth looking into if you are considering their particular products for your little one:
Pottery Barn
The best perk of this registry is getting 20% off any purchase made in the six months following baby’s due date.
IKEA
Not specifically a baby registry, but an overall gift registry. Also, it’s administered through an outside universal registry service called myregistry rather than internally by IKEA.
Friends and family can also contribute cash gifts, such as to help offset the price of big-ticket items.
By creating a registry with IKEA, you are also eligible to participate in ongoing prizes and giveaways.
Crate and Barrel
Enjoy 10% off everything for 6 months following the due date as a benefit of this baby registry.
Conclusion
This baby registry list includes the most popular baby registries and perks that you should take advantage of. Sign up to get these free perks and benefits today!
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