I love looking over baby registries and going to baby showers. Even before I had my own kids, this was something I really enjoyed. However, when I was pregnant with my son I had so much indecision over what to actually register for. There are so many options.
After I had my first child, I saw what we really used for baby, and have some suggestions for registry makers so I thought I'd put them all in one place:
First off I think its smart to register on Amazon, AND at Target. You'll have people that love the online option, and really want to shop in-store so it's best to cover your bases.
Burp Cloths:
By FAR the best burp cloths are Gerber Pre-Fold Cloth Diaper Inserts You read that right, they aren't even made to be burp cloths. They're supposed to be the inner lining of cloth diapers, but they are the best, and believe me when I say you need reliable burp clothes for a newborn.
Swaddle:
I didn't even know about these sack-like swaddles until they used one on my son in the hospital. We ordered one as soon as we got home. They're super nice because they stay wrapped, and keep you baby warm and happy inside. Halo Sleep Sack
An alternative, or addition, is these great strechy blankets by Copper Pearl. These blankets are quality and come in many cute prints. During the day our newborn was usually swaddled in one of these.
Sleep:
My son slept in a "side-car" which is a small bed extender that attached to our own. I'd link to where to buy it if I could because it was great, but you can find examples on Pinterest. My Dad made ours, and it was the best of co-sleeping without actually having our son in our bed.
Another day time sleep thing we loved was a Boppy Lounger. Which honestly looks like the stupidest thing ever. It's basically a dog bed for babies, but it was so nice to have a cushy place to set the baby. Wellington slept on his boppy lounger for most naps before 3 months old.
Nursing:
Nursing pads are first off a MUST as you will be a leaky faucet for months. These pads are not something to go the cheap route on either. Lansinoh makes my favorite ones for comfort and absorbency.
The other must for nursing is a BreastFriend...and I know what you're thinking. These things looks like a contraption, and boppy pillows are much cuter. But let me tell you, this thing is probably the only reason I made it nursing my son. A boppy pillow moves around and is way too squishy to position a newborn right, they're just frustrating. When you're new to nursing comfort and ease is key, so do youself a favor and at least TRY a breastfriend. I've been using mine daily for almost 2 years.
The nursing cover that I liked is a standard carseat cover, scarf, nursing cover combo. I acutally got the Milk Snob brand and the bottom unraveled so I don't recommend them. However, Copper Pearl has the same style of cover so they're who I'll be trying this time.
Carseat:
So we only tried one infant carseat brand, but we LOVE our carseat so I thought I'd link it here. We also have a stroller in this brand, and the next size up carseat. They're all great and so comfortable for the baby. We always got compliments on our infant carseat.
Bathing:
This baby bath was very easy to use, and dried off very quickly. We never tired a different one, but were very satisfied with this one.
If you get just these 10 things (if you're nursing* + clothing for the baby, but that's up to taste) you can very comfortably make it through your first 3 months with a baby.
We purchased an electronic swing, highchair, crib, activity center, and stroller all after our son was 3 months. This helped alleviate some clutter in our home, and helped us figure out what we really wanted (or if our baby would even like it) before we purchased these bigger items.