Low-Tox Baby Registry: Essentials for a Healthier Start
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As a new mom, one of the most overwhelming parts of preparing for our baby was creating a registry.
Here are some of our favorite baby items, and some items I don’t recommend.
Before we even found out I was pregnant, I had started working on a baby registry. I know that sounds silly, but I wanted to make sure we an airtight plan for having the products we needed to welcome our sweet baby. There are so many baby products out there—each claiming to be essential—and it’s easy to feel unsure about what you’ll actually use. My baby boy is nearly six months old now, and after settling into this new season of life, I wanted to share some of the items we’ve loved most—especially the low-tox choices that helped me feel confident about what we were bringing into our home. If you missed my birth story, you can read about my functional C-section here.
I spent hours researching and asking trusted friends about their most-used baby products. One thing I quickly realized is this: every family is different. Needs, lifestyles, and preferences vary—and that’s okay. Especially as a first-time parent, it’s so easy to go overboard on your registry, thinking you need every product under the sun.
Our priority was choosing low-tox options for our baby, and here’s why:
Male sperm count has dropped by 59% over the last few decades and continues to decline by 2.64% annually
An estimated 80% of women struggle with a hormone-related issue
20–27% of adults experience mental health challenges
51% of Americans have been diagnosed with a chronic illness
40% are expected to be diagnosed with cancer in their lifetime
Nearly 70% of Americans are on prescription medication
11.4% of children (as of 2022) have been diagnosed with ADHD
These statistics are common, but they are not normal.
So what’s contributing to the problem?
Polyester: It now makes up nearly 70% of all clothing. It’s a petroleum-based, microplastic-shedding, hormone-disrupting material—and a known carcinogen.
Fire retardants: Found in furniture, carpet, car seats, mattresses, and more. These chemicals are linked to hormone disruption and cancer.
Plastic: Used in practically everything, especially baby bottles and toys. Even “BPA-free” plastics can leach harmful chemicals.
Fragrances: These are everywhere—candles, lotions, soaps, detergents—and they’re toxic. Even many so-called “natural” fragrances contain hormone disruptors, carcinogens, and VOCs.
Can I completely protect my child from toxins? No. And I’m not aiming for perfection. But babies are especially sensitive to their environment in those early months, so my goal has been to create a cleaner, lower-tox space while his immune system builds up. I also hope to break the cycle of harmful habits and exposures that have been passed down through generations, and set my kids up for a healthier lifestyle moving forward!
I also firmly believe that stress can be just as harmful as toxins. When we know better, we do better—but we can only control what we can control. So give yourself grace, do what you can, and let go of the rest.
Non-Toxic Feeding Essentials
Glass Bottles: I exclusively breastfeed, so bottles weren’t needed until I returned to work part-time. I knew I wanted to avoid plastic, so we chose glass bottles. We’ve been using the Phillip’s Avent glass bottles, and he takes them really well and doesn’t have any issues transitioning between these and the breast! I also love that they’re tough and sturdy, and even though we’ve dropped them a couple of times, they haven’t broken. He isn’t quite old enough to hold the bottle yet, butt when he is, I plan to brab some of these silicone bottle covers as an extra layer of protection.
Silicone Milk Storage Bags and Trays: A reusable, safe option for storing breastmilk without leaching. Like I mentioned, we wanted to steer away from plastic wherever possible. We were gifted the Junobie milk storage bags and freezer trays, but also love BOOBCUBE
Burp Cloths: We love the organic cotton ones from Burt’s Bees because they are organic, super soft, and very absorbent!
Haaka pump and milk collectors: I used them during nursing sessions to effortlessly collect letdown from the opposite side—milk that would’ve otherwise been wasted. It’s an easy, low-stress way to build a freezer stash and has become one of my favorite breastfeeding essentials.
Sleep Setup
We ditched the bassinet after a few sleepless weeks—it just wasn’t working for us. I co-slept with him in bed for a few nights, but it wasn’t sustainable. (My husband was on a camping mat on the floor to keep things safe—bless him.)
Eventually, we set up a sidecar-style crib attached to our bed, and we haven’t looked back. It allows our baby to sleep close to me, but safely in his own space.
Crib: We picked the Babyletto crib because it’s Greenguard Gold Certified and convertible (it grows with your child!). We were able to find a used one on Facebook Marketplace, so I highly recommend looking around your community! We love that our crib will eventually convert to a toddler bed, so this will last him for years to come!
Mattress: We chose the Naturepedic crib mattress because it’s organic, breathable, and toxin-free. While I was okay with getting a lot of items used, a safe, new mattress was a non-negotiable for me. There have been recent studies linking toxins in mattresses to SIDS, so having a completely toxin-free mattress for our baby to sleep one was extremely important to us. Bonus: it’s two-sided so you can have a more firm option for your infant and more cushion once they transition to a toddler bed.
Crib Sheets: Naturepedic and Burt’s Bees organic cotton sheets have been our go-to, and we love them!
Infant Lounger: We loved the Snuggle Me Organic for a safe place to set our baby down that was nearby, but still gave him the comfort and the “being held” feeling he was looking for. It’s not recommended for extended sleeping periods, but really great for supervised rest! I loved having something to put my baby down in while I needed my hands free, but was still able to keep him close and cozy.
Sleep Sacks: I really didn’t swaddle our baby as were trying to follow the Noel Method from On Track Baby, but through our very exhausted state in the hospital, we agreed to let the nurses swaddle him. We were discouraged to find this was the only way he would let us put him down in the bassinet. I expressed my concerns and frustrations with our doula, and after a few weeks, we decided to transition to the side cart setup with his crib and transitioned him from the swaddle to a sleep sack, and it worked! My favorite is the Burt’s Bees sleep sack– it’s organic, cozy, and so soft. We have since bought multiples to have on hand!
Diapering
Diapers: We use Kudos (disposable, low-tox, and plant-based) and Esembly (cloth). I love the idea of cloth diapering, but also wanted something easy for my mom when she watches him, and also wanted to avoid the hassle of cloth diapering at night. Having both options has given us the flexibility we need.
Wipes: While we didn’t personally love their diapers, we really like Honest Company wipes. They are free from fragrance and harsh chemicals. We tried Water Wipes, but honestly, we just didn’t love them because of how thin they were. We felt like we were going through twice as many wipes!
Diaper Balm: We go back and forth between a homemade tallow balm, and Earth Mama Organics because the ingredients are clean, effective, gentle, and it smells good!
Changing Pad: A friend generously gave us her Naturepedic Organic changing pad that she had used with her kiddos, so we didn’t have to buy a new one, but we did purchase a new organic cover for it. Like all things Naturepedic, we have absolutely loved it!
Travel/Babywearing
Car seat: after sooo much time researching car seats, we finally landed on the Nuna Pipa RX. We spent months going back and forth on which car seat to get, but truly no other car seat had the same safety ratings and Nuna does not use any chemical flame retardants in their products, which was huge for us. My son and I actually ended up in a rollover car accident, and he was completely fine with not a single scratch on him. Because of that, we will always be a Nuna family. It is a bit more of an upfront investment, but it is something I think is absolutely worth it.
Stroller: we found a Nuna MIXX stroller on Facebook Marketplace that had both the seat and car seat attachment. We love the quality of the stroller, the convenience of being able to attach his car seat, and also being able to use the seat attachment to go for walks. I can’t recommend searching your local Marketplace enough, because we saved hundreds of dollars on an excellent stroller that still has a ton of life left in it!
Car mirror: we went this something plain and simple, but it also offers peace of mind. I love being bale to glance into the rearview mirror and check on my son.
Solly Wrap: Our go-to in the early days. On fussy days or when he didn’t want to be put down, babywearing gave us both what we needed.
Ergobaby Carrier: This one is great once baby has proper head support (around 4 months). We bought the infant insert for earlier use—it worked okay, but it’s pretty warm. I wouldn’t recommend it for summer or indoor use. (Ask me how I know… I was sweating my way through the Seattle airport on a solo flight 🥴)
Diaper bag:
Health and Wellness
Rectal baby thermometer: we got some strange looks from parents and grandparents when they saw a rectal thermometer on our registry, but one of my best friends was an ER nurse for years, and said this is the most accurate way to get a temperature reading on a baby. And it really isn’t as bad as you think. It doesn’t hurt them, and it’s both easy and quick to use during a diaper change!
Teething and colic tincture: I swear by this stuff. This not only helps with teething relief, but also helps with colic, gas, fussiness, etc. Every time my son is having a rough day, I give him a few drops of this and it always helps.
Active Skin Repair: we use this for everything. Thankfully he’s still little and we haven’t had many cuts or scrapes, but we do use this on cuts and scrapes for ourselves, as well as diaper rash and eczema!
Body wash: babies truly don’t need bathed very often. Too much bathing can break down the microbiome of their delicate skin, and they don’t get dirty or sweaty, so it just isn’t necessary. Of course, that’s not to say we never bathe our baby, but when we do, we use a very gentle cleanser that is actually good for the skin. We love Aleavia fragrance-free body wash. And a little goes a long way, so this bottle has lasted us forever.
Non-Traditional (but amazing) Registry Additions
Meal Prep Help: One of my best friends couldn’t make it to my baby shower, so she came over and helped me stock our freezer with over 20 nourishing meals and snack packs. It was one of the best gifts I received.
Cleaning Services: If you’re planning for another baby—or helping a friend who is—this is an amazing gift idea. Some people host “nesting” parties where loved ones come help clean and prep the home before baby arrives (extra points if they help prep food too!). Or, consider gifting a cleaning service gift card so mom can rest instead of scrub the floors.
Meal Delivery Gift Cards: Instead of a meal train, I added Restorative Roots (formerly Mama Meals) gift cards to my registry. They specialize in healthy, healing, postpartum meals. It was a relief to know I had food on hand that supported my recovery and didn’t require me to explain our food preferences or sensitivities to thoughtful givers.
What We Didn’t Buy
Baby containers (swings, bouncers, etc.): Spending too much time in a baby container can actually inhibit a baby’s need to move around and become familiar with their body and surroundings! We did end up getting a Wee Gallery play mat to put on the floor and have absolutely loved it! It’s organic cotton and is in all black and white so it’s high contrast which helps to develop baby’s vision.
Changing table: part of the reason we love our changing pad so much is we just put it on top of the dresser in our room. We ddin’t feel the need to get a whole separate changing table and I’m so glad we didn’t. We instead found a nice dresser on Facebook Marketplace that will grow with my son and he can have for years to come.
Diaper pail: we just didn’t find this necessary. Honestly, I find them a little gross, and we would just keep little trash cans nearby that we could throw diapers and take out at the end of every day.
Wipe warmer: someone actually gave us theirs, but honestly, we didn’t even use it a single time. It ended up just collecting dust, and we would just hold the wipe in our hands for a few seconds to warm it up and that was easier than collecting another unnecessary item!
Speciality baby detergent: okay, this is something I actually feel pretty strongly on. You don’t need a special laundry detergent for your baby. And the unfortunate part is that many popular baby detergent brands are loaded with chemicals and fragrances, which is the last thing your baby needs. Get yourself a fragrance-free, nontoxic laundry detergent, and you can use it for everyone in the family! We love Truly Free’s unscented detergent, but also recommend Molly’s Suds as another great option.
Final Thoughts
Creating a low-tox environment isn’t about perfection—it’s about intentional choices that support your baby’s long-term health. It can feel overwhelming, but start small, choose what works for your family, and give yourself lots of grace.
I hope this list gives you some helpful ideas as you create your own registry or support someone you love. Whether you use every suggestion or just a few, know that every thoughtful step you take makes a difference.
Let me know in the comments: What were your must-haves in the early months? Or what low-tox swaps are you most excited about?
