Registries are not a thing I was excited about in the becoming-a-new-parent journey. I eschewed having a wedding registry last year when my husband and I got married under the mostly real guise of “we’ve been living together for 3 years, we truly are not in need of anything!” but what could more literally be translated into, “dear god, I do not want any more stuff coming into our house, PLEASE!” I obviously have not become a new person in the intervening months, so the idea of lots of new (baby) stuff entering our lives can sometimes send me into a panic spiral. However, I understand and recognize that even if we raise the most minimalist-oriented baby on the block… he will still need some basics. Enter a registry, because we have found ourselves in the very lucky position of having fantastic and doting friends and family who want to help us build out our nursery to get ready for Baby Beep’s arrival. We opted to register with Amazon for a few reasons, principally that it is so gosh darn easy. From selecting items (semi-based on their registry checklist, and also ignoring at least 50% of what’s on the checklist because truly a newborn does not need items from 51 different categories?!) to fast and easy shipping, it was also very helpful to have a universally-accessible registry as we have friends and family on both coasts who were throwing us showers. Coupled with the fact that Amazon throws you a 15% completion discount when you’re close enough to your due date for any must-haves that hadn’t yet been purchased, and it was a pretty easy choice. Imagine my delight when, post-registry-making-decision, I also found out that Amazon baby registries also come with a complimentary “welcome box!” While I may be anti-stuff, I am simultaneously (and confoundingly) very pro-free things, so if Amazon wanted to send me a “welcome to the upcoming mom club” gift, I was all for it!

So let’s get to the unboxing (ugh, a term I hate!)… My welcome box arrived very speedily after our first registry items were purchased, I think just a day or two after. I was impressed, but then remembered it’s Amazon and shipping efficiently is basically why they’re taking over the world, so duh. The box is branded similarly to their registry splash page and has a cute box liner printed with cartoon baby items. The packaging and contents overall are kept very gender neutral, which I appreciated!

Upon opening the box I was already psyched! I was anticipating A LOT of “literature,” aka coupons, pamphlets, and paper that I would immediately put in our recycling bin. instead I was greeted with the very cute face of a giraffe! Whoever is packing the boxes made sure that, for mine at least, the cutest, coo-inducing item was exactly on top and my exact reaction was, “awww!” Pulling the rest of the items out, I continued to be impressed with both the quantity and quality of everything included. This is not your post office’s welcome to the neighborhood mailer of “5% off your next internet installation” and “$0.75 off when you buy 5 gallons of milk!” There are actual, helpful items included that I want to try out as well as tiny cute baby things that remind you that your life is about to be rocked.

Here’s a rundown of everything that was included in my Amazon Baby Registry Welcome Box:

• Hudson Baby Giraffe Security Blanket
• Moon and Back Elephant-Printed Onesie (sold as part of this 4-piece gift set)
• Philips Avent Breast Pad Sample Packs (day and night) & Breastfeeding Guide Pamphlet
• NUK Orthodontic Pacifier for 0-3 months
• Tommee Tippee 5 oz Bottle
• Philips Avent 4 oz Bottle
• Boon 4 oz Bottle
• Cetaphil Baby Wash & Shampoo Travel Size
• Johnson’s Cottontouch Newborn Wash & Shampoo Travel Size
• 10% off coupon for a Britax or BOB travel system through Amazon Baby Registry

I obviously aww-ed the most at the giraffe snuggly and the (TINY!) onesie (how will he be that small!), I was actually most excited about the many bottles that arrived. I’ve heard through the mom grapevine that some babies can be very picky about what kind of bottle they accept, and it seemed rather daunting to have to go out and buy a few different kinds to figure out what little Baby Beep will have an affinity for (especially because most of them are sold in 2-, 3-, or 4-packs, so if he doesn’t like a certain brand we’d then be stuck with numerous bottles he wouldn’t use!). We now have these three to test out, as well as a Comotomo bottle and a MAM bottle that a friend handed down. With that many options, my fingers are solidly crossed that Beep will find one he likes and then we can build out our collection based on his preferences. The inclusion of baby wash sample sizes as well as nursing pad samples was a nice touch to get me on board with Amazon-carried brands (though I’m going to try to use these bamboo nursing pads instead because they are washable/reusable).

While we already have our travel system thanks to a friend’s hand me down (not expired yet, don’t worry we checked!), I did think that was the one coupon I would actually like to receive as a first time parent. Those things can be pricey, ranging from $200 to $1,000, so 10% off can actually make a pretty big dent in the purchase. Overall I was very pumped to receive this “welcome” care of Amazon, where I would have registered even without the enticement of a solid freebie!

Has anyone else used Amazon’s Baby Registry before? What was in your welcome box?? What are your registry must-haves or don’t-need-can-skip items? Let us know in the comments!