We both decided to use Amazon as our primary registry during our pregnancies. One of our favorite features of the Amazon Baby Registry is that you get a 15% discount to use on baby purchases twice within 2 months of your due date. This discount can be used on tons of eligible items and your order can include up to $2000 worth of products. You can only use this discount twice and you have to add the items from your registry. So be careful that you follow the rules when you are ready to place your order.

Here are our top tips for utilizing that discount and getting the most bang for your buck!

Purchases to Put at the Top of Your List

The best way to utilize the discount is on big items (stroller, crib, car seat, etc) that you’ll really see the discount on. If you have anything that you need that is a big-ticket item that you need and haven’t been gifted yet, now is the time to buy it!

Must-Haves for Baby’s Arrival

There are really only a couple of things that you have to make sure you have before you bring home baby: a car seat (they won’t let you leave the hospital without it!) and ideally, a name (though it is possible to wait to name your baby)! A few other things you may want to have for baby’s arrival: a coming home outfit, a small stockpile of newborn and premie clothes and diapers, a place for them to sleep once you get home, etc.

Add As You Go

You may have built your registry months ago and thought of new things or had new recommendations since then. You can add anything to your registry even the day that you want to use the completion discount and as long as it qualifies, you can use it to buy those things. Remember to leave a few things on your registry too, even after your shower(s) are over, people may be looking to buy you things.

Things for Mom and Hospital Bag Items

You can also use your completion discount to buy a few items for Mom (pumping supplies, nursing bras, etc) and even some things that may come in handy during pregnancy (think pregnancy pillow, maternity clothes, body butter, etc) and items you’d want/need at the hospital.

What Not to Buy

There are a few categories to keep in mind here, we’ll tackle them one by one.

• Bulky items for older babies. Storage is probably already becoming a problem, you don’t want to add to the storage mess. Plus these are great items to leave on your registry for last-minute gifts (see “what to leave on your registry” below). And you can use the Amazon completion discount on two different orders so you might as well not store the bulky things from order one when you could buy them down the road.
• Things you can find cheaper elsewhere. Amazon has really great prices and the 15% off completion discount is huge and adds up quick. That being said, take a look around especially on bigger purchases to be sure you truly are getting the best deal with the discount before pulling the trigger. And also keep in mind coupons from other places and cashback opportunities from places like Rakuten.
• Items that don’t qualify for the discount. Some items on your registry might not be eligible but you still need them (see our unconventional list of things to add!). Since this order is likely to be large, save yourself from the big ding to your finances and spread out these purchases. Items that don’t qualify are great things to leave on your registry (see below) and or keep searching for a better price (see bullet above).

What to Leave on Your Registry

People may still be looking for gifts for your little one all the way up to and past your due date/baby’s arrival. So it’s good to keep a few items in every price range on your list so that they’ll buy you things you actually want vs. going rogue and buying off-registry. If you are at a loss of what to add or leave on, think about a few reach items or things for a slightly older child. You can also add things you know you’ll need a bunch of so that you can stock up on those for down the road.

Extra Money Saving Hacks

You can only use this deal twice and it has to be within 2-months of your due date. This is likely a big order, it is going to cost money and it’s not like it’s the only thing you are buying. So we’ve added in a few more money-saving hacks to help lessen the blow.

Every once in awhile Amazon adds the baby category for cashback on sites like Rakuten or other similar perks sites so keep your eye on that.

Use those gift cards! You may have racked up a bit of a gift card balance either by getting gift cards as gifts or from registry returns you’ve made along the way. If you’ve set up a diaper fund on your registry, you can use this to pay for things too, it’s deliverable as an Amazon gift card.

If you have an FSA (Flexible Spending Account) or HSA (Health Savings Account), don’t forget about putting eligible purchases on that card. This can include things like breast pump supplies, thermometers, and other baby-related health items. If you do forget, you can also submit for reimbursement after the fact.

Last But Not Least

It is possible to change your due date on your registry and that could buy you a few days in one direction or another on taking advantage of this completion discount.

Don’t forget to redeem your free welcome box! There are a few great full-size items in there that could save you from a purchase.

Has anyone else had great luck using the completion discount for your registry? Let us know what you bought and how you saved in the comments!