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You may be expecting, but that doesn’t mean you necessarily know what to expect. Chances are people — from friends to total strangers — are offering you mountains of unsolicited advice, horrific birth stories and regaling you with scores of expensive items you simply cannot live without. While their intentions are good, it can make preparing for the baby feel all the more overwhelming, especially when you’re trying to stick to a budget.

You’re asking yourself a lot of questions, and the answers aren’t always easy. But here are a few suggestions for items you can put on your baby registry that could help you organize yourself and your household for what comes next.

Choose big-ticket items over smaller purchases

You will be amazed at what you can find on sale at major clothing retailers like Old Navy and Target. Leave the onesies and blankets off your registry and go for gift cards where you can have the power to purchase what you need when you need it. This will also allow you to maximize your cash by researching online coupons for these stores — you can easily double or even triple your savings.

That frees up your registry for big-ticket items you’ll want to purchase brand new — like car seats, cribs, strollers, baby carriers, breast pumps, rocking chairs or gliders, and baby food makers. Most store registries will allow people to contribute to an item, so several people can go in on some of the more expensive requests together. To make the most of your registry, it’s important that you look beyond the items you’ll need in the first three months. For example, families on a budget can save thousands of dollars by preparing their own baby food, once your child starts transitioning to solids. Adding a high-quality baby food maker to your registry is a budget-friendly gift that keeps on giving — for years.

Post-pregnancy needs

It's important to plan ahead for your needs after your baby's debut. Aside from making and freezing meals and stocking up on supplies like coffee, laundry detergent, diapers and wipes, you'll want to think about what you need as you adjust to having a newborn. If you're nursing, you want to have a breastfeeding bra on hand. Buy several to get discounts on bundled purchases. You'll also want to make sure you have nursing pads, ointment, a nursing pillow and plenty of storage bags for breast milk. Sites like Amazon or BuyBuyBaby can help you stock up on these supplies now so you won't be lacking for them when the need arises.

Nursery and playroom decorations

Many parents are able to mentally prepare themselves for a new baby by decorating the nursery. But with new paint, window treatments, picture frames and textiles, decorating a nursery can get fairly expensive. Take a trip to your local children’s consignment store or participate in a resale event to stock up on nursery decorations. Goodbuygear.com is a great consignment website where I purchased some key pieces! Whatever you have left can be added to your registry. Remember to include baby-proofing items, like outlet covers and tools to secure furniture to floors and walls. Some major retailers, like Home Depot and Kohls, run specials on items that can only be purchased online, so be sure to research the best deals on the web.

It’s only natural to want to make sure you have all your bases covered when preparing for a baby and for your life after the baby arrives. It’s important that when you take your budget into consideration you also look beyond just the first few weeks and months and research what you might need as your baby moves quickly through all those first-year milestones.

Thanks to Emily Graham from Mighty Moms for helping me put this together!!