Babylist vs Amazon Registry

Welcoming a new baby is an exciting time, and setting up the perfect baby registry is a big part of the preparation. 

Baby registries let you create a wishlist of items you’ll need for your newborn, making it easy for family and friends to choose gifts. 

Babylist and Amazon offer two of the best baby registries, each offering unique features and benefits. 

In this article, we'll compare Babylist and Amazon to help you decide which baby registry might be the best fit for you. 

Let's see how these registries stack up against each other.

Side by Side Comparison 

Choosing the right baby registry is about matching features with your personal needs. 

In this section, we compare Babylist and Amazon across various criteria essential for expectant parents. 

We’ll look at what each platform offers for registry building, item selection, receiving gifts, cash gifting, discounts and freebies, and returns policy.

Registry Building Experience

Babylist really stands out when it comes to setting up your registry. They have detailed checklists, helpful tips, and suggestions that are perfect for new parents.

It's like having a guide to show you exactly what you need.

Amazon has a good checklist too, but it's not as helpful or easy to use as Babylist's. It gets the job done by helping you list all the baby items you need, but it doesn’t guide you quite as well.

Winner: Babylist, for its user-friendly registry building tools.

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Item Selection: Amazon's Variety vs. Babylist's Universality

Amazon, also known as the everything store, is like a giant store with almost everything you could think of for your baby.

It's great because you can find lots of products all in one place. In fact, you can register for anything at all on Amazon, not just baby products. 

Babylist has a smaller, handpicked selection. To make up for it, Babylist is a Universal Registry, and lets you add items from any store, not just Babylist.

This means you can pick exactly what you want, no matter where it's sold. Anything you add will show up on your Babylist registry. 

Winner: It's a tie. Amazon wins for having so many things to choose from, and Babylist is great for letting you add anything from anywhere.

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Receiving Gifts

With Amazon, gift givers have the option to ship items directly to you or to their own address, which is great for those who prefer giving gifts in person.

Since Amazon only allows you to add items they sell directly, the process is streamlined and less prone to errors.

The shipping addresses are saved, making it easy for friends and family to send gifts to the right place without hassle.

Babylist gives more choices because you can add items from lots of stores. But this can make things a bit tricky.

If someone buys something from another store, they have to type in where to send it and remember to tell Babylist they've bought it, to prevent others from buying the same gift.

Winner: Amazon for simplicity.

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Cash Gifting

Amazon offers a diaper fund feature with a maximum limit of $550, which converts into a gift card balance for the parents.

Babylist, on the other hand, offers registering for cash funds, but doesn’t directly manage or track cash gifts. 

For those looking for a more integrated cash gifting solution, Greatest Gift can be used alongside either registry.

Winner: No clear winner between Amazon’s diaper fund and Babylist’s cash fund. We may be biased, but Greatest Gift is our choice.

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Discounts and Freebies

Both Amazon and Babylist offer some great deals and freebies for expectant parents.

Amazon provides a completion discount of 10-15% for items left on your registry, depending on your Prime membership status.

They also offer a Welcome Box filled with samples and full-sized products worth up to $35, but you need to be a Prime member and complete a checklist to qualify.

Babylist gives a 15% completion discount on items that are still on your registry, which you can use close to your due date.

They also send out a Hello Baby Box full of samples and goodies, although you need to pay for shipping and meet certain criteria to get it.

Both Amazon and Babylist have unique offers that can help save money and introduce you to new products for your baby.

Winner: Babylist wins with a welcome box available to all

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Returns Policy

Amazon and Babylist have different rules for returning items.

Amazon lets you return items for up to a year after they're bought from your registry.

This long time frame is really helpful for parents who need to figure out what works best for their baby.

Babylist allows returns for up to 9 months for products bought directly from their website.

But if you add something to your Babylist registry from another store, you have to follow that store's own return rules.

Amazon makes returns easy with a one-year window.

Babylist offers a good amount of time, but more complicated depending on where the item was purchased.

Winner: Amazon, for its hassle-free returns.

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In each category, both Babylist and Amazon have their strengths, making it important to consider what features matter most to you when selecting a registry.

Babylist's Pros and Cons

Pros:

• Curated Selection: Babylist offers a handpicked range of products, making it easier to choose high-quality items.
• Helpful Guides and Product Comparisons: Their guides and comparisons help parents make informed decisions about what they need.
• Modern Design: The website and app are user-friendly, with a sleek and modern design that makes registry management a breeze.
• Universal Registry: The ability to add items from any online store gives unmatched flexibility in registry creation.

Cons:

• Returns Process: While Babylist allows returns for items bought directly, the process can get complicated for products from other stores, each with its own return policy.
• Manual Actions: There’s a need for gift givers to manually mark items as purchased, which can sometimes lead to confusion or duplicate gifts.

Amazon Baby Registry's Pros and Cons

Pros:

• Familiar Shopping Experience: Most people are already comfortable using Amazon, making it easy to set up and manage a baby registry.
• Wide Range of Products: Amazon’s vast selection means you can find almost everything you need for your baby in one place.
• Easy Returns: With a generous 365-day return window, Amazon makes it simple to return gifts if needed.

Cons:

• Overwhelming Options: The sheer volume of products can be daunting and make it hard to decide what you really need.
• Prime Membership Required: To get the best deals and freebies, such as the completion discount and welcome box, you need to be an Amazon Prime member.

Using Both Registries

You don't have to pick just one registry. 

Using both Babylist and Amazon can give you the best of both worlds. 

Having both registries lets you get more discounts and deals, register for a wider variety of items, and make it easier for everyone to find the perfect gift.

Here’s how you can use both:

• Add Amazon to Babylist: Link your Amazon baby registry to your Babylist, so everything is in one place, making it easier for friends and family to see all your items.
• Share Both Links: When you invite people to your baby shower or tell them about your registry, include links to both your Babylist and Amazon registries. This way, they can choose where they prefer to shop.
• Put Babylist URL on Amazon: You can add your Babylist link to your Amazon registry’s welcome message, so people know you have registries on both sites.

Using Babylist and Amazon together is a smart choice. 

It means you can enjoy what both offer: Babylist’s helpful guides and Amazon’s huge product range and easy returns. 

There's no need to limit yourself when you can have the benefits of both. 

Plus, you can also add Greatest Gift to manage cash gifts efficiently, rounding out your complete registry solution.

Final Takeaway

Looking at Babylist and Amazon, both have their perks for soon-to-be parents.

It really comes down to what you like more when you shop.

If you're already shopping a lot on Amazon, you might like their baby registry. It has tons of items, is easy to use if you're familiar with Amazon, and makes returning things simple.

It's handy for frequent Amazon shoppers with Prime.

But if you're looking for a bit of help picking out baby stuff, Babylist could be your choice.

It offers great advice, lets you add items from any store, and helps you find just what you need with its suggestions and guides.

You don't have to pick just one, though. Many parents use both Babylist and Amazon to get the best of both worlds.

Plus, adding Greatest Gift is a smart move for starting to save for your little one’s future. 

So, whether you go for Amazon's big selection and convenience or Babylist's helpful tips and flexibility, both are great for putting together your perfect baby registry.