The Ultimate Guide to Baby Registry Freebies & Perks
After reading that headline, you might be thinking, “Wait, baby registries aren’t loyalty programs.” True—but hear us out. They might not offer tiered status or double points on diapers, but they’re absolutely reward programs: packed with perks, fine print, and the occasional “surprise” clause that no sleep-deprived parent needs.
So we did what we do best, digging into the details to see which baby registry programs deliver the goods and which ones are as disappointing as a leaky diaper.
(Note: This is one of the rare times we couldn’t test a program ourselves, so we combined our analysis with reviews from real parents on popular forums. Thanks, Internet parents!)
amazon
🍼What you get:
Welcome Box valued at $35 (must be a Prime Member)
15% completion discount
Free returns for one year
Friends and family can contribute to a diaper fund
⚠️Fine Print:
To receive a welcome box, you must have 10 items in your account and $10 bought from your registry.
Completion discount is up to $300 in savings ($2000 in spend). Can use 60 days before due date and 90 days after. And your registry must be active for 14 days
👩🏻⚖️ Verdict: Rewarding!
The welcome box is one of the weaker ones despite needing Prime status, but the completion discount is strong, as is the return policy. While we gave this a favorable verdict, note that Amazon has a large number of third-party sellers whose products are not vetted and may be counterfeit. So, buyer beware, and be more careful about what you put on your registry versus other retailers.
babylist
🍼What you get:
Universal registry. Add items from any site!
Hello Baby Box of free items valued at $125
15% off discount coupon
⚠️Fine Print:
Eligible for Hello Baby Box if you add 3 items to your registry, complete 40% of your registry checklist, and have $30 in registered items bought.
The discount is up to $300 in savings ($ 2,000 in spend). Can use 60 days before the due date and 90 days after. And your registry must be active for 30 days
👩🏻⚖️ Verdict: Very Rewarding!
That box is loaded. The flexibility of a universal registry is huge. The only real knock is the discount applies only to items sold by Babylist, but overall, this one delivers.
bABIES 'R’ US at kohl’s
There are no more standalone Babies ‘ R Us stores, but it’s now embedded within Kohl’s, both online and in 200 of their physical stores.
🍼What you get:
Welcome Box, no value stated, but gets mixed reviews for richness
15% off completion discount, stacks with Kohl’s Rewards!
1-year return policy
⚠️Fine Print:
Must create a Kohl’s Rewards account.
👩🏻⚖️ Verdict: Rewarding!
Not the best of the bunch, but certainly not the worst. Kohl’s Rewards is a good program (read our review), so getting your baby gear through them just increases your rewards haul.
buy buy baby
There are no more BuyBuyBaby stores open, but the website remains, affiliated with the online site of Bed Bath & Beyond, another retailer that closed all its physical locations in 2023. (None of this makes you feel good about shopping here; we agree.) These programs are not an exclusive registry program, but a genuine loyalty program with points involved, distinct from the others. Both a free and paid program are available. We looked at both.
BuyBuyBaby Welcome Rewards+
Free to join
Completion discount (amount not advertised on site, but most say it’s 15%), good for 6 months, 1x
Free shipping on orders over $49.99
90 day return policy
Earn 250-500 points for product reviews (worth $2.50-$5 in rewards)
May receive an anniversary reward (vague)
Beyond+ Membership (combined BuyBuyBaby + Bed Bath & Beyond)
$19.95/yr
5 points per $1 spent.
Free shipping
Free returns year round (max 1 item per month)
2x points (500-1000) for writing reviews, valued at $5-$10
👩🏻⚖️ Welcome Rewards Verdict: Meh
No welcome box , and the terms are stingier than those of other programs. The points for reviews can add up to further discounts, and many have been able to get 20% off coupon for joining, but that is not part of BuyBuyBaby’s official benefit listing.
👩🏻⚖️ Beyond+ Verdict: Rewarding…maybe
The points turn out to yield a return value of 5%, which is good for a home retailer like BB&B and comparable to loyalty programs like Kohl’s. You’d have to spend $400 in product to earn enough rewards to cover the $19.95 fee. If you are already part of Beyond+ for household items, then buying your baby gear via BuyBuyBaby’s website makes sense. Otherwise, don’t bother.
crate & Barrel
🍼What you get:
15% registry discount
Free shipping on orders over $49
Free room design consultant
⚠️Fine Print:
Discount code can be used twice: once in the 3 months prior, and once in 6 months after birth.
👩🏻⚖️ Verdict: Meh
Not a whole lot here, but Crate & Barrel's SKUs are high-end, so if you are shopping here, it’s for your luxury baby room, not for necessities.
Pottery Barn
🍼What you get:
15% completion discount
Free nursery design consultant
⚠️Fine Print:
Completion discount good for 3 months prior and 6 months after due date.
👩🏻⚖️ Verdict: Meh
Similar to Crate & Barrel, this is where you shop for the finer stuff, not because it’s cheap or rewarding. However, Pottery Barn is known for their customer service, so if designing a room (and have the $$$$ budget), it might give you peace of mind to do it through them.
Target
🍼What you get:
Welcome Kit valued at $100
15% off registry completion discount. Stacks with other Target discounts!
20 deals offering over 20% off, valid for 2 years.
Free returns on all registry items for 1 year
Free 2-day shipping on orders over $35
⚠️Fine Print:
Must join Target Circle (free, easy, and full of other perks)
Completion discount can be used twice: once online and once in-store.
Completion discount activates 8 weeks before the due date and expires 6 months after.
👩🏻⚖️ Verdict: Very Rewarding!
The welcome kit is loaded, the discount is robust, and the policies are clear and generous. It’s the gold standard in the baby registry world.
Walmart
🍼What you get:
Welcome box (value unknown…never a good sign)
Free 1-year Returns
⚠️ Fine Print:
To receive a welcome box, you must have a minimum of 20 items in your registry, have made a purchase of at least $25, and have an active registry for a minimum of 7 days. Wow, that’s a lot. Surprised you don’t need to sign your kid up to work at Walmart too!
👩🏻⚖️ Verdict: Meh
No completion discount. The welcome box is fine (per online parents), but not in Target’s league. Listen, Walmart is here because it’s big and has the lowest prices. But beyond that, it’s nothing special in the baby registry world.
🎯 summary:
Wow, the good news is there are A LOT of baby registries out there (we didn’t review all of them). Our recommendation is to focus on the types of products you want and need, then decide which stores sell them, THEN pick the best registry (or two, or three) from that narrowed list. Overall, Babylist and Target are the shining stars here, followed by Amazon and Babies “R” Us at Kohl’s. The rest are so-so for richness of registry discounts and benefits.
Leave us a comment! Do you agree or disagree? Any further tips about any of these baby registry programs?
