I once prided myself on my practically empty basement.

Then I had a kid.

Instead of my “minimalist baby essentials,” which would likely only apply to my kid, my house, and my lifestyle anyway, I’ll suggest the Corkscrew Test.

The Corkscrew Test is just three simple questions, adapted from Sam Bennett's work at The Organized Artist:

Is there an alternative to the tool that would work just as well?
Do you do that job so frequently that your life would be markedly easier with that specific tool?
Is the tool challenging to store or to keep clean?

With this test in mind, we skipped the bottle warmer. We don’t use bottles that often, and we can just heat water in a mug if the need arises.

But we registered for not one but TWO weighted wipe containers. One-handed wipe grabbing on every floor?! Yes, please!

Sometimes a hyper specific item is no match for a versatile workhorse. Other times, it eliminates enough daily friction to justify its place on our registry and in our homes.

And someday, when I’m an empty nester, I’ll long for the days my basement was filled with a dozen huge bins for one single tiny human.