And I thought a wedding registry was time consuming....baby registries are much more difficult. This week I think I finally have most everything on our registry for our little girl that will be coming in late August, early September....but it was a long hard process to get to that point.
Don't get me wrong - I enjoyed the process (at least most of it) but it was long and complicated. When it was just us and we were getting kitchen things I didn't really care if we had the best or the safest appliance, but I would have to say that my motherly instincts have kicked in for the baby and I want everything to be safe and good quality - so I have read reviews, product descriptions, compared prices.... wow - all this from a non-shopper - now you can understand why it was a bit overwhelming.
For any of you that will be registering the near future, let me give you a couple tips that I have learned....
1. Call up a few new moms that have infants under age one. Ask them what they have, what they like, what they don't like, and what they can for sure do without, as well as what is a must have. Each mom will be different but it will help you greatly. I even went over to look at their things and try them out.
2. Pick several places that you would like to register. This will allow you to get the items you really want instead of settling for something different just because the one store doesn't have it. It will also help you to pick which place has it the cheapest. For us I picked one place that was an internet site - Amazon which offers free shipping for $25 or more orders. We picked a store that focuses on babies - Babies R Us. And we picked a store that was local that you can just walk into and find good prices. It gives your friends and family some choices as well.
3. Take your mom (if you have a cool mom like I do)! Joel isn't real picky and I knew he would rather do other things than go shopping, so I left him at home and met my mom for the day. Though it has been a long time since my mom had children (all five of us are in our 30s) she is an expert Grandma and she is up to speed on all the new safety things. On top of that - it was a great day to spend bonding with my mom. I don't know how she managed five kids, but I hope that I can manage one as well as she did her five.
Another option would be to take a friend that has had children within the last two years - they can be helpful in the registering process.
4. Remember this is your child, you need to be comfortable with your choices, pick things that good for you and your situation. For instance, with my MS I have trouble with my hands and decided to be very picky about the car seat that I chose. The stroller that I chose I had to consider where I lived (in the boonies) with rough surfaces. So instead of getting a cute travel system that matched, I picked a car seat that I could actually clip with my hands and a stroller that will actually move on our back roads. But like I said before each person's situation is different.
5. I have not experiences this one completely yet, but I have been told by several people. Don't be afraid to put bigger things on your registry - people will go together to help purchase the bigger items. Also don't by a ton of stuff before your shower - you will be amazed at what you get as a gift. I have already gotten many great used items from others in the church that are in great condition, however - if you want new - don't be afraid to say it, it is completely understandable.
I hope this helps! My little one is getting excited just thinking about (she is kicking away as I type, maybe she wants some music!).
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