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Getting your baby registry together is a major thing to get finished. There are so many choices and products to look at. There’s a lot of stuff you will want, some stuff you will need, and plenty that can be safely avoided. The best part of all this is that other people will be doing the buying for you!
Even not having to worry about the price, a baby registry can be an overwhelming task to finish. There are lots of places that offer registries. Here are some tips to figure out where and what to register for.
Where to register?
Step one of making a baby registry is figuring where to set it up. Multiple big box stores and online retailers offer them. The best way to find the place that is right for you is to compare the pros and cons of each retailer and pick the one that seems right for you.
Ask family and friends about free-for-me stuff
Whether you are simply practical, frugal, or the ultimate penny-pincher, it never hurts to see if you can get items you need as hand-me-downs from family or friends. Baby items in general have a relatively short useful life that is far exceeded by the actual durability of the item itself, meaning many items are not anywhere near used up when families have outgrown them. Clothes are too small after a few months, if you even have a chance to take the tags off (sorry grandpa and grandma). High chairs, bouncy seats, swings, cribs, beds, etc. all usually work perfectly fine through multiple children. Bottles tend to last a while, even if you need to purchase new nipples. Asking for or accepting hand-me-downs can check several items off your list and allow you to save some room to ask for other items that you may need to be new.
Skip the gimmicks
There is an ocean of baby products out there with more coming out every day. Like anything else in life, not all of them are destined to be great at what they do or actually solve a problem. In fact, my experience has been less is more when it comes to baby products. Some items are truly worth their weight in gold. Most do what they are supposed to. A few are simply garbage. The real problem here is that you won’t know this until you’ve bought it and used it for a while. Doubly so if you are a new parent and are still getting up to speed. Combine that with the fact that you will buy some products months-to-years before you will need them, and it’s a perfect recipe for getting stuck with junk you can’t return.
My advice? Keep it simple.
If you decide that there is something you absolutely need down the road, you can always go get it at that time. Also keep in mind that many products fulfill a similar function so take care not to register for multiple items that do similar things.
Shrink and simplify
Getting carried away is part of the fun with making a registry. Sometimes you just get in the zone and add way more than you need. That’s OK. It happens. The important part is giving the list a second or third pass and weeding out stuff you don’t really need. I think it’s important to have multiple items at various price points, but you don’t need 200 items for a 25 person baby shower.
I would recommend finding 5-10 items at $1-20, $20-50, $50-100, and $100+ price points. You won’t get it if you don’t ask, so feel free to add some big ticket items that close friends and family are more likely to get you. At the same time, there are going to be a few people who don’t know what to do and will get the cheapest item or several cheap items on your list. Some people recommend keeping clothes off the list. I’m split on this advice. Constantly shopping for baby clothes sucks. It’s nice to be able go to your baby’s closet, pull the tags off, and have a new outfit ready to go. I would skip newborn sizes (newborn anything for that matter) personally and I would only ask for clothes that can be used year-round.
Gift cards
A great way to retain some value for later is to ask for gift cards! A few gift cards in the drawer means that baby will always have the right size clothes instead of some widget that never got opened (looking at you, app-based video baby monitor). They also come in handy for consumables like diapers and wipes.
Get it delivered
Don’t want to lug everything home from the shower? Get it delivered straight to the house. Almost every retailer offers this. It’s silly not to have big stuff delivered.
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