Baby Registry: When and Where?!

[HerdingDogs]

Hey!

So I am on the social committee for my school, and a lot of times we have pregnancies people just give me hundreds of dollars to go baby crazy since they are too busy to shop. I LOVE baby shopping. And I LOVE walking around a store with the cool scanner scanning things.

When are you all planning to make your baby registry? If you already have LOs, when did you make registries?

Any particular stores you have in mind?
I did all my SC shopping at Babies R Us since there is one by my house, but it's also the only baby place I know.

What things are you planning to register for?
I'm going big or going home. My mom and her friends are definitely well off. So I'm going to register for the big things as well as some of the things you go through quickly. I don't think I am going to register for towels, swaddles, or anything apparel wise because I am a control freak. I want to dress my own baby. Plus, I saw my baby pictures. My mom is the best, but her sense of dressing children is pretty off haha.

I was a sociology major so I don't subscribe to gender stereotypes, but at the same time... I do haha. So ultimately probably will hold off until I know gender/ am much farther along.

Just thought it'd be fun to share/ hear.

 

[MNgirl1991]

I just started thinking about registries. Honestly, since I just got married 5 months ago, I am not looking forward to more registry and planning.
But I will most likely do my registry through Target. I hear good things about them and had success with my wedding registry through them. They're actually one of the top rated sites to do a registry on!
I'm mostly going to have small things on mine. My SIL is also expecting a baby around the same time as me so the in-laws aren't going to be able to afford to go crazy with baby stuff for both of us lol
For now just adding the basics and gender neutral stuff until we find out the sex, and then I'm sure I'll start going hog-wild.

 

[greats]

I didn't even start my registries with my last pregnancy until I was 20 weeks. Didn't finish them until closer to 30 bc I changed my mind a lot. I did Babies r us and Target. I did mine all online bc I was too lazy to walk around a store all day when I was already exhausted lol

 

[HerdingDogs]

Haha awesome. I got bored and made one at Buy Buy Baby. BRU I want to go in person.

Did you ever watch the pursuit of happiness? The rich guy who gives Will Smith a job? My mom is best friends with one of his grandchild. She has not worked a day in her life. Love her though. Really grounded for someone with more money than can be spent in 5+ gens. Plus, this is my mom's first grandchild and my grandparents first great grandchild. My other siblings are too young or in med school, so they just have me to focus on.

 

[HerdingDogs]

And I like it. It's like making. Checklist for myself of exactly what I want and what it costs

 

[nugget80]

We don't do this in the uk... and tbh I'm not sure I would want to. We recently got married and I was amazed by people's generosity but I don't expect it. I know the people who matter will buy gifts. As we stay yellow I only get bare essentials before baby arrives. I love shopping with baby for bits once he/she arrives!

 

[Buffyx]

We don't do it in Australia either. Someone throws us a baby shower & you get what you're given. It's normally 2 months-ish before your due date

My SIL has 3 kids & is giving us pretty much everything we need. All we need is nursery furniture which we will buy ourselves anyway.

 

[tryn4]

I don't do registry until close to my shower but most ppl bought whatever they wanted. I did 3 registries because not everyone I know has a lot of money so I wanted to make sure it was accessible not exclusive. I think only 3 or 4 ppl bought off my registry and the rest as they feel which was more than fine with me. I was overwhelmed at the generosity of my coworkers and friends so it was lovely. But tbh I do not put any thoughts into this before I'm like 28 to 30 weeks or more.

 

[Pinkee]

I started at Amazon, for diaper bag and small things.

That's about it.

 

[hivechild]

I read about this site the other day: https://babyli.st

I'm not actually planning one myself but it's a neat idea to be able to add stuff from any site online, as well as things like IOU meals, walking the dog, chores etc.

 

[HerdingDogs]

MNgirl wanted to back up and say congratulations on your recent wedding!

Buffy and Nugget: First of all, I love that the internet makes the world a smaller place and that you two are from such distant places. Second, that's really neat to see the cultural differences. The expectation here, or maybe it's jus because I grew up in a more affluent neighborhood, is that people want to buy you things BUT they also want to buy you something they know you want. So having the registry is a list of items they can't go wrong with. I am also only giving the registry to my mom, her friends, and my coworkers. My friends (who are still in school/ don't have a lot of money to spare) I'll just ask for diapers and the small stuff in person.

Tryn How did you manage 3?! Did they all have separate things? I thought about doing that, but how do you make sure you don't end up with duplicates or two different brands of the same item?

hivechild I heard about those. I'm more hesitant with online orders since I had my credit card numbers stolen, but I do like that idea of being able to compile a list of things from all over.

 

[Scout]

When I was pregnant with daughter, I did registries at BRU and Target and then I did a separate one just for me at Amazon. Amazon gives a 20% completion discount so I made a fake due date (bc they offer the completion discount around baby's due date or really close to it and I wanted to order well in advance). I put the expensive stuff on there bc I wanted to buy those things myself. Honestly, I hated registering at BRU and Target...did both in person. I was in 3rd tri and had spd really bad and couldn't walk without being in pain, so I wasn't going to register at all, but my shower hosts kept asking me to bc people had been calling them asking where I was registered. Good idea to do it early, imo. You can always change what you've got on there online. I'd go in and do it a few months early to avoid the pain and the 'stopping to pee every 5 minutes' of 3rd tri. LOL

 

[HerdingDogs]

Thanks, Scout! That's my battle of what is to too early and what is too late.

That's a great idea with Amazon. I'll look into that. I'm planning on buying a lot myself, and 20% off would go a long way.

I see a lot of Chicco and Britax. My mom friend swears by Britax, but Chicco seems to have better reviews? Any experience with either?

 

[greats]

I did Graco with my daughter and am doing baby trend this time around. I don't care for Chicco or Britax but that's just me.

 

[tryn4]

Well as I said I wanted to ensure all budgets could be met so I registered at Sears Walmart and babies r us. I chose different items everywhere but did end up with a few duplicates. But those items were mostly like Johnson and Johnson gift baskets etc. If your friends n family are well off this shouldn't be a big deal to u just pick a place and choose everything u want! Nice!

 

[HerdingDogs]

Ic ic. I put some stuff on there that are $25 and under. I don't want to be presumptuous, but if my college and high school graduations were any indication some major spoilage is going to happen at both of my showers.

 

[venapols]

I agree we dont do it in the uk

its considered rude, tacky and money grabbing or begging to ask for or expect other people to buy you things and most people would out right ignore such a rude request so kind of pointless

people will buy stuff if they want to not because the are expected to... we got a few things when DS was born mostly clothes from people coming to visit

 

[HerdingDogs]

That is so interesting. People around here (and I'm not going to say the US or even CA, I kind of feel like the silicon valley is its own thing) consider it inconsiderate to NOT have a registry because then they have to go out and do research on what you want. People I know want to get you something with the least amount of effort possible on their end haha. Which is why I ended up doing so much shopping for my coworker's baby shower. Nobody wanted to go shopping, he didn't have a registry, and they were frustrated so they gave me the money and said have at it/ put my name on it somewhere.

 

[knobby]

You're really fortunate to have so many generous people in your life.

We'll give our registry links to people if they ask. I am expecting most people will end up getting us whatever they want if they want to give a gift. I am filling up my registries with stuff that we will buy ourselves regardless, simply for the organization of things we want and for the 15-20% discount a lot of registries give you a month or so before you are due which will be a tremendous help.

 

[Scout]

It's not just where you live bc I live in the southern US and people definitely expect a shower and expect you to register. I'm going to a baby shower next weekend and the first thing I asked my cousin, who is hosting, was where is she registered? It makes it so much easier. I love baby showers. And really nobody is REQUIRED to buy off the registery, or even required to buy at all. People do it bc they want to. If I was invited to a shower for someone I didn't know well or didn't like, I just wouldn't go. But for those I love, I enjoy buying something for them and I want it to be something they want.