second (or more) time moms, help with shower/stuff question

[sojourn]

What stuff do you find that is typically left over on the baby registry?

Or what stuff do you usually not put on your registry, but that you need?

I am a crazy organizer and I'd really like to start stocking up on the little odds and ends. I have the storage space and the cash. We're stocking away stuff in savings for when the baby is born. I have prematurely boosted our various household budget items (toiletries, meds, clothes, utilities, cleaning supplies etc.) so I have room to go ahead and get stuff like that instead of taking it out of the savings for when the baby is here. I assume there will be LOTS of things to pay for after the baby is born (co-pays, peds visits, vaccinations and stuff).

Long story short, what should I buy now to get ahead of the game?

 

[wish4baby]

Well, diapers are a constant expense, so that is a good choice (if you are using disposables).
I found I mostly got baby clothes, bottles, pacifers, blankets and cutesy stuff from friends and distant relatives. Only close family members bought big ticket items (more than say, $50 items), so if you only have a few that will purchase those, I'd say start there - crib, dresser, changer, rocker, carseat, stroller...
I also plan on buying some things that I have a definite opinion on: I want a certain baby sleep hammock (lol), a specific breast pump, baby carrier, and cloth diapers, so we will be purchasing those throughout this pregnancy.
Good luck!!

 

[sojourn]

Great advice!!
I was pretty sure all the cute, tiny baby stuff would get purchased. The stuff people love to buy.
I'm using cloth diapers, and I'm buying a lot of them second hand and from swaps and stuff. I'd like to have a basic stash and then register for extra stuff. Most of my family pretty much mocks my plan to use cloth, so I doubt they'll contribute to the effort.
I'll probably just stick to diapers and then wait and see.

 

[bekkie]

I found that people (for the most part) ignored my registry completely and bought what they wanted...

We stocked up on gift cards - every pay day, went and got a $50 gift card from babies-r-us, or from the grocery store... so that when the time came, the money was already there and couldn't 'accidentally' be spent on anything but baby.

Meant to do it this time... totally didn't... the past 9 months have disappeared.

 

[sojourn]

That's a great idea. We are pretty good at saving, so I've been stocking away money. I decided to just split the savings account (I use an online savings, so I can monkey with it pretty easily) and keep the regular amount that we planned to save for future baby expenses and big stuff. Then we've been saving a lot of money on other stuff (not going out to eat, fewer pedicures for me, buying stuff used etc.) anytime one of my budget columns comes up under-budget, I transfer the difference into the savings to buy the little random things that are left over from our registry.

 

[Amy89]

I found that people (for the most part) ignored my registry completely and bought what they wanted...

We stocked up on gift cards - every pay day, went and got a $50 gift card from babies-r-us, or from the grocery store... so that when the time came, the money was already there and couldn't 'accidentally' be spent on anything but baby.

Meant to do it this time... totally didn't... the past 9 months have disappeared.

What a brill idea! I think I'll do that even if its just small amounts its better than having it lying around for me to spend!