Registry Question
So my wife and I started our registries. We have one at Babies R Us for some of the bigger ticket items (stroller, furniture) and one at Target for the majority of the other items. We're trying to do as much Target as possible since if we make returns there we have more flexibility on what to use the store credit on then at BRU.
The first thing that struck me was the "registry expert" told us (with a straight face) we should try and register for 100-110 items. I gave her my best "as you serious" look - to which she remained unfazed.
By the time we were gone we got to about 40 items (plus 6 or so that we are getting as hand-me-downs).
The second thing we were amazed by was the pure number of useless looking items that I'm sure are great in theory but not in practice.
So here is my question - what items have you registered for or just got that in the end were a waist of time, never left the box, or you regretted (so we don't make the same mistake).
We tend to try and steer clear of junk and clutter and keep a pretty streamlined house. So for instance I can never see us using a bottle serialize (we'll use the dishwasher and/or brush) or a bottle warmer.
Thanks!
Re: Registry Question
register for what you want. a bottle steralizer may be very beneficial if your going to bottle feed mainly. you don't want baby to get sick. Of course its been 15 years since my last preganancy so i'm doing the same thing you are.
Most of these items are out of convienence. Guest are going to buy what they want to buy. Hence you see the responses of some folks getting things not on the registry. You will have those guest that will demand a registry list. I would say pick things you know for sure you are going to use & some things that you want out of convienence.
I've been check reviews on items too. that helps. If you baby doesn't like it, give it away. you can't know until you try it. & you may find that one thing you considered useless at first look becomes a life safer once your little one arrives.
Don't worry you will be buying a lot more stuff after the shower.
There are a number of things that are mere luxury items... some people would call them must haves, others think them a waste. A wipe warmer, bottle warmer or bottle sterilization kit fit into those things.
You can definitely get to 100 things... there are a lot of little things you don't necessarily think of, and remember, each sku counts as an item. There is butt paste, gas drops, different size pacifiers, different size bottle nipples, different size diapers, different size clothes, baby care kit (includes comb/brush, nose sucker, baby nail clippers), thermometer, multiple crib sheets, waterproof crib liner, baby shampoo, baby towels and washcloths, bibs, burp cloths, swaddlers, sleep sacks, books, rattle, car mirror (so you can see them in the rear view), diaper bag, changing pad, changing pad cover (probably 2, one as backup for when the main gets pooped/peed on), bottle brush and then the big stuff... car seat, crib, glider, changing table, stroller, swing, pack and play.
Oh, and just expect that you won't get half of what you register for, but will instead get outfits they think are cute, tons of blankets, stuffed animals and toys.
Register for everything though and put the due date early so you get the completion coupon early so you can wipe out the registry on discount.
We gave away our breast feeding pillow (a boppy)since my wife found that a pillow worked best. Other friends loved this pillow.
We just used a bottle brush for the bottles that were not multiple piece since I found that the dishwasher didn't do a good job on some of the bottles.
Our child was on the large size so I would not get too many newborn clothes since depending on how large your families tend to be, your LO will outgrow them quickly. We also didn't use any newborn diapers then again our LO was 8 lbs 10 oz at birth.
We have received 4 or 5 different blankets in the last week and a half. Kind of crazy.
I think we wound up with something along the lines of 9-11 blankets. One was hand knitted by my mom, the others store bought.
I started reading through all of the responses, but I quickly realized that there are so many factors that impact the things we use, and don't use, as a parent. Type of house, size of house, neighborhood, climate, etc all play a roll in the things we need for our children. What might be a need during winter in Wisconsin will never be a need in south Florida. Here are some of the big "majors" that we registered for. Note, my wife always reminds me that much of what we got at the shower was not on our registry.
Video monitor: my mother bought this off our B r U registry.
Chicco KeyFit Stroller: Infant car seat clicks right into the stroller. We still miss being able to use this one. My wife's parents purchased this of our B r U registry.
Britax Stroller: My father and his wife got this for us off our B r U registry.
Ear Thermometer: Target Registry
Infant Hygeine Kit: Target Registry
Bottle Rack: Target Registry
Changing Table Pad: Babies r Us
Those were the items that we actually received at her showers. Everything else that we got at the showers were clothing, toys or other things that were not on the registry. We ended up going to both target and B r U to get the rest of the things that we felt we needed from our registry.
We got a diaper genie from my in laws, and we love it. We never smell the diapers and it is much easier for us to take the diapers out bulk from the genie instead of just throwing them in the trash and giving me yet another daily chore of taking the trash out every single day. It is right next to his changing table and it is a good thing for our household.