I have a question: if you register in-person at BRU, do they follow you around the store and try to sell you crap you don't need? We registered at Bed Bath & Beyond for our wedding and someone did that to us. It was irritating.
Nope. I know that some BRU have a registry "specialist" that you can sign up for, and they can go around with you and help you with different things while you are registering. But the only people I can picture doing something like that, is someone who has absolutely no idea what baby gear is used for, and doesn't want to take the time to research online before registering.
This is all so overwhelming... literally my only take away from this entire thread and the other about the top 5 items is Aden + Anais swaddle blankets. My registry is just going to have 4,000 swaddle blankets on it... oh and that lanolin nipple cream.
@PinkLady2015 try not to get overwhelmed! The vast majority of things, it really doesn't matter what brand or style you get. The only things that I strongly recommend doing research on and trying out before buying are the stroller and carseat, because you want to make sure they fit in your vehicle and will work with your lifestyle. The rest of the stuff isn't a huge deal. Even the stuff that in hindsight I might have bought differently, really don't affect my day to day life much at all. It's just minor preferences.
Fisher-Price Booster Seat we lived in a small apartment and this was awesome in lieu of a bulky highchair. DD still uses this at 3 years old. Great value! I've even traveled with it in luggage (the seat back folds down).
Pacifier Holder DD would ONLY take the Soothie pacifiers (the kind pictured) and most pacifier holders wouldn't work. These were great.
Munchkin fresh food feeders Depends on your feeding philosophy but we used these with DD to introduce food and also make sure she didn't choke (obviously this is not for a newborn :P) Some folks go straight to letting the kid put pieces of food in their mouth. The term is escaping me... obviously we weren't in that camp.
iPlay sun hat nothing makes me more mad than seeing parents in hats/sunglasses out with a baby with no sun protection. Put a hat on your baby! These come in lots of different styles and cute patterns.
@quartz02 Baby Led Weaning We did this, kind of, but not to the full extent that it's meant to be done. I made purees for DD and those would be the bulk of her solid food, but I also gave her finger foods and let her taste/chew on my food if she showed an interest in something (fruits, cooked veggies, cheese, eggs, pancakes, even meat like ground beef - basically whatever we were eating). She did really well! And she's an awesome eater now. Not sure if it's related to the baby led weaning but I've heard it can cut down on food aversions - who knows if that's true. I have a friend who followed baby led weaning more closely and her daughter is amazing - was eating whatever meal they made for themselves by a year old, including foods like curries, using cutlery and drinking out of open cups on her own.
@leela20999@dolewhipper@PhoebeJune1984 Woohoo! Thank you for putting my mind at ease! I had heard this was how they do it but wanted to see if it was true. I ended up deleting a ton of stuff off our wedding registry when I got home, but it was still a day of irritation that could have been avoided.
July BMB Siggy Challenge: Weird Hot Dog Situations
I haven't read through the whole thread (mea culpa), but has anyone discussed baby tubs? I put one of the Puj foldable tubs on our registry, but any stm who used a special baby tub and loved it or asked for one that they never used?
@DobbysSock I loosely followed baby led weaning with my DD. She will try anything you put on her plate, she loves to try new foods and loves veggies. I believe baby led weaning had a lot to do with that. She lets you know when she doesn't like something, but there is no bribing or convincing her to try something new. I love it! I intend to go the same route with this LO
@SparkySunshine that's awesome! Sounds like DD. She'll try almost anything once, but when she doesn't like something she is very clear about it and we don't push it. As long as she continues to try things, I'm happy. And really the foods she doesn't like are few and far between and she has pretty eclectic tastes! We'll loosely do baby led weaning again, for sure.
@Nerdchild we really loved the 4 moms infant tub. It goes in a sink so you can stand. It has a temperature gauge to be sure the water isn't too hot or too cold, a separate section for clean rinsing water and vents on the side to let the dirty water out. I found this especially helpful bc I had a premie baby who was just 5 lbs and we had to be very careful with baths in the beginning to be sure he didn't get cold! We used it til he was 4 or 5 months and could go in the big tub! Only downside is that it's big and bulky but we had a spare cupboard to put it in!
I haven't read through the whole thread (mea culpa), but has anyone discussed baby tubs? I put one of the Puj foldable tubs on our registry, but any stm who used a special baby tub and loved it or asked for one that they never used?
@sparkysunshine@DobbysSock we did baby led weaning as well and loved it! We did do purees until she had two top teeth and two bottom teeth, and then switched to BLW. We have a organic garden, so a lot of times, it was nice to hand her a full zucchini while we were gardening (she was maybe 8mo?), and she would sit there and eat it while we were working away. Made things so much easier while we were out and about as well....we didn't have to pack jars of baby food, spoons, and all of that jazz. She has always been a really good eater, although occasionally she will tell us that she doesn't like something, but then will eat it that same week....if my mom or MIL make it for her. I felt like the baby food at the store just didn't offer a lot of variety. To get more variety, when we were using purees, we had to buy the more expensive brands and that really added up. But I really think that there is something about getting that much variety at a young age. All of the kids that I know that did BLW, are awesome eaters. All of the ones that I know that ate a lot of jared food and stuck to the basics, are extremely picky eaters. And that is mostly speaking from nanny experience, as I have nannied 11 children, some who did BLW, some who didn't.
Add us to the BLW club! I read the book Baby Led Weaning after I returned to work during my pumping breaks so we jumped in head-first when DS started showing signs of being ready for solids (just past 6 months). His first foods were avocado and banana. He really picked up on BLW and would freak out family and friends whenever they'd see him eat. When I was pregnant with him I totally planned on making homemade purees for him but once I read about BLW, and we tried it out, we were hooked! The kid is now 13 months old and eats anything and everything. But most importantly, he self-feeds (I have a nephew that is 17 months old that is still fed by his parents... it blows my mind!)! We'll be doing the same with 2.0.
DS: EDD, December 19th, 2014. Born, December 19th, 2014! DD: EDD, July 18th, 2016. Born, July 19th, 2016!
I LOVE that there are other BLW mommas here! Haha, I was slightly afraid of mentioning it because some people freak if they've never heard of it before. There are so many things I loved about it!
BLW for the win! I didn't really set out to do it but we just kinda ended up there. DD was never fond of being fed by me so it worked out for the best. It honestly scared me in the beginning but she did great with it and was exposed to so many foods. She eats everything now and people are always so shocked to see a 2 year old who loves chicken tikka masala and goat kabobs!
I LOVE that there are other BLW mommas here! Haha, I was slightly afraid of mentioning it because some people freak if they've never heard of it before.
There are so many things I loved about it!
I remember people freaking out when they saw what I was handing DD, and would start yelling "She is going to choke!" First off, you don't walk away from your kid while they are eating, so you are right there. I even got a "see...I told you she was going to choke!" one time when DD gagged. There is a big difference between gagging and choking people! My friends would side-eye me when I would feed DD, but now I side-eye them when their kids have been living off of chicken nuggets, shredded cheese, and hot dogs for the past three years...because they hate any type of variety. LOL!
We did go through most of the foods to see about reactions before we jumped into BLW, just in case. That is how we found out she couldn't have tomato or bell pepper (they would give her diaper rashes). But once we figured that out in the very beginning, once we switched to BLW, we weren't worried about handing her foods that had a lot of ingredients.
We didn't really have a choice with the blw because my baby refused to let us feed him at 7 months so everything had to be on his own. It worked well for us and he can use a fork and spoon like a boss because of it!
I LOVE that there are other BLW mommas here! Haha, I was slightly afraid of mentioning it because some people freak if they've never heard of it before.
There are so many things I loved about it!
I remember people freaking out when they saw what I was handing DD, and would start yelling "She is going to choke!" First off, you don't walk away from your kid while they are eating, so you are right there. I even got a "see...I told you she was going to choke!" one time when DD gagged. There is a big difference between gagging and choking people! My friends would side-eye me when I would feed DD, but now I side-eye them when their kids have been living off of chicken nuggets, shredded cheese, and hot dogs for the past three years...because they hate any type of variety. LOL!
We did go through most of the foods to see about reactions before we jumped into BLW, just in case. That is how we found out she couldn't have tomato or bell pepper (they would give her diaper rashes). But once we figured that out in the very beginning, once we switched to BLW, we weren't worried about handing her foods that had a lot of ingredients.
I've lost count of how many times I had to explain this to people!!!! When you read about BLW you learn that gagging is an important part of learning to eat and actually helps prevent them from choking!
DS: EDD, December 19th, 2014. Born, December 19th, 2014! DD: EDD, July 18th, 2016. Born, July 19th, 2016!
I haven't read through the whole thread (mea culpa), but has anyone discussed baby tubs? I put one of the Puj foldable tubs on our registry, but any stm who used a special baby tub and loved it or asked for one that they never used?
This is what my baby tub looks like. When my daughter was really tiny, I rolled up a few towels to prop her up a little bit (then those went right into the wash.)
I was determined to not get a ton of new stuff, and so far this has worked out. She's 2 now, and she actually has preferred showers since last summer.
@ladythrice@SparkySunshine@MrsRo731@PhoebeJune1984 and other BLW mamas, we've had a lot of people in our lives who were concerned/didn't understand BLW, but for the most part have been supported. Our childcare provider is fairly old school (35 years of childcare experience). I like most things about her but she wasn't willing to do BLW with DD. She tried to convince me to blend her food or change what we're offering her, I told her we were confident with our choices but if she was uncomfortable she could blend the food we sent with her. She still sometimes tells us something is too hard for DD to eat/hurts her gums and sends food home (umm... DD is almost two, everything we send she has eaten before in front of us, and she has molars top and bottom as well as her front teeth, she can eat anything I can eat). I understand why someone would be uncomfortable though if they're not used to it or haven't researched it so we didn't push her to do it on her watch. Luckily we did a combination of BLW and purees so DD is pretty easy going either way.
DH has a major fear of choking due to a scare he had as a child, so he also wasn't comfortable doing BLW with her unless I was home to deal with any issues that might come up. He's okay with it now but I definitely had to take the reigns to start, so again I understand why some people would shy away from it. But yea, gagging is way different from choking and is a normal part of learning to eat safely.
I started my registries almost as soon as I found out. They're just shopping lists for me, though. My youngest is 5 and the baby stuff is long gone. The only big items I'm sure about getting this time around is the car seat (probably Maxi Cosi Mico), a glider/recliner, and a pack 'n play. DH also wants to get the Owlet monitor. I have the crib picked out as well but we don't typically buy the crib until they're a few months old. Can I just say that the color combinations and prints for everything are sooo much cuter now?! My poor older kids!
The other must haves on my list: nipple cream (Lansinoh), swaddle blankets, Nuk pacifiers, lots of sheets and waterproof liners for everything (especially pack n play), onesies, and socks.
on a scale of one to greedy douche bag, how terrible is it for me to go to every Target and get a gift bag for signing up for their registry? Or was the Target I went to yesterday just dumb and didn't ask for any type of identification???
@PinkLady2015 I posted about that in another thread! I have a friend who I've now confirmed did exactly that! I assumed they'd look up our registry and mark it in the computer or something as having received a gift bag. Didn't even ask our names! If you really like those Avent bottles you could technically hit up multiple Targets and get your stash that way...
@PinkLady2015 I wouldn't even bother going to different stores! I can't imagine they even remember what you look like as soon as you walk away. But maybe people in small towns pay more attention? Thanks for the idea...I never thought to do this!
We've had two registry experiences now - BBB and BRU. Now I have nothing to base this on other than perks offered, but BRU is winning the race right now! They take EXPIRED BBB coupons (BBB does not), give you cash back on registry items and reward points. Win, win, win! I agree it doesn't seem as posh of a shopping experiences as BBB, but I'm willing to sacrifice that for some extra cash at the end of the day.
@Nerdchild I think I looked at this one also. If memory serves me right I read a lot of reviews saying that it leaked alllllllll over floors and tables. Just an FYI. If you get it, let me know how it goes.
@Nerdchild I think I looked at this one also. If memory serves me right I read a lot of reviews saying that it leaked alllllllll over floors and tables. Just an FYI. If you get it, let me know how it goes.
This makes me so sad! I'll just find a good humidifier and then pout at my husband that we need to find a star-projection nightlight.
I was super sad about it too because it looked so cool, and I would totally splurge on it if I wasn't petrified of it leaking and ruining my floors or furniture. I may just give baby my essential oils mister thingy. Dude if you can find a star-projection nightlight you better share the info for it, I need one too!
I was super sad about it too because it looked so cool, and I would totally splurge on it if I wasn't petrified of it leaking and ruining my floors or furniture. I may just give baby my essential oils mister thingy. Dude if you can find a star-projection nightlight you better share the info for it, I need one too!
Just a heads up with some items at babies r us vs. Target/other stores....I priced checked humidifiers with both and couldn't believe the very same models were 10 to 15 bucks more at BRU...again, just an observation On the flip side, my SIL informed me that if you trade in an old stroller, car seat with BRU, you get a discount towards your new purchase. I already have registered with Target and Burlington Coat Factory's Baby Depot. Their furniture prices are pretty decent. Good luck ladies whatever you choose!
I had a lot of issues first time around with BRU not marking items as purchased. It was kind of awkward at the shower opening duplicates. It's probably not enough of an issue to not register there, just a heads up.
Alright, I found my one absolutely ridiculous baby registry item.
I mean, I don't need the fancy humidifier that has a stellar nightlight built in, but deep down I really do.
I definitely put this on my registry in green. I hadn't looked up any reviews, so I guess I should rethink it. But when we stood in front of the humidifiers, all my husband could say was, "I think there's an obvious choice here."
I registered at BBB for ds and had a good experience. A pp said that BBB would not take expired coupons but mine here does. They also take bed bath and beyond coupons as long as those aren't expired. I also signed up to get mobile coupons and get those via text about once a month.
Another recommendation I have is for ladies is to sign up with the formula companies. I didn't plan on formula feeding with ds but he was born really teeny and wouldn't eat, had low blood sugar and ended up in the nicu. We had to supplement with the high cal formula for almost a month until he started gaining weight and it was great to have coupons! We started formula officially at 5 months. Dh and I had both registered with similac strong moms and we both get coupons in the mail. It was great to have a stock up of coupons to use, and a lot of stores will take several at a time!
@foxa319 Interesting! So your BBB will take expired coupons? Ours denied my mom using one that had expired by a few months. Ugh! We're in Northern California. We were shocked when we went into BRU across the parking lot and succeeded using them. I definitely didn't tell them BBB had just shot us down, for fear of them changing their policy! lol
Just a heads up with some items at babies r us vs. Target/other stores....I priced checked humidifiers with both and couldn't believe the very same models were 10 to 15 bucks more at BRU...again, just an observation On the flip side, my SIL informed me that if you trade in an old stroller, car seat with BRU, you get a discount towards your new purchase. I already have registered with Target and Burlington Coat Factory's Baby Depot. Their furniture prices are pretty decent. Good luck ladies whatever you choose!
Just so you know bru will price match any store including target they just won't match Amazon marketplace but regular Amazon they will.
I registered at Target and Amazon. My social circle scoffs at BRU (no clue why it seems fine?) so I skipped there for my own sanity. I know people who have used a catch all like myregistry or babylist and the purchaser would forget to mark it "purchased" after buying. They received a lot of repeats which can be fine depending on the item. I keep buying everything off mine, that's my problem! I HAD to get my Marc Jacobs diaper bag last night... Oops. I also have changed which car seat I want about 5000 times. Oh well, they are mostly shopping lists at this point anyway right?
Just a heads up with some items at babies r us vs. Target/other stores....I priced checked humidifiers with both and couldn't believe the very same models were 10 to 15 bucks more at BRU...again, just an observation On the flip side, my SIL informed me that if you trade in an old stroller, car seat with BRU, you get a discount towards your new purchase. I already have registered with Target and Burlington Coat Factory's Baby Depot. Their furniture prices are pretty decent. Good luck ladies whatever you choose!
Just so you know bru will price match any store including target they just won't match Amazon marketplace but regular Amazon they will.
I also found that the specific humidifier I like is not carried in Target or online.
I know there always seems to be issues with things not being marked off registries and people getting doubles. My sister got 4 of the same coffee maker for her bridal shower off her Target registry. It was a bit awkward. Target even tried to give her a hard time about returning the 3 extras, but eventually gave in.
For my sister's shower in March/April, I'm planning on putting a little disclaimer after I write where she's registered. She's having twins, so I'm thinking something like, "We've learned that sometimes duplicates just happen, so please include a gift receipt." I can't quite figure out the wording yet, and I'm not l sure if people will think that's a weird thing to put, but I think it will be helpful.
Guys Target is having a huge baby sale this week! I woke up to the notification and was super excited. I made DH breakfast and cleaned both bathrooms before convincing him that buying our travel system today was a must (even though we agreed to wait until February). I am overly excited about buying baby things!
Re: Registry!
@quartz02 Baby Led Weaning
She lets you know when she doesn't like something, but there is no bribing or convincing her to try something new. I love it! I intend to go the same route with this LO
Add us to the BLW club! I read the book Baby Led Weaning after I returned to work during my pumping breaks so we jumped in head-first when DS started showing signs of being ready for solids (just past 6 months). His first foods were avocado and banana. He really picked up on BLW and would freak out family and friends whenever they'd see him eat. When I was pregnant with him I totally planned on making homemade purees for him but once I read about BLW, and we tried it out, we were hooked! The kid is now 13 months old and eats anything and everything. But most importantly, he self-feeds (I have a nephew that is 17 months old that is still fed by his parents... it blows my mind!)! We'll be doing the same with 2.0.
DS: EDD, December 19th, 2014. Born, December 19th, 2014!
DD: EDD, July 18th, 2016. Born, July 19th, 2016!
Baby #3: EDD, April 16th, 2016
There are so many things I loved about it!
BLW for the win! I didn't really set out to do it but we just kinda ended up there. DD was never fond of being fed by me so it worked out for the best. It honestly scared me in the beginning but she did great with it and was exposed to so many foods. She eats everything now and people are always so shocked to see a 2 year old who loves chicken tikka masala and goat kabobs!
DD #2: EDD July 2016
We did go through most of the foods to see about reactions before we jumped into BLW, just in case. That is how we found out she couldn't have tomato or bell pepper (they would give her diaper rashes). But once we figured that out in the very beginning, once we switched to BLW, we weren't worried about handing her foods that had a lot of ingredients.
DS: EDD, December 19th, 2014. Born, December 19th, 2014!
DD: EDD, July 18th, 2016. Born, July 19th, 2016!
Baby #3: EDD, April 16th, 2016
This is what my baby tub looks like. When my daughter was really tiny, I rolled up a few towels to prop her up a little bit (then those went right into the wash.)
I was determined to not get a ton of new stuff, and so far this has worked out. She's 2 now, and she actually has preferred showers since last summer.
DH has a major fear of choking due to a scare he had as a child, so he also wasn't comfortable doing BLW with her unless I was home to deal with any issues that might come up. He's okay with it now but I definitely had to take the reigns to start, so again I understand why some people would shy away from it. But yea, gagging is way different from choking and is a normal part of learning to eat safely.
The other must haves on my list: nipple cream (Lansinoh), swaddle blankets, Nuk pacifiers, lots of sheets and waterproof liners for everything (especially pack n play), onesies, and socks.
I mean, I don't need the fancy humidifier that has a stellar nightlight built in, but deep down I really do.
Eta: pic didn't load until I hit submit I think those are so cool!
On the flip side, my SIL informed me that if you trade in an old stroller, car seat with BRU, you get a discount towards your new purchase.
I already have registered with Target and Burlington Coat Factory's Baby Depot. Their furniture prices are pretty decent. Good luck ladies whatever you choose!
Another recommendation I have is for ladies is to sign up with the formula companies. I didn't plan on formula feeding with ds but he was born really teeny and wouldn't eat, had low blood sugar and ended up in the nicu. We had to supplement with the high cal formula for almost a month until he started gaining weight and it was great to have coupons! We started formula officially at 5 months. Dh and I had both registered with similac strong moms and we both get coupons in the mail. It was great to have a stock up of coupons to use, and a lot of stores will take several at a time!
For my sister's shower in March/April, I'm planning on putting a little disclaimer after I write where she's registered. She's having twins, so I'm thinking something like, "We've learned that sometimes duplicates just happen, so please include a gift receipt." I can't quite figure out the wording yet, and I'm not l sure if people will think that's a weird thing to put, but I think it will be helpful.