Registry Help Thread!

suzycupcake

Are any other FTMs having trouble knowing what you need or quantity for your registry, and need to get it done soon? If so, talk about it here. Hopefully STMs will chime in and guide us   

wanderlustsoul

So I had to make my registry and finalize it by the beginning of March so my sister could send ahower invites. 

The amount of work and research I did was insane. I almost went insane but I survived (barely). I over-research every single thing but I was able to complete my registry and it’s good. 

Im a super minimalist so I put the stuff I determined a necessity and tried to keep as simple as possible. I also gathered extensive feedback from STM+ moms on what their opinions were. 

olivemomma

I also drew a lot of my registry when I made one for DD from all my mom friends - I was one of the last to have a baby. I also looked at Lucy’s List recommendations and the Baby Bargains book which covers various price points. Registries are so hard because the amount of product selection for each item is truly overwhelming. My advice is to take it one item at a time, tell yourself, “Today I will pick a car seat”. Read our car seat blog, online reviews, chat with friends, etc. Remember you can always tweak it! 

Sadly im now contemplating replacing my favorite sleeper, my auto rock n play. That thing was the best but with the actual recall I just don’t know if I can bring myself to use it. I’m eyeing the snoo - it’s so expensive but one of the few items I need this go around. Any mommas have one?

olivemomma

@suzycupcake read this and follow the extra link to her registry cheat sheet. It’s beyond helpful!

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.lucieslist.com/newsletter/registering-for-your-baby/amp/

sourlemon

@olivemomma I'll be reusing the rock n play within reason but get why many people will turn their backs on it. My concern is that all things like it will shortly follow the recall because the risks are going to be similar.  

My advice for FTMs is to realize you can keep adjusting your registry up until the moment you check out with the coupon. And don't stress to much over ever little detail because in the end it's just stuff and can be replaced if you or your baby don't like something. 

olivemomma

@sourlemon I hear you. I’m really debating - I was initially planning on using it with zero hesitation. But now that they’ve issued a full out recall and said to stop use immediately (plus some of the deaths being linked to lack of rolling) I’m torn. I’ll have to discuss with DH and get his opinion. 

emqbee

Can anyone speak to the diaper genie or munchkin? I think the reviews were better on the munchkin....

aecm

@emqbee We have the Munchkin diaper pail and I’ve been really happy with it. The only time I notice a stink is if it’s too full, we’re too busy / too lazy to empty it, and the lid doesn’t close 100%...which is completely our fault, lol. We’re also pretty bad at replacing the baking soda puck. Like, it MIGHT happen once every 6 months. 

sourlemon

We had one diaper genie for about 3 years before I broke it on accident. Bought a new one since dd2 was only 12 months old and that was is still going strong and will be used for this kid. Same stink review as above...always our fault due to laziness. 

emqbee

Thanks ladies!!

suzycupcake

The only thing I see Lucy mentioning about quantity is to get at least 7 onesies. 

Thats the only part I personally need help with is how many of stuff is needed for the first year. Like how many onesies, how many socks, how many mittens, how many bottles, how many mattress pads, how many crib sheets, how much warm stuff for Winter and cool stuff for Summer, etc. 

My SIL says to add the first year to the registry. Maybe I’m making it too complicated lol 

emqbee

I’ve been overwhelmed with the same. Several people have told me to think about registering for clothes 12mo and beyond because people a lot of times go off registeries for clothes and you wind up with a lot of early size clothing. Just a thought. I think there may have been an article that TB posted about how many of each thing to get, I’ll see if I can find it again. 

Just to share, I read where one person did 4-5 layers on the crib mattress of pad/sheet/pad/sheet and so on to avoid having to change everything after a blowout at 2:30 in the morning when you don’t feel like it. You can just pull the top set of sheet and pad off and be ready to go. I’m registering for enough to do that!

sourlemon

@suzycupcake how many clothes will depend on how often you want to do laundry and if you get a spitter. I had one big time spitter and went through 5 onsies a day...on a slow day. Her record was 12. So 7 would never have been enough.  My second kid was not much of a spitter but still got changed about 2-3 times each day and once at night sometimes. Its not unreasonable to expect a minimum of 2 onsies and 1-2 pajamas a day for the first few months.  I always go a little overboard on clothes because my experience with dd1. My recommendation is to register for 2-3 sets of onsies in each size that you like and a few outfits sets. Most onsies come in sets of 3-6 so that's an easy way to build inventory. Also, not registry related but second hand clothes are great. 

Socks don't stay on NBs very well and don't get dirty. If you are dying to have socks, one pack in each size before 12mo is probably fine. You can always buy more when you lose them...cuz you will. 

Mittens were useless for both my girls.ni didn't even bother with dd2 after the hospital because she wiggled out of them. I probably won't buy any for this kid. Some NB sleepers have sleeve cuffs that fold over for night time, so I'd look for those instead. 

Bottles depends. How often will they take a bottle (breast feeding with supplements/pumping or exclusively bottle feeding) and how often you want to wash bottles. Most people recommend starting out with a variety pack and seeing what the baby likes. I stocked up on one type and my kids never knew anything else, so it wasn't a problem. I like to have enough  to not wash bottles every day. NBs can go through 10 a day at first, plus you need some if you are pumping. We go overboard, but we probably have 30 or so (built up across the last 2 kids). I think I started with 12 with dd1 and built up over time. 

Mattress pads and crib sheets: minimum of 2. We have more sheets for cuteness but each kid had 2 pads and that was always enough. When one got dirty we had a backup while we washed the dirty one. 

BigBadWolf12

Ya, we do the 2 layer in the crib thing but I can't imagine going through 4-5 layers in the crib   I had a spitter too and we wore big bibs (not the little bandana drool bibs...those were useful later for teething but useless for spit up) on him which helped outfits go further. We did laundry every other day on average and had around 10 sleepers I think. 

sourlemon

@BigBadWolf12 nothing helped keep her clothes clean except when she projectiled far enough to miss herself lol. But she would spit up the entire bottle almost every time. We did a bib with a waterproof backing, a cloth diaper prefold over that tucked into the bib, and a swaddle blanket covering everything. Even then it would get all the way to her skin. 

She also had horrible excema and if we left her in anything even moist, within hours shess break out and it almost always led to bleeding. So we changed her more often than most people.

suzycupcake

@sourlemon Should I add a baby raincoat to my registry?

I'm gonna observe this thread for awhile while other ladies ask their questions. 

purplg8r

I went way overboard on my registry.  Oh well. I’m too excited!!

im concerned about the Rock n play too. And of course, it’s already been bought off my registry.  Dumb question.  I was planning on using it to put outside the shower doors when showering or when I need to put her somewhere near me when I’m doing something else.  Is there another item I could be using?

thirdtimesacharm2019

@purplg8r I had a small travel swing for DS1&2 that could easily be moved in the bathroom. 

sourlemon

Those little bouncy chairs are easy to move to a bathroom if you aren't comfortable with the rnp.

aecm

@suzycupcake The number of things you need are really really hard to predict, because it depends so much on your kid and your lifestyle. After reading what everyone else is saying, I’m probably on the low end of the spectrum for what I used...

Clothes - My kid was not a spitter. We had a 5-pack of newborn onesies from Carter’s that she basically lived in for the first few months. She had a couple other outfits, but she wore those five onesies most of the time. We acquired more clothes for the older age ranges. It’s also hard to predict how fast the kid will grow and therefore what season they’ll be in each size. We barely ever used socks in the summer...we probably have 7-10 pairs for the winter. We didn’t really use mittens...unless you mean the outdoor winter variety, in which case we had one or two sets. 

We have 2 crib sheets and 1 mattress protector. We also had 2 sheets for the pack-and-play. 

I breastfed then switched to exclusively pumping...so I ended up acquiring about a dozen 6oz bottles and half a dozen of the smaller Medela storage cylinders. Probably also had half a dozen nipples and rings...and we ran the dishwasher to clean everything every night. 

So yeah - that’s probably the bare minimum you would want to acquire for the basics 😉. Hope it helps a bit!

Twinkiedoll

I didn't put clothes on my registry because I knew people were going to gift those to us regardless (and I was right).  I put things on my registry that I know I wanted new: crib, stroller, PnP, dresser with changing table.

Slight segue: I just got my Target baby registry welcome kit and I am surprised at all the stuff that was in it.  I also got a flyer for targetbreastpump.com, as an alternative to Edgepark.  The Target/McKesson one supposedly will let me pay to upgrade to a Spectra S1.  We'll see if that's still an option after insurance verification.

wanderlustsoul

Sorry this will be long! I'm going to list everything that I put on my registry. I haven't registered for many clothes because I know people will buy whatever they want. I'll put the quantities that I've determined I need of each item according to my endless research so I will fill the gaps after my shower with what I need vs. what I receive. 

Registry: 

(We didn't put any of the big stuff - car seat, stroller, swing, bassinet - on our registry as we can only buy it here vs. in Canada but I've heard that you should, even just for the completion discount) 

• 4moms Newborn Insert (for the Mamaroo) 
• Freshly Picked Diaper Bag 
• Skip Hop Activity Gym
• Gerber Onesies 0-3m Short Sleeve (5 pack) 
• Boba Wrap Baby Carrier
• Boppy Newborn Lounger
• Tadpoles Playmat Set
• Bugaboo Bee Compact Transport Bag
• Lulujo Baby's 1st year Blanket and Card Set
• Sophie Teether
• Aden + Anais Cotton Muslin Swaddle Blanket (4 pack) X 2 
• SwaddleMe Newborn Swaddle (2 pack) 
• Love to Dream Swaddle 
• Aden + Anais Newborn Swaddles (3 pack) 
• Summer Infant SwaddleMe Swaddle (3 pack) 
• Lulujo Blanket (thicker one) 
• Comotomo Nipples in Slow Flow 0-3 months (2 pack) 
• Comotomo 5-oz bottle (2 pack) 
• Dr. Brown's Bottle Brush (2) 
• Boon Nursh 4-oz (3 pack)
• Boon Replacement Nipples in Slow Flow and Fast Flow
• Kushies Changing Pad Cover (portable) 
• Skip Hop Portable Changing Pad
• Flannel Changing Pad Cover 
• Munchkin Waterproof Changing Pad Liner (3 pack) 
• Munchkin Changing Pad
• Summer Infant Change Pad (2) 
• Nosefrida
• Nail Scissors
• Infrared Thermometer
• Carter's 3-pack hats
• Hakaa and cap
• My Brest Friend Nursing Pillow
• Baby Car seat cover and nursing cover X 2
• Boppy Pillow Water Resistant Cover and Printed Cover
• Pacifier Clips (4 pack) 
• Razbaby 0-3 pacifier (2 pack) 
• Wubbanub Giraffe Pacifier
• Bandana Bibs
• Aden + Anais Muslin Snap Bibs (3 pack) X 3
• Aden + Anais Washcloths (3 pack) 
• Baby Burp Cloths (4 pack) X 2
• Hooded Towels (3 pack) 

We are also getting/have got: Bugaboo Bee5 Stroller, Nuna Pipa Car Seat, Ubbi Diaper Pail, Cloth Diaper Liner for Ubbi, Skip Hop Night Light, AngelCare Baby Bathtub, SnuzPod3 Bassinet, Drying Rack, and Mamaroo Swing. I will get the nursing pads, 

I will get a few items in newborn and then if he is small, I can always grab more but I will aim primarily to get 0-3 months and 3-6 months for now. Our goal for clothing, etc. is: 

- 3 towels 
- 8 bibs
- 2 boppy covers (for boppy pillow) 
- 3 changing pad liners 
- 3 changing pad covers
- 4 swaddle sleep sacks 
- 6 short sleeved body suit
- 6 long sleeved body suit
- 8 onesies or rompers 
- 6 leggings/pants
- 6 bottles (I will see if he prefers comotomo or boon nursh - or something else entirely even though he will be primarily EBF) 
- 6 wash cloths 
- 2-3 hats
- 2-3 booties
- 2-3 mittens 
- 8 sleepsuits 
- 8 muslin cotton swaddle blankets 

thirdtimesacharm2019

A few randoms I’ve picked up over the years:

- never used mittens (the anti-scratch or cold kind)
- socks are useless, especially in the summer, I only buy sleepers with feet
- both my boys were born bigger than newborn (clothes and diapers), so I will have exactly zero newborn things on hand. If this little nugget comes in on the small side I’ll send DH for the essentials while we are still in the hospital. 
- for 0-3 months I’m aiming to have the following on hand: 5-6 sleepers, 10-12 onesies, 2-3 “leaving the house” outfits, and one box of size 1 diapers
- I agree with not registering for clothes, people buy what they like. 
- people will also give you blankets, or sets with blankets, so I wouldn’t buy many in advance 
- I would have a variety of large and small items, some people (like coworkers) may want to get a group gift. 
- go ahead and pick out some things to be used later (6-12 months) like toys and playmats 
- I would suggest at least four sheets, we do laundry everyday, but it’s not unheard of to run through multiple sheet changes in one night. 

lovelikestardust

Oh man, this is so so so helpful for a nervous FTM. Thanks mamas! Did you all register at just one place, or multiple? Some people are telling me to pick one place and stick with it, others are saying to register at several places.

thirdtimesacharm2019

@lovelikestardust I think it’s dependent on where your “audience” lives. If everyone is close to a Target or okay with online shopping (consider your older relatives), then one is probably fine. I like the idea of one because it seems easier to manage... but, if there’s a product you really want (or want to get the completion discount on) it may be beneficial to do two. 

purplg8r

@sourlemon my issue with the bouncy chairs is that they’re at an angle too (which is what some of the rnp problem is apparently)

@lovelikestardust I registered at Buy Buy Baby, Target, and Amazon.  Then I put them all on babylist and added a few things there. That way people have a variety of places to choose from depending on if the have prime or a store close to them 

agpandme

I had my sister (3 kids) look it over and eliminate anything and add some things.  It really helps to have an expert take a peek!

zamoraspin

@purplg8r Idk if this is ideal for what you are wanting but my sister has and suggested a baby dome. It’s a lay flat surface. We have lots of pets so I like that it can keep them off the baby if I’m just out of the room or whatnot. 
https://smile.amazon.com/Fisher-Price-On-The-Go-Baby-Dome-White/dp/B01K7VHHBG/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?crid=3OQT3R1AIH4UO&keywords=baby+dome&qid=1555294301&s=gateway&sprefix=baby+dome&sr=8-1

BigBadWolf12

@purplg8r
You could also get a stroller with a bassinet attachment.  Some are certified for overnight sleep (uppa baby, maybe others) and is nice for going on walks/if you travel a lot/and if you're nervous about incline in the house

olivemomma

@purplg8r I personally think you may want some product that keeps baby at an incline. Not for sleeping obviously, but for playtime or setting them down while you are doing something else for a few minutes as you mentioned. They will like being able to look around. Some bouncy or swing would be a good option for that. 
With all of that said, DH and I spoke and I will officially be returning my beloved RNP. I’m sad but decided we can’t use it and feel good about it with the official recall for any type of use. I still have a bouncy seat that I plan to use and my podster - both of which can easily go from room to room. I guess I’m going to be looking at a bassinet now. 

sw1122

I keep getting overwhelmed when trying to work on my registry - there are too many products and too many options. I'm trying not to add too much stuff, but it's hard to determine what's imperative vs. a nice to have. Some of the detailed lists above have been really helpful, so thank you!

Anyway, this morning, I was looking into sleepers because I had the Fisher-Price RNP on my registry, but removed it since the recall. Does anyone have any experience with this product? https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01N3JQ7AO?colid=2HIRYG8HAQLCU&coliid=IL96M6KJTYORB&ref=br_ADD_TO_CART_title_link

purplg8r

@zamora_spin I’m going to check that out!

@BigBadWolf12 we did get an uppababy stroller but the bassinet part was so pricey

@olivemomma is there a bouncer you recommend?

BigBadWolf12

@purplg8r uppababy comes with the bassinet attachment but other brands you have to buy it separate.  Did they change that? (We got a used stroller bc they're so expensive here and there's a great used stroller market so I'm just remembering to research I did 2-4 years ago, could be wrong)  Or do you mean the bassinet stand? We didn't use ours for overnight sleep,  but naps  etc we just put the bassinet on the ground if it wasn't in the stroller. 

Also,  my phone keeps auto correcting bassinet to bayonet.  No,  I don't want a bayonet attachment for my baby's stroller 😂

aukeev

I haven't heard any moms mention the MamaRoo as a must-have lately like I was hearing a couple of years ago, but I picked up a brand new one on FB Marketplace the other day pretty inexpensively. Do any of you STMs have experience with the MamaRoo? Would you use it in place of another swing/RnP (not for sleeping)/bouncer?

thirdtimesacharm2019

@BigBadWolf12 let me know if you find an actual bayonet attachment. DH would love that!!! 😂😂😂

olivemomma

@purplg8r so I do have a FP bouncer seat, however, DD didn’t be like it much and I barely used it with DS. I’m going to give it a go this time since I just lost my rnp and I already own it but don’t know if I wouldn’t give it a glowing endorsement.

mrosek91

We used this bouncer seat. My ILs had it and DS#2 loved it so much we borrowed it from them. We were planning on bringing it back and forth every time, but they bought a new one, and told us to keep it.

heml

@oklahomak FTM so I’m not *really* qualified to answer but all my friends that got Mamaroos had kids that weren’t fans, so I’m skipping it 

aukeev

@heml Thanks for sharing! I'm glad I didn't spend a ton on it, then. 

jrm_14

High chairs are currently giving me nightmares. We have a counter height table & would like a high chair that matches up pretty well. A seat on top of a chair is not an option as we have swivel chairs & we are not comfortable with that combo. When I search counter height high chairs, I come up with so many that are clearly not counter height. 

Anyone know of any super tall high chairs, reasonably priced? (Under $200, bonus for under $175). 

denma2015

@jrm_14 what about the high chair that just attaches to the table?  We might get one to attach to our island since our so sits at the counter all the time for snacks and breakfast   
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004854WM0?creativeASIN=B004854WM0&linkCode=w61&imprToken=rgQgD8-VOw7XQsykLzApZg&slotNum=3&tag=hookon-high-chairs-20