(Untitled)

Lawson6510

Lawson6510

Thanks!

cbbfish

I also had some of the same concerns but did a LOT of research. When we decided we were going to register register at Target, I made a list of the things we would need and started looking at product reviews.  I looked at each product, one at a time, and decided which brand/model I wanted. I wrote down each specific item and brought it with me to Target. 

You can register online at some stores but I wanted to be able to touch & see the items in person. 

ebp913

The only part of Baby Bargains that I think stinks is their stroller section.  There's SO much stuff out there and I don't think they really cover a lot of it.  I think you are probably better off doing some other research either here or on Amazon for that.   I also love the message board here for strollers.  

https://windsorpeak.com/vbulletin/forumdisplay.php?f=13 

cast920

All car seats on the market are safe. They are tested in a pass fail system so there is no way of knowing which is safer. Some have features that make them easier to use or have nicer fabrics. I highly recommend getting an infant seat with a front adjust harness. Most of the infant seats have front adjust now but there are still a few that are rear adjust.

Baby Bargains is a good resource to start with. There's also a website called Lucy's List which is worth looking at.

Keep in mind that you don't need everything and try to think about your lifestyle when deciding on baby products.

frogkisser

ebp913:

The only part of Baby Bargains that I think stinks is their stroller section.  There's SO much stuff out there and I don't think they really cover a lot of it.  I think you are probably better off doing some other research either here or on Amazon for that.   I also love the message board here for strollers.  

https://windsorpeak.com/vbulletin/forumdisplay.php?f=13 

I agree with this.  The other thing I will say is Baby Bargains seems to be anti-cloth diapering.  There is much better info and more accurate info about cloth diapering than the info they give you.

For most things though, we used Baby Bargains pretty religiously when we registered.  We started with their recommendations and then went to Amazon, Target.com. WalMart.com, etc to read reviews.  We also posted lots of questions on here and went out of our way to see and test as much as we could in purchase before ordering anything. 

siempreyo

Just chiming in that Baby Bargains and Lucie's list were a great help.  I agree that you need to figure out what will fit your family and go in store to see the products, but both helped us know where to start.

 You can sign up for an online subscription for Baby Bargains and/or buy the book (even better check it out from the library).  Up to you which suits your research style better.

 Good luck! 

Happy Scrapper

cbbfish:

I also had some of the same concerns but did a LOT of research. When we decided we were going to register register at Target, I made a list of the things we would need and started looking at product reviews.  I looked at each product, one at a time, and decided which brand/model I wanted. I wrote down each specific item and brought it with me to Target. 

You can register online at some stores but I wanted to be able to touch & see the items in person. 

 This exactly!  As a FTM, I found the process of registering a little overwhelming and didn't love the selection of the Babies R Us or Buy Buy Baby near us.  I decided to register through Amazon exclusively - where you can add on products from other websites, not just only what Amazon carries.  We made a list of what we need, based on other friends'/family registries, lists you can find online, blogs, the bump boards and our personal lifestyle.  I'd work through the list and research things one by one - car seats took me forever, but I think the research helped enable our decision making.  When I'd come up with 3-4 brands based on our research, we'd check them out in stores.  By this process, we weren't completely overwhelmed looking at strollers at Buy Buy Baby, we knew what was rated well and only focused on those few we had previously selected.  The one we thought we loved online, turned out to be not the stroller we selected when we tried it out in the store.  So a combination of online research and in-store demo really helped us!  Good luck!

MeghanJustin

Awesome tips on here everyone, super helpful! Thanks for sharing! I also have used Baby Bargains as my bible. I like that it picks a good, better Best for each product category. I also like that it tells you what you don't need and what you can buy second hand. I went into BRU before registering and asked for their list of what goes on a registry. Using that as a template, I keep a running list of the specific products we want for each product after doing the research. I also figured having their list and knowing what we wanted would shorten the actual in store registry process. I heard an interesting tidbit today at Kids Superstore, they said that few people are actually buying the travel systems and more people are buying the car seat adapter stroller to get the combo they want. The sales rep said people buy the chicco systems, decide they are too bulky, so the go to an umbrella stroller, then decide it doesn't drive as well and end up with something like the BAgile. We were considering Chicco Cortina v Britax BAgile. I like the Britax stroller, but the Chicco key fit 30 seat. So I think we'll skip the system and go with the mix match. Good luck!

MeghanJustin

Awesome tips on here everyone, super helpful! Thanks for sharing! I also have used Baby Bargains as my bible. I like that it picks a good, better Best for each product category. I also like that it tells you what you don't need and what you can buy second hand. I went into BRU before registering and asked for their list of what goes on a registry. Using that as a template, I keep a running list of the specific products we want for each product after doing the research. I also figured having their list and knowing what we wanted would shorten the actual in store registry process. I heard an interesting tidbit today at Kids Superstore, they said that few people are actually buying the travel systems and more people are buying the car seat adapter stroller to get the combo they want. The sales rep said people buy the chicco systems, decide they are too bulky, so the go to an umbrella stroller, then decide it doesn't drive as well and end up with something like the BAgile. We were considering Chicco Cortina v Britax BAgile. I like the Britax stroller, but the Chicco key fit 30 seat. So I think we'll skip the system and go with the mix match. Good luck!

siempreyo

cbbfish:

I decided to register through Amazon exclusively - where you can add on products from other websites, not just only what Amazon carries. 

 Hmm, I registered on Amazon too, but didn't know this - thanks for sharing the tip!