PG and looking for advice from the pros!

tinaraye · January 2011

Hi! I thought it would be a great idea to ask you ladies for some expert advice on creating a baby registry! I am 40 years old, PG with my first baby, and I have no idea where to begin with registering. I really don't want to end up with a bunch a useless baby wares! I appreciate any insight you might give me in creating my first registry. Thanks!

fauxshelley · January 2011

Congrats on your pregnancy! I would suggest you start with the baby bargains book. It's sort of like a consumer reports of baby items. There are several things that made my life a lot easier. I'll try to list a few off the top of my head.

Baby K'tan (I had 2, worth every penny and then some)

Baby crack machine

FP Seahorse (He still loves this thing)

Miracle blanket (Or some other type of swaddling blanket)

Happiest baby on the block DVD

BrideBuddies · January 2011

Ditto on the FP Seahorse

Basic Cotton diapers for wiping up snot, food, spitup--pretty much everything

Multi-purpose water resistant pads for diaper changing

Don't go crazy buying clothes, onsies, etc. You may end up with a huge baby and won't be able to use Newborn stuff very long.

kimisuejoia · January 2011

I second the Baby Bargains book. It was awesome! When I first registered I did it based on what would fit in with the decor or our house. After I got the book I took a look at my registry and had to completely start over because I had pretty much registered across the board for the worst rated items! I have a talent I guess!

Trying to remember what we used all the time when he was first born.... L *loves* his baby crack machine. We used his swaddling blankets maybe twice- lightweight linen or flannel plain blankets worked great for us. Books. Diapers. Bumbo. Boppy. A bouncer. A swing. Lots of sleeper pjs. A diaper Genie and refills.

We registered at both Babies R Us and Target. BRU was more expensive on pretty much everything, but Target has a horrible return policy. There were a few things that one place had and the other didn't but for the most part they both had the basics...

Good luck and welcome to the board!

Puckchick07 · January 2011

I also say go for the seahorse. DD loved/loves this thing.

https://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3813331 or any kind of white noise item

bouncer - a big help in those early days when you want to cook something, but still have baby close by

Receiving blankets. I liked the ones that were a type of thermal underwear material. They were easy to swaddle baby in. I did receive a couple of swaddle wraps, but found them cumbersome.

https://www.amazon.com/Primo-340W-PRIMO-EuroBath-Pearl/dp/B000056OV0 - Great tub for baby/toddler

Pesky · January 2011

ditto on the baby bargains book. As for some other items:

* ditto on the cloth diapers for spit up, etc. Invaluable.
* lingerie/sweater bags for the wash -- you can throw in all your small items like socks and mitts in there so they are all together and nothing gets sucked outside the drum
* think about some basics everyone forgets to add to the registry because it's good to get them and you'll want your 10% completion coupon to go towards it anyway. Stuff like infant tylenol (or generic version), teething tablets, gripe water, gas drops, aquaphor, triple butt paste (that stuff works AWESOME for even the worst diaper rashes and sensitive skin. DS broke out with Boudreaux's but great on triple butt paste), lotion (don't give in to the baby craze there -- cetaphil works great and for all skin types), mustela foam shampoo (helps for cradle cap -- you'll find it at BRU), some baby soap like California baby (get the big pump one - you'll use it), lanisoh breast cream/lanolin if BFing (it's more emollient than the stuff they give you at the hospital and apparently not a revolting taste -- DD wouldn't latch if the stuff from the hospital was on the nipple), breast pads, nursing bras, lotion for you, hand sanitizer, laundry detergent (some regular brand free & clear will do the trick; dreft and the like have perfumes), diapers in various sizes (you may want a few on hand even if CDing for emergencies).
* I don't think you need both a jumperoo and an exersaucer. I got the big FP jumperoo and it took up a lot of room and was hard to move around. I ended up getting an exersaucer off CL that will fold down which makes it really convenient to haul around the house and other places.
* you don't need a fancy PNP. I got a fancy non-Graco one and we couldn't get it to lock when we traveled. I ended up going back and getting a basic $50 Graco one and that's what we have used all.the.time.
* spend time looking at strollers to figure out what you want. Likely you'll be having another one in need of a stroller if going for more than 1 kid so think of that before plunking down huge $$$ on a one-baby only stroller.
* if registering some place like Target, remember the 10% off applies to everything. Heck, for DS's private registry (we didn't make it public), we threw on a bunch of beer for DH and toys for DD. And don't forget you'll need bowls, snack traps, sippies (Nuby are greater starter ones), long spoons and other gear for feeding as the baby gets older.
* register in stages. You don't have to do everything at once. It'll help to keep it from getting overwhelming.

ETA: and bouncy seat, preferably a vibrating one. The vibrating feature can help with gas. Don't go crazy on bottles or pacis as you don't know what your LO will like. I ended up using regular receiving blankets for swaddling DD but for DS I needed the miracle blanket so depends on your kid. Sleep sacks are great for the transition from swaddling. Also if you live somewhere cold at all, flannel or polar fleece or the soft furry crib sheets. Breathable mesh bumper. Okay, that's all I can add for now.

livvielo · January 2011

Congratulations!!

I agree with everyone on Baby Bargains--it's really helpful. A few things from my experience:

*agree that you should wait to choose a big stroller. Start with a snap n go if you can, until you figure out what your needs are. Saves you from buying a stroller that, once you have a baby and are using it every day, you end up hating.

*Register for a few newborn snap-front shirts with the sleeves that flip over their hands. We realized we had none of these when we came home from the hospital.

*You don't need tons of little receiving blankets. I have, like, 8324 that I registered for because I thought they were cute, and we really didn't use them much. Most of them aren't square, so they quickly become unusable for swaddling.

*The Swaddle Me saved my life. My husband could swaddle with a regular blanket, but I could never get the hang of it.

*Dr. Browns bottles are a huge pain in the butt to wash. HUGE. I literally tried every bottle out there, and finally settled on the Playtex VentAire. It's totally personal preference, but you'll be washing lots of bottles, so consider that.

*Make sure you mark that gift cards are welcome on your registry. I found them to be really helpful for stuff we had no idea we'd want/need.

*Get a sound machine that doesn't turn off after a certain amount of time (I think the Sleep Sheep turns off).

*Don't kill yourself registering for/reading a zillion parenting/sleep books. I was searching for a "method" in the first couple months, but was stressing myself out. In the end Solve Your Child's Sleep Problems was the most helpful book for us, later on down the line.

*One thing I didn't register for but got at my shower was a seemingly inconsequential baby brush--but we use it daily to brush DD's hair, so it ended up being an essential!

YaraC · January 2011

The one thing we could not have lived without during the first 6 months was our My Lil Lamb swing. There were so many days when it was the only place DD would sleep. It was a godsend for the times when I needed my hands free for at least a little while (my baby hated being worn).

fiazo · January 2011

I was adding to my registry all the time, even up to a week before my shower. It's wonderful you can do this from home.

Start with your big items that you'll use all the time..crib, changing table, rocker, humidifier (cool mist), monitor (we love our Angelcare Motion Detector monitor, gives more peace of mind), highchair, bouncy (have to have this! Allows you to take a shower with the baby in the bathroom, cook, whatever), playpen, stroller, (with these 4, it's always nice to buy the same pattern BUT you really need to look at the Baby Bargains book. I found that I liked a particular pattern & the bouncy/swing was not rated well, it is ok to have mix matched things. It's not like your stroller will be parked next to your highchair.

Not sure why I was in such a rush to have DD's bedding. We chose a nuetral color since we didn't know what we were having. Then she slept in a cradle in our room for 4 months anyway, so we had plenty of time to decide & she could have had something girlie.

Babies R Us has a return policy of 90 days I believe. We registered for an extra car seat base ($75) & never used it. I tried to return it like 5 months later & they didn't want to take it back. Doesn't matter if you have receipt, unopened or from registry they do't want to take it back. Somehow DH was able to persuade them when he took it back. So If you are not sure about something, wait until like a week before your due date to put on registry. At this point you'll probably have had your shower, but at least it's on the list for your completion coupon.

You'll get clothes wether you register for them or not. In my opinion, it's a pain to try to find clothes off a registry. Don't register for too many recieving blankets, you'll get them anyway.

If you'll be nursing & buying a pump, you might want to do this yourself AND buy the Buyers Protection Plan. It was like $15 extra & it covers your pump for 15 months. Otherwise if anything breaks or you just don't like it, you will not be able to return it. I had a pump I hated & was lucky I didn't get stuck with a $179 peice of crap.

stever · January 2011

The things I found most invaluable during the 1st year were:

A Boppy

Lots and lots of burp cloths

Swaddling blankets

Sophie

Primo Eurobath

Jumperoo

And that's all I can think of right now.

tinaraye · January 2011

Well, one thing is for certain - you are a wealth of information! Thanks so, so much for all of the suggestions! I'm going to print out all of the comments and use them to create my registry! Thank you

KirstieC · January 2011

First off... YAY!!! Congratulations!!!

Here's my "Couldn't live without" list...

SwaddleMe swaddlers (at least 5), lots of kimono tops (long and short sleeved), Aiden & Anais blankets, video baby monitor, Pack & Play, Sleep Sheep or some kind of white noise machine, Boppy (personally I like the Boppy better than My Brest Friend), 2 Boppy covers, burp clothes, Diaper bag with a good size changing pad, Halo sleep sacks for when they grow out of the swaddlers, baby hooded towels and wash cloths, baby bathtub, Baby Bjorn or some kind of baby carrier, car seat w/ snap & go, diapers, Diaper Genie, Triple Paste, Gripe Water, Mylecon, baby hygiene kit, a playmat and a fun mobile.

If you are BFing and plan to pump then you'll also need a pump (I have a Medela and it's great), bottle system (we like Dr. Brown's), bottle sterilizer, bottle warmer.

One other thing that I got which I thought I would never use but I use everyday is this lambskin from New Zealand. I use it every night for bathtime. SO soft!!! I'm not sure where she got it, but here is a link to a picture of it:

https://www.giftsnz.com/baby_care.htm (sorry not clicky)

I'm sure I'm forgetting something, but those seem to be the necessities.

Cheers!

Piranha54 · January 2011

Congrats! I agree with the pp that suggest doing the registry bit by bit. Also if you have a good friend who's got kids, buy her lunch and ask her to escort you to BRU and help. I did this and can't imagine walking into BRU and facing the wall of bottles, binkies etc. without her - and this was after I'd read a lot of the baby bargains book!

I heartily agree with the baby bargains book - very helpful and so far always right.

*loved the swaddleme's and halo sleep sack with swaddle. Had a miracle blanket but I am not bright enough to have figured it out and always felt like I was going to just roll her away. The aden and anais blankets are also great and are still a huge fave - get them off amazon (use amazon as a registry - great, plus there's amazon mom and subscribe and save - cheap diapers sent to your door with free shipping)

*I hated the boppy for breast feeding but loved the my brest friend - yes worst product name, but in the early days of breast feeding it is handsfree and very comfy

*Happiest baby on the block book and dvd are great. But, consider getting it or any parenting book, from the library before buying - that way if you find the book's philosophy doesn't work for you, you aren't stuck with it. I wanted to be a "No Cry Sleep Solution" mom, but it wasn't for us and I'm glad it's not sitting on my shelf mocking me.

*Lots of people have suggested the vibrating bouncer seats - DD HATED this but loved her swing. Be prepared for your LO to do this with things too

*Foam hand sanitizer

*We got the Chicco PNP with the "spider legs" and had an instant playmat - two birds one stone

*the lamaze firefly, moose, etc are great - DD still loves them

*Find a good children's resale shop to take things to when your LO has outgrown them.

itsmexine · January 2011

Congratulations!!!

Some of the things I found most useful have been:

Aden & Anais swaddle blankets - they are really big and we still use them for all sort of things.

Lots of water proof pads - they come in handy when blowouts happen

Video monitor - DH and I agree this has been well worth every penny.

Infant tub

infant seat (my little lamb)

We used a pack and play for a bassinet but the weight limit was only 15lbs. If you plan to use a PNP for a bassinet you may want to consider a co sleeper which goes up to 25 lbs I think.

busybea · January 2011

Hi and welcome!

Ditto what everyone else said about the book and CD's. I actually registered everywhere! Like that, not only did I get a few free samples (bottles, diapers, formula, bibs) but also tons of coupons for all these stores. Also, put your due date a full month before your real due date, like that you'll get your completion coupons before you deliver, hopefully....because trust me, you'll want to go nowhere those first few weeks after delivering. Don't forget to also register at all the formula websites (Similac, Goodstart, Enfamil), depending on whether you BF or FF, at least you know you'll have those coupons if and when needed!

Check out Craig's List for the larger stuff. I found a Dual Snap'n'Go for the twins for only $35.00 (retails for $100 brand new)...and the Snap'n'go is truly THE best thing to have those first 6 months. Afterwards, you'll have plenty of time to decide what you want for a stroller (check CL for that too).

other stuff that I/my LO's could not/cannot live without:

-Wipes warmer

-FP Little Lamb swing (purchased at Target on sale AND with completion coupon)... saved over $50.00 !!

-My little seahorse

-Sophie

-Breathable crib bumpers

-Table chair (foldable and travel worthy)

Check out your local Consignment stores, they have great deals on stuff like diaper bags, outerwear, umbrella strollers (for later). Also, see websites like www.mamabargains.com, www.babysteals.com, www.kidsteals.com and www.babycheapskate.com for bargain shopping!

Good luck and have fun! )

NewMrs07 · January 2011

I agree about the Baby Bargains book, it helped me save a lot of money. These are the things that have been super helpful to me:

- Burp cloths, lots of them (I bought a pack of flat cloth diapers and used them as burp cloths). I would forget about the ones with colors or patterns, it's much better if you buy them white so you can bleach them.

- Diapers, duh! But don't buy too many in one size, Adrian outgrew the NB size in less than a month!

- Clothes: buy only a few in each size, they outgrow them super quick in the first 6 months. I would get mostly onesies and footed pjs for a newborn, they don't really need going-out clothes.

- Gas medicine, tylenol, nasal aspirator, anal thermometer, diaper cream, Aquafor or vaseline.

- At least 8 bottles, I like the Dr. Brown ones the best, plus bottle brush.

- Rocker glider chair, I still use mine and I love it

- Changing table, I swear it has saved my back and I use it every day, even now that LO is a toddler.

- Diaper bag: don't get a super-expensive one, it takes a beating so it's not worth it. But get a good-quality one b/c you'll be using it every day for a looong time.

- Infant car seat and Snap N Go frame. I didn't get a real stroller until LO was 6 months old and getting too heavy for the SNG.

- Baby tub

- Activity gym

- Breast pump if you're going to breast feed. I recommend the hospital-grade electric double pump. I rented mine from BRU but some of my friends said their health insurance paid for theirs. If you can get the insurance to pay for it, I would go with the Medela pump.

- Miscellaneous baby toys

- Receiving blankets and/or Swaddle Me wraps, Adrian slept really great when he was swaddled.

- Vaporizer

- Sterilizer

- Bottle warmer

I would take everything the hospital gives you. Those pacifiers they have are the best, and the baby hospital hats are ugly but they fit newborns really well and stay put. Also, the nasal aspirators from the hospital are 10 times better than the ones they sell in stores, I still use mine, take as many as they give you, at least 2.

I can't think of anything else right now but some stuff is a waste of money. I didn't get much use out of the boppy and didn't buy a wipe warmer, I just warmed the wipes up in my hand.

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