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Multiples
Baby shower gifts
I'm realizing that the amount of gear we are going to need for twins is going to be a lot. I have no problem purchasing things whenever I find a good deal (ex, thinking about getting the Baby Jogger for $299), but DH and my sister say to wait until the shower because people will want to buy us lots of gifts. True, we have generous families, but they're not made of money nor do I expect them to provide for our twins. Neither of us have very big families either. My sister said she got a lot of items, but she only had one baby, not two.
Did you find that you purchased a lot of things on your own? The list for things needed is never ending it seems like and I don't know why it hurts to buy things on our own well before the shower if I find a good deal. WDYT?
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Re: Baby shower gifts
I had the last of my two showers a week ago, and while I'd say I did get a lot of stuff, a lot of stuff I didn't register for. We had been saving to get the "big ticket" items off of our registry (Our City Select when it was on sale, for example) because one of our registries gives you 10% back of what you spend, so we anticipated buying the big stuff like strollers, high chairs, cribs, car seats, etc. And we are definitely having to buy those our selves. What we don't have to buy are blankets, burp cloths, hooded towels, 0-3 clothes, and stuff like wipes and first aid supplies.
So, I think it's safe to buy bigger things for yourself as you are ready to purchase them and either leave them off or mark them as bought on the registry. But smaller things and clothes will definitely be bought if you are having showers.
I'd wait. Unless it's some AMAZING deal that you would lose sleep over, wait. There are always deals. You're only 10 weeks pregnant- gifts started rolling in for me well before the shower. Honestly, I found that when people find out you are having twins they are more generous than normal. I did not "expect" anyone to purchase things for us, but they did and were happy to.
The only things we purchased on our own prior to my showers were our cribs and changing table. After the shower we had to fill in some gaps (mattresses, changing pad, etc.) but hardly anything. Plus I had a lot of returns from my shower so it really evened out. As the girls got older we purchased a SBS and convertible car seats for gear. But really - we're pretty set! I didn't even HAVE to buy clothes until 9 months- that's how much I got!
This is why I'd wait- all my "big ticket items" on my registry (with the exception of the convertible car seats) were purchased for me. You just never know!
Yeah, maybe that particular item I'll wait on, especially since we wouldn't actually be using it until maybe a year from now. (we'll probably go with the snap n' go until then)
Another question - did guests know the gender(s) before the shower? And if so, did they tend to buy a lot of gender specific clothes and such?
We got swings and bouncy seats at our shower, but that was the biggest gear we got. We bought our own strollers (DSNG) and ended up returning some stuff (got 3 swings, stupid BRU didn't take them off the registry when they were bought, and the same with the bouncy seats) to get our car seats. Stuff like bottles, monitors, crib bedding, etc., we bought it all ourselves.
I got mostly clothes at my shower, which was fine with me. I have a lot of adorable matching items that are really nice and will be handed down to them for their children.
We both have large families, but I never in a million years expect them to get me my entire registry! OMG I am so grateful for them. DH and I had been wanting a family for so long so we has already been planning (saving) accordingly. I never got any large items prior to shower, but didn't have to. We also got a ton of money and GC which we used for the furniture (most of it), swing, and double bumbleride stroller I really wanted!
If you get a great deal on the stroller (or any big ticket item) I say go for it.... and keep it on the registry. If you get the item duplicate at shower, then you can return for store credit. My boys are 5.5mo old and i'm still using BBB credit!
"If we couldn't laugh we would all go insane" -- Jimmy Buffett
I think its fine to buy before the shower, are you registering for items? Obviously you wouldn't be registering for items you bought but the chances of receiving duplicates are always high, in which case you can just return the item you already have.
We had my shower at 28 weeks so everyone knew we were having two girls and yes, they bought gender specific clothing/blankets, etc. Like PP's mentioned you will get a lot of stuff you didn't register for, i know we did.
For the most part, we received most of the items we registered for so I'd hold off. The other thing I wish I knew more about when I was pregnant was buying used baby gear/consignment sales. Babies use things for such a short period of time and the gear is so expensive, you can save a ton buying used things. I wouldn't do used carseats or cribs, but I would most anything else.
***Twin fraternal girls born at 35w6d in 12/2008***