Shopping for baby items?!

illinigal · June 2011

I know it's a little early, but yes, I'm a planner. I know in Indy-land there are: Babies R Us, Buy Buy Baby, Target. I wasn't impressed with the selection at my local Target. I've also looked at bedding at Pottery Barn Kids in the Keystone Fashion Mall and PBK online, and there are several patterns I absolutely love! However, I'm also wondering if anyone bought fabric and made their own nursery curtains, crib bed skirt, etc. I'm not much of a seamstress, but anyone know of any tailors that they've used for nursery decor? I also started my 1st registry on Amazon (currently private).

Where did you register and/or shop for your baby items? Where did you get your gear (cribs, strollers), bedding, clothes, etc.? Any local speciality stores I should check out? Any other websites have good ideas or good deals? Thanks!

thethomps · June 2011

I registered at BRU, BBB and Target. I also got some clothes and toys at Once Upon a Child. Do they have those up here? They're consignment stores. I can't sew to save my life, so I am definitely no help there. I would say we got the bulk of our stuff at Babies R Us. I literally took the Baby Bargains book with me into the store and we created our registry from that. We registered for books, DVDs and toys at Target (better prices). There were a couple of baby gear items that we got from BBB that they didn't have at BRU. I can't remember what they were anymore. I think our Babycook? (Which we didn't use, so don't register for that!)

Zulily had cribs for $149 yesterday and they're still available today. Here is a referral link if you are not a member yet: https://www.zulily.com/invite/aknueppel539 I like that site and Babysteals for great prices on baby gear and clothing. I also like Mom's Milk Boutique (online - they're located in IL) for our cloth diapering needs, but they also have great nursing bras and maternity tanks.

SusieDMB · June 2011

I definitely recommend baby bargains. We got our crib from decor 4 kids in Noblesville--highly recommend. I would not register for toys, dvds, etc except for maybe a few little ones. Save that stuff for Christmas and birthdays and closer to when you'll actually use them. You'll end up having to buy the basics yourself if you get too many things like that on there.

We did target & babies r us. Buy buy baby is on the south side, and all of our friends/family are north siders. Hopefully the Keystone one will be open late fall.

My biggest advice would be to get as much as you can at consignment sales/garage sales. You don't have to go through putting it together, you save a ton of money, and it's environmentally friendly. Most of the stuff looks brand new. I got 3 like new pack n plays for less than what one would have cost new.

My other advice would be to not get a travel system. I love the chicco keyfit car seat, but I sold the stroller. I have a BOB now, and use a snap & go when she was little. I also have a cheapie umbrella stroller for quick jaunts or crowded stores that I got for $1 at a garage sale and it's really nice.

SweetTea*83 · June 2011

I bought a copy of the newest edition of Baby Bargains when I was around 10 or 11 weeks and started reading up on all the different products and what you need/don't need. I love this book. They discuss where to buy your items, how to get the best deals, etc. I think it's really practical and so far I've followed their recommendations on most things. Take that with a grain of salt, since 1.) I don't have a baby yet and 2.) the only two things I actually have for the baby are a BOB and an old Graco swing.

I registered at BRU, Target, and myregistry.com. I only have a few things on the myregistry.com list, but I like it because you can put things from any store in one place and don't need a separate registry for it. I have a few things on there from Pottery Barn Kids and my cloth diapers, and I will be putting the carrier I want from Amazon on there too.

And then there's Craigslist. There are things I don't want to buy on CL, like a crib and car seat (safety reasons), but there are other things like a Bumbo seat and hiking carrier that I'll go to CL for.

As for custom crib bedding, I've known a few people who've custom ordered their crib bedding online. I'm considering trying to make a crib skirt (we're not doing a bedding set), but I may just stick with plain white and instead recover rocker cushions in fun fabric. We'll see. Here's a site for having custom bedding made, and I'm sure there are tons more: https://www.polkatotdesigns.com/

You can probably find a local seamstress who will do it more reasonably though. My friend's mom is a seamstress in Avon - let me know if you decide to really do this and I'll get her contact info for you.

Let the fun begin!

thethomps · July 2011

Ditto garage sales! I would buy a swing or bouncy seat at a garage sale because not all kiddos like them and that way you don't end up spending tons of money for something that your kiddo can't stand. We just got a Sit N Stand Baby Trend stroller at a garage sale last weekend for $10. Um, hooray!

We actually bought a Snugride 32 (black & green so we can use it again, even if #2 is a boy) w/base and then this stroller. I love it. The seat snapped into the stroller, which made it super easy for getting around when she was younger. And the stroller itself is pretty lightweight and collapses with one hand. It's also not HUGE like those strollers where you drop the car seats in and I never had problems maneuvering it in stores or crowded areas. The car seat and the stroller don't match color-wise, but that doesn't bother me. They have other combos if you really want to match.

ETA: Also, the only thing that we have used from DD's crib bedding set is the sheet (so far). We'll put the skirt on once we convert to a toddler bed and we didn't use the bumpers or the quilt for safety reasons. All you really need is a couple of sheets and the crib skirt. Also, I would HIGHLY rec getting a few of these sheets. They snap on over the crib sheet and are so much easier to change in the middle of the night when there's a poopsplosion or peeing out the dipe or massive spit up.

danieq01 · July 2011

My mom and I are making curtains and a crib skirt. My mom knows how to sew but I've had quite a few friends just use fabric tape (it's washable and affordable). Jo-Ann's always has coupons for 40 or 50% a cut of fabric so you can actually do this for pretty cheap.

Check out this blog https://www.younghouselove.com/how-to/#babybusiness
They have explicit directions on how to make a no sew crib skirt under the baby business projects. It's a really cool blog with tons of ideas for DIY projects.

Good Luck!

illinigal · July 2011

Thanks everyone! I have had several people mention Baby Bargains, so I'll get a copy of that book. Also, I'm not planning on buying a crib blanket and I was undecided on the bumper, so I'll probably just go with sheets, bedskirt and curtains... I may talk to my mom and see if she could sew them since I'm not sure I could tackle it alone.

Shopping for baby items?!

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