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lisa_marie25
member
Twin Cities Baby Stores?
lisa_marie25
member
Hi!
We just found out we are pregnant and we already want to do some window shopping to try to figure out all the different baby stuff we want to get. Like strollers, cribs, changing tables, high chairs, etc. What are some really great baby stores in the Twin Cities area?
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Re: Twin Cities Baby Stores?
Sears... JCP... Walmart... Once Upon a Child...
The thing to remember is that you aren't going to need NEARLY what the different guides tell you that you should register for or purchase. The items in many of the lists of so-called "best of" are actually paying to advertise their product there. Focus on your lifestyle when you choose items to register for. You also won't need a wipe warmer, a bottle sanitizer (this is why dishwashers were created), bottle warmer (i.e. this is why to mix the bottle the right temp when you need it or a warm cup of water if it's expressed milk), etc...
I used this site when planning our registry. It is run by a mom, so the product recommendations and what she says you need are based on actual experience. I did find myself not using/needing some of the recommended items (for example, many of the breast care kit items), so some of this may vary depending on opinion or personal experience, but overall I thought it was a good guide.
https://www.lucieslist.com/
Blog: Baby Mama's Drama
I love Baby on Grand in Hopkins also one of the most helpful things I can say is don't pick out a stroller until you know what kinda of stroller user you are. Start out with just a simple click n Go were you use your car seat for the seat. that way once the little one out grows their first carseat you will know what kind of stroller would fit your life style. We have had our City Mini since Mr.AARP was very little & we LOVE it so much, he still loves riding in it. Our other stroller is a Maclaren also another great one but we have only had it for a few months before that we had a Jeep umbrella stroller.
I have tested a lot of strollers so free free to ask away on things you wonder about.
Target, Babies R Us and Buy, Buy, Buy have almost everything and we get a ton of stuff there...but to add one to the list, I highly recommend going to Peapods in St. Paul.
They are small and family owned, have a registry system, are the one-stop-shop for all things related to cloth diapering if you plan to do that, and will walk you through everything step by step.
They don't carry strollers/carseats/cribs and some other big ticket items, but they have a nice selection of nursing and bottle supply things, all things organic, toys and teethers...and will walk you through things when the other (huge) stores become very overwhelming.
Most of our gear was, lucky for us, hand me down. My mom sent us the family bassinet, friends gave us a changing table, swing, and bouncy chair. Most of the smaller stuff we needed we got from friends and family as gifts from Babies R Us or Amazon. We did some shopping at BRU, some at Ikea (our crib is from Ikea) and some at Burlington Coat Factory, which has a baby annex with all sorts of items.
Just recently, due to my inadvisable pre-baby purchase of a two door car, we realized that now that we're moving to a convertible car seat, I had to get an Orbit seat as they're the only one that both fit in my car AND swivel to get her in and out. We went to Pacifier and had a GREAT experience there with their customer service. They were super fantastic helpful.
By the way, for maternity and baby clothes, I can't say enough good things about NuLook Consignment.
I think PPs have it covered. I found the book, Baby Bargains to be REALLY helpful when it came to sorting through all the stuff out there. It goes through what is worth spending money on and what really isn't. It is peer reviewed (unlike consumer reports) and is sort of a "good, better, best" scale for all things baby. Highly recommend it.
We ended up registering at Buy Buy Baby and Target. Our registry consultant let us know that since Buy Buy Baby is new to the market, they still don't have a ton of stores but if you have people who want to get you something from there and they live near to a Bed, Bath and Beyond store, they can take your registry there and order an item. Since it is "out of stock" at Bed, Bath, and Beyond, it ships for free.
Because part of my family lives in southern MN I decided not to register at a local store in the cities. We did BRU and Target.
As far as local I would also recommend Peapods. Baby on Grand is good, but I like Peapods better. Buy Buy Baby is great and I wish they had more locations.