It's so funny how different expectations are around registries, etc. Over the weekend, my mom was telling me that my cousin finally told her what she would like for her upcoming bridal shower (she has no registry). Apparently, her decor is Americana and she is in need of towel sets.
My mom proceeded to tell me that I'm the only one in my family who has ever done a registry and made it sound like it was crass to do so... But, I need to keep in mind that my family also thought it was weird that I required RSVP's to my wedding.
Big difference just in the two hours drive from me in the city and my family in the country!
Edited because I finally found the edit button and had to try it
It is crazy the differences. My family was actually hounding me earlier this month for NOT having one up yet. My family lives for registries lol.
It is a must in mine/DH's families too.....his MIL said hopefully we will learn the gender soon b/c she wants to take me around to register asap. All the showers in my family have had registries because people want to buy stuff the parents to be need/want vs just random stuff. Don't get me wrong, there is still alot of cutesy clothes and bibs and stuff like that, but for the core presents they like to choose from what the parents register for. And there are hand me downs too that bounce around. We all just try and look out for eachother and help out however we can
If I got an invite with that wording, I probably wouldn't go. It makes it sound like you have everything you need and don't really need a baby shower. People are buying you a gift out of love and kindness. Whether you have a registry or not, you'll get duplicates and clothes. I had a registry, and my mom put it in the bottom " if you feel inclined to buy a gift, AJ is registered at .." everyone did get a gift, we didn't find out the gender and got maybe 15 onesies. The rest was baby essentials. Most of my family bought from Target. If you have a registry, you can exchange even if you don't have the gift receipt.
I'm a fan of registries and rarely deter from them, unless it's something a little extra (like off of Etsy for a close friend who I really know the style of).
@scifichick09 my immediate family is, too. My mom was on me to register by 9-10 weeks. That was off putting, to say the least, even though she means well.
The twins will be # 3&4 for me, and my sister, mom, SIL, and a close friend have banded together to throw a big shower. On one hand, I'm so grateful because well, twins. And because these are my first girls. On the other, I'd be totally ok with just having a holy-shit-you're-having-2 party where I got to see everyone and eat delicious food and do ANYTHING but traditional shower games. There's a good chance I'll be in bed rest towards the end, anyway, and having people visit and hang out with me at that point would be awesome. No presents.
Sorry, all that came out of nowhere.
You know what would be awesome? If I could skip a registry and people just brought freezer meals. How do you word THAT note?
@HeatSparks babyli.st (which lets you add items from any store) actually has a "Help and Favors" option to add to their registry! I originally put freezer meals on there, but then took them off because I was worried that requesting only vegetarian meals and listing my allergies would seem rude.
@Amber_Waves thanks for sharing babyli.st! That is super helpful. I'll likely have 2 showers at opposite ends of the state and they have totally different places where they can shop. This is a great resource!
@Xstatic3333 Oh - I think I missed that we'd veered into "book instead of card" territory. While I'm going to read a book more times than a card, "book instead of card" isn't something I'd be comfortable asking for.
I'd just been thinking that the best books we received the first time around were ones we never would have thought of putting on a registry. This probably speaks to my curation abilities more than anything else, though!
Re: registry question -- avoiding 100 novelty onesies
It is crazy the differences. My family was actually hounding me earlier this month for NOT having one up yet. My family lives for registries lol.
ME: 25, DH: 27
TTC #1 since 09/2015
Miscarriage @ 10 wks 02/28/2016
BFP 05/28/2016!
I love registries!
Other then that I just did a lot of return/exchanges after my shower. I didn't buy clothes until my daughter hit 18 month size!
@scifichick09 my immediate family is, too.
My mom was on me to register by 9-10 weeks. That was off putting, to say the least, even though she means well.
The twins will be # 3&4 for me, and my sister, mom, SIL, and a close friend have banded together to throw a big shower. On one hand, I'm so grateful because well, twins. And because these are my first girls. On the other, I'd be totally ok with just having a holy-shit-you're-having-2 party where I got to see everyone and eat delicious food and do ANYTHING but traditional shower games. There's a good chance I'll be in bed rest towards the end, anyway, and having people visit and hang out with me at that point would be awesome. No presents.
Sorry, all that came out of nowhere.
You know what would be awesome? If I could skip a registry and people just brought freezer meals. How do you word THAT note?
@Heatsparks
"Yes, our kids are doubling,
and that can seem pretty troubling,
but we have baby supplies miles into the sky,
so instead maybe just come by and say hi!
Having two new ones will be quite the feat,
so we would love you to bring the family something to eat!"
I'd just been thinking that the best books we received the first time around were ones we never would have thought of putting on a registry. This probably speaks to my curation abilities more than anything else, though!
Big Bro 7/14/13
Little Bro 2/6/17