The Registry Thread!

chocolatelemons · October 2018

I thought it would be helpful for first time moms to set up a thread all about registries. Second time moms can share input and answer any questions.

Here are some questions (for those of us who have had registries already) to get started:

1. Where did you register? Any specific reason why?

2. What were your must have items? Think about items you would recommend to other moms.

3. What did you not end up using?

4. Any other tips/ words of advice?

First time moms, feel free to share what you’ve already registered for or ask any questions you have!

bluebell08 · October 2018

Thank you! FTM and I'm so conflicted on where to register. Is it just me or did Target cut down on the baby section? When I went with a friend a few years ago they had so many options now our local one looks empty.

chocolatelemons · October 2018

1. Where did you register? Any specific reason why? Amazon because they have everything and Target because it’s a brick and mortar store @bluebell08 Target definitely wouldn’t have covered all of my wishlist items so I’d choose somewhere else.

2. What were your must have items? Think about items you would recommend to other moms. Swaddle sacks, car seat, stroller, diaper bag, monitor, bouncy chair/swing, boppy pillow

3. What did you not end up using? I didn’t register for clothes, but I got a ton and didn’t use half of them. I also got so many blankets so I would hold off on those items.

4. Any other tips/ words of advice? Don’t register for clothes! People will give them anyway.

dtspmama · October 2018

1. Where did you register? Any specific reason why? Target because my MIL likes to GO shopping, not shop online (though she does that, too) and babylist.com because I could register for anything from any site. It worked great!

2. What were your must have items? Think about items you would recommend to other moms. Changing stuff (including diapers, this wipes dispenser which is the greatest thing EVER INVENTED, a changing pad and covers, that kind of thing), if you know you'll be formula feeding, then definitely formula, and swaddle sacks. We registered for big things like the stroller and car seat but nobody bought them for us. I registered for cloth diapers to use as burp cloths because they are super absorbent, and wish I had registered for more.

3. What did you not end up using? I agree with @chocolatelemons about blankets and clothes. We live in Florida so blankets were totally unnecessary, and my girls spent most of their first year in plain white onesies or footie jammies, because it made my life so much easier. For the first 2 and 1/2 years of having kids we never used the playpen we received, though we finally whipped it out last weekend so DD2 could nap at my sister-in-law's so maybe now that's finally worth it? And I ended up donating a lot of the super noisy toys we were given. It was just too much.

4. Any other tips/ words of advice? Agree 100% with @chocolatelemons. We have so many outfits for our girls and they just keep coming. Even when I registered for clothes I actually liked, nobody bought those and instead opted to buy whatever they thought would look cute on my kids (which, most of the time, was super ugly and not my style, but beggars can't be choosers).

Shelbyville30 · October 2018

1. Where did you register? Any specific reason why? Babies R' Us and Amazon. Babies because we have one super close to our house so easy to exchange and they had just about everything. Not that they are no more, my runner ups would probably be Buy Buy Baby or Target

2. What were your must have items? Outside of the obvious items you need, sleep sacs were great, and Baby Merlins Magic Sleep suit was a game changer for us also with jack. Huge with transitioning him out of a sleep sac.

-If you're going to be making your own baby food for when baby is ready, we got these awesome silicone baby food freezer trays with a clip on lid (wee sprout). Silicone made it super easy to pop the food out to heat it up quick. We just used nutri-bullet to puree things, nothing fancy.

-Noise machine, or two!

I'm trying hard to think of more, I'm sure there are other things but that's all I got for now. Jack is only just about 3 but seems like forever ago!!!

3. What did you not end up using? YESSS... on too many blankets! We used them but some never got used because we just got too many. Crib Wedge- bought it to slightly elevate Jack but he would just slide down. Pacifier- he never wanted one. Shoes - he just wore socks most of the time until he was really ready to WEAR shoes. I found it to be a pain most of the time unless a special occasion.

4. Any other tips/ words of advice? Echoing.. don't reg for clothes. People will buy them anyways and there are always hand me downs floating around. We got clothes for the first two years of Jacks life from one of my husbands co-workers. I still bought some things, because IT'S FUN! But a large majority of his wardrobe was covered!

Don't sweat it too much, it's not worth it. Different things work for different people. I think it's highly unlikely that everything we receive gets used for that simple fact. Save those receipts and then hopefully you an return if an item isn't needed! Or you can always sell/donate.

GOOD LUCK!

zionsmama85 · October 2018

1. Where did you register? Any specific reason why? I am registered at Target and Amazon...the amazon is mostly me as a wish list. Target bc its my favorite store. I am not really particular. This is my 2nd time around after 9 years, so I am completely open to other peoples whims LOL. I think i will be more laid back this time around, so that has helped me to not want everything. I figure i will just see what happens at the baby shower and go from there.

2. What were your must have items? Think about items you would recommend to other moms. My must have was a Bumbo and i didnt even get it LOL...i had to buy it myself. Other must have was a Boppy, used that until my son was like 3. I know i will be getting a new one, someone recommended me a Boppy Lounger, so will throw that on there. I don't have any must have items...maybe a sling or something for baby wearing because i am sure i will do that a lot more this time around.

3. What did you not end up using? I got the bare minimums, this was 9 years ago...it wasn't so many things out then. I think a big thing then was the Bugaboo stroller HA. so, there wasn't much i got that i didn't use.

4. Any other tips/ words of advice? Like others said, clothes are not the biggest need, diapers and wipes probably are in my opinion. I know that i am a bit picky, so i put a lot of "wants" on my registry and got the needs myself so i could ensure i got what i wanted to get and didnt get let down.

kapowfal · October 2018

1. Where did you register? Any specific reason why?
Target, Babies R Us, and Amazon. Target and Babies R Us because they are/were tangible and easily accessible. Amazon for the "bigger" things. Amazon had the stroller and infant car seat we wanted bundled for about $150-200 less than what it was selling for at Babies R Us. We mainly registered for necessary things allowing for people to steer their own course as far as clothing, etc. went. Most did not know if the child was boy or girl, so it "forced" people to buy more necessary items than "OmG aLl ThE gIrL/bOy ThInGs". That sounds bratty and ungrateful, and I don't mean for it to be. We got tons of clothing gifts after she was born, people just don't have patience, haha.

2. What were your must have items? Think about items you would recommend to other moms.
I loved my Boppy and it's definitely getting packed for the hospital this time. The Rock 'N' Play was the crib for a while after cosleeping. I also loved the Snuggle Me cosleeper. I loved the various items to collect let down in the breast you are not nursing with (Avent has shells, and there's the Haakaa device too). Disposable nursing pads; I wanted to like reusable, but the absorption was awful. My favorite burping cloths/bibs are the aden + anais burpy bib; very absorbent and reversible! OH... Car mirror if you drive frequently! Mine broke recently, and I went a week without one and it was terrible and my DD is 2. It's a million times worse when the child you can't see or hear is a newborn, haha.

3. What did you not end up using?
A lot of the blankets and clothes. Car seat cover (might change with March baby, though). Didn't use carriers or wraps right away. We used a wipe warmer, but that didn't last long. Shoes aren't really necessary IMO until they start standing; we got some tennis shoes for newborns that just perplexed me, haha. We didn't use some of those items that come in the medical kits: calming relief drops, etc.

4. Any other tips/ words of advice?
If you have any input on "baby shower games", have a "Diaper Raffle". For every "x" amount of diapers a guest brings as a gift, they get an entry/entries into a raffle. Every 50, for example, and a guest brings 100, that's 2 entries. I think ours was for every diaper gift, so regardless if it was 20 or 200, it was one entry; our friend brought 3 different boxes, so he got 3 entries, etc. You can tweak it. Anyways, we had 3 winners of the raffle and I think each prize was a gift card of the same amount (so no 1st, 2nd, 3rd, just 3 #1s, haha). We received so many diapers! It was wonderful! I was trading in box after box after box as we grew through the sizes. It really was invaluable. We didn't have to start buying diapers for about 6 months! And we could experiment with different brands.

sejica · October 2018

1. Where did you register? Any specific reason why? Encorebabyregistry - so I could ask for hand-me-downs and intangibles like 1 hr increments of baby holding nap times, and I used it to link to my other registries: buy buy baby (for my more traditional brick and mortar stuff), target (for some baby stuff, but also some 'other' stuff), Amazon (dual language children's books like goodnight moon in eng&German/French/spanish, random stuff like chucks, and for 'the box')

2. What were your must have items? Think about items you would recommend to other moms. We joked that so long as we had a safe car seat installed, everything else was optional, so my registries are fairly minimal after my tinkering. That said, the kimono style shirts with long sleeves and mitten cuffs were a pretty heavily used optional item.

3. What did you not end up using? So, my sil told me this trick to register for and then immediately mark as received anything we knew we didn't want. So, for instance, we didn't receive a wipe warmer because it looked like we'd already gotten one. Because of this trick, we mostly got all the few minimal things we asked for, and used them all well.

4. Any other tips/ words of advice? if you have an Amazon Prime membership, get the free baby box. Gift cards, especially to your favorite delivery food places are also awesome. Babies needs are so simple, but all encompassing - take every opportunity to make the newborn period easier for you.

mayoduck · October 2018

@sejica ooh, the dual language baby books sound fun! Do you speak those languages?

Also, I love that trick to register for things you DON'T want and Mark them as purchased. We already got some items second hand and I didn't want people to think we just forgot to register for those things so I added those to the registry and marked them as purchased. I never thought about doing that for things we don't want!

mammabearcher · October 2018

I used BabyList for a registry the first time around. I really like it cause you can add items from any store and keep it all in one place. It was easier to just give out one link if people asked. You can also add gift cards.
This time I just have a wish list on Amazon, but it’s more so I can keep track of new things we need.

I can’t remember anything that we didn’t use at all, but I do remember getting the cloth diaper things that I used for everything! Burp cloths, wiping noses, etc etc. I always had one handy.
Also, you can register for bottles and pacifiers but keep in mind you might need to try a few brands to see what works for your baby.

sejica · October 2018

@mayoduck I can handle myself well in German, and can read some Chinese characters, but French and Spanish are more miss than hit, but this has been a good way to practice all of them, both touching up on my German, and learning spanish/French vocab. My favorite French/English book is bonsoir lune/goodnight moon. My German ones are a little bit more complicated - der kleine prinz and Winnie der pooh. All my Spanish and chinese ones are vocab only (baby's first body board book).

(Edited 2x because autocorrect had trouble with the German)

smf2018 · October 2018

1. Where did you register? Any specific reason why?
Hi! FTM so I (like everyone else probably) was feeling pretty overwhelmed. I asked my SIL (who had her first baby this year in February) her recommendations and she recommended registries that have completion discounts and 1 that was online (Amazon) and 1 or 2 that are physical stores. I chose Amazon (especially since I have Prime), Buy Buy Baby, and Pottery Barn Kids. I chose Pottery Barn Kids only for a few things because my crib is from there so I wanted things that coordinated. And they have the cutest elephant white noise machine that matched our plans for the nursery that I couldn't really find anywhere else

2. What were your must have items? Think about items you would recommend to other moms.
Higher priced items like strollers, car seats/baby carrier, baby monitor, activity gym/mat and things like that. It was helpful to go through my SIL's (as well as one of my cousin's) registry and just copy things they had. I also had her go through my registry and see if there were things I really didn't need and things she would recommend to add. She recommended a few zipper or magnetic outfits for late-night changes!

3. What did you not end up using?
We will see!

4. Any other tips/ words of advice?
Take your time, ask advice of friends and family, and I liked using the checklists on the registries as a guideline. I felt like a lot of the stuff on there though was probably overkill...

ashley14598 · October 2018

I thought it would be helpful for first time moms to set up a thread all about registries. Second time moms can share input and answer any questions.

Here are some questions (for those of us who have had registries already) to get started:

1. Where did you register? Any specific reason why?
Target and babies R us last time ... mainly because we aren’t big on amazon in our house. This time we have at buy buy baby only because we got the free gift (we haven’t/probably won’t tell anyone that we did).

2. What were your must have items? Think about items you would recommend to other moms.
We used the cloth diapers as burp cloths, the infant bath tub, RnP, bottles (avent worked for us and I was a breastfeeding mom for the first year he only took a bottle when I was at work), the boon? grass (still use but we have no dishwasher), swaddling blankets (we just used receiving blankets early on and velcro after), diaper cream, travel system and car mirror, diaper bag, wet/dry bag, changing pad, sit me up (we got it after DS was born), multiple changing pad covers & the munchkin liners, and the piano kick play mat. We also use a mat to protect our car seats for under the car seat.

3. What did you not end up using?
Newborn mittens, as others have said we got way too many blankets, we got too many clothes in sizes 3-6 months and 6-9 months, formula dispenser, sterilizer (just boil them instead), DS wasn’t a big fan of the swing/bouncer combo we picked out, the moby wrap, and the crib blanket set.

4. Any other tips/ words of advice?
Talk to friends/family about what they used, adapt all the “checklists” to your personal needs/lifestyle, remember that dozens of moms do this without all the frills/extras (but dozens of moms do it with them and that’s okay too), definitely buy/make sure you have newborn size clothes we didn’t have enough, and have fun!!! Also we found that clothes labeled “0-3” are not the same as newborn and are a lot of times the same size as “3 months”.

First time moms, feel free to share what you’ve already registered for or ask any questions you have!

chocolatelemons · December 2018

@kandos here’s the registry thread

mamakate1616 · December 2018

Anyone have both a boppy nursing pillow and boppy newborn lounger?

kristimh80 · December 2018

@mamakate1616 I just got the poppy newborn lounger at my shower. Planning on getting the poppy nursing pillow as well just got extra support for feedings.

chocolatelemons · December 2018

@mamakate1616 I have both mostly because we were gifted them. We used both but it’s more of a convenience. I used the boppy for BFing and the lounger for (supervised) naps or when I needed to put him down for a minute.

mamakate1616 · December 2018

Thanks for the input! I was gifted a new boppy nursing pillow for Christmas and saw some ads for the lounger. It looks nice but I can’t tell if it is worth it to have both or if the nursing pillow is sufficient to lay baby in, especially since I’ve read putting a blanket over it basically makes it a lounger.

ashley14598 · December 2018

Sorry if this doesn’t belong here... Just curious last time we didn’t have nearly enough newborn clothes and this time I’m afraid I’m going overboard to compensate. DS1 was 6 lb 12 oz 21 in long and was in NB about 6 weeks and was a huge spitter (we were changing him at least 2-3 times a day). Any idea how many NB size clothes you are looking at getting? Thanks for any input!

lucysmom2016 · December 2018

@mamakate1616 My lactation consultant advised against the boppy nursing pillow, just because they don't make sense for everyone (not everyone can comfortably sit and nurse using a boppy pillow). However, several new mom friends have raved about the lounger, specifically my friend who is a single mom. Said it's a great "parking spot" for baby, and one that is super easy to move from place to place around the house at that.

mamakate1616 · December 2018

That’s kind of what I was thinking, @lucysmom2016, much easier to move a pillow than a bouncy seat!
I loved the boppy with my DD. It may have been a big boob/longish torso/tiny baby issue but I did have to use a second pillow underneath the boppy set up until she got a little bigger, and without that I agree it would not have been very comfy.

maggiemadeit · December 2018

The boppy was not a great fit for me. I am tall with a long torso and I needed several other pillows to make it work, and my giant baby was always sort of rolling in toward my belly (and c-section incision - ouch!). I am going to try the my breast friend pillow this time around.

@ashley14598 That’s a tricky one. I had the opposite problem where my daughter was born too big for newborn sizes, so we couldn’t use those clothes or diapers at all. Because I am not buying anything in newborn sizes this time, I am just sure that I will have a little peanut with no diapers or clothes that fit! It’s just so hard to know!

zionsmama85 · December 2018

@ashley14598 I am not getting many newborn clothes. With my first, I had quite a bunch and then he was born at 8 lb 8 oz and couldn't fit anything, so this time i am erring on the side of caution and focusing mostly on 0-3 month clothes. if i see anything i cant pass up thats just ADORABLE or a really good price i may get it, but just keep the tags on just in case LOL.

kristimh80 · December 2018

@maggiemadeit Thanks for bringing up good points! I'm not tall, but have a long torso, so going to looking that breast friend pillow you mentioned.

chocolatelemons · December 2018

@ashley14598 We didn’t have enough NB clothing when our son was born because I assumed he would wear 0-3. At 7 lb 6 oz, he didn’t fit into 0–3 and we ended up buying more after he was born. I went though his stuff today- we have 7 pjs sleeper things, a handful of onesies and about 10 pairs of pants. I don’t plan on buying more. If I end up needing more, I’ll likely just order some on amazon after she’s born or send DH out.

kandos · December 2018

I am a FTM and bit confused about the car seat and stroller option. I don't want it to be super expensive, just want to have one that comes with reasonable price. Appreciate if someone can share amazon or other d links to the item so I can click and buy as there are so many versions of same brand that it still confuses me. Thanks.

mihaelams1 · December 2018

@kandos you don't necessarily have to get a full travel system. Most strollers have car-seat adapters (sold separately). The best infant car seats are considered Graco Click-Connect and Chicco KeyFit (we had the Graco for DS1 and it's still good). So just find any stroller you like and get the appropriate connector for the car seat - then you should be good.

lovesclimbing · December 2018

1. Where did you register? Any specific reason why?

Amazon. It was fine. I did mainly because they had so much stuff. In hindsight, I'd do babylist or something like that. I know a lot of people who aren't big fans of Amazon, and I don't want anyone to feel like they have to shop there.

2. What were your must have items? Think about items you would recommend to other moms.

I only registered for what I thought of as must haves, but most of the stuff, we didn't get.

Some of it we ended up buying ourselves, and some we just did without.

-Carseat, obviously you need it,

-A soft structured baby carrier and a wrap of some sort. Didn't get the ergo or wrap I registered for. Ended up buying an Infantino. Would like to ultimately upgrade to a Lillebaby or Beco. Don't love the woven wrap I made. I'm planning to convert it to a ring sling and make a DIY baby k'tan as someone, I think @meggyme, talked about.
-High chair that buckles to an existing seat. Use it all the time, love it. One that's just plastic, no cushioning to crack over time, easy to wipe clean.
-Nursing cover, the kind with a strap around the neck and boning. Didn't get it, made my own. Love it better than the one I registered for (it's bigger.)
-Changing table/dresser combo. Didn't get it. Did without. Totally would have used it, though, and would still like to have something similar.
-Cloth diapers and three sizes of wet bags. Didn't get most of it. Bought the diapers myself and two sizes of wet bags and use them. Did without the largest size and just use garbage bags, but I still want the largest size.
-Swaddle blankets. Didn't get. Haven't missed them. I received plenty of blankets. And my baby wasn't much of a swaddler anyway.
-Drying rack (for the diapers). Didn't get. Bought it myself. I Use it a lot. It saves money (power for the dryer) to air dry the diapers part way before finishing in the dryer.
-Bobby. Didn't get it. Didn't really miss it either.
-A baby seat with toys hanging over it. Didn't get. I mostly did without, but used a second hand one toward the end that I was given. I think it will be really nice to have for this baby! By the time I had it, my daughter was pretty much too old for it. She'd grab the toy rack and try to haul herself to sitting up/out of it.
-Diaper bag. Didn't get. Ended up using an existing tote I have. It'd be nice to have a few more pockets, but it works fine.
-Jogger stroller. Didn't get. Did without. Bought a cheap umbrella stroller when we needed one for an event. I still would like one though, so I can get out and exercise during the day.

3. What did you not end up using?

We didn't not use anything that we registered for and received. Does that make sense? Sorry for the double negative. But we were gifted things we didn't use.
-Pacifiers. (I'm opposed to them.)
-Baby Tylenol (She didn't have many fevers, and I prefer bringing them down naturally via cool cloths and baths, cool foods and rest rather than medication unless they are at dangerously high levels).

4. Any other tips/ words of advice?

mihaelams1 · December 2018

Last time around we didn't register anywhere because we have no friends or family nearby to throw a shower. Apart from the glider we bought most of the big ticket items used to save money. Now I'm smarter and created registries everywhere I could get a goodie bag or completion discount from. They are not shared with anyone since we don't expect presents again, but I'll use the discount to stock up on the little things like baby proofing (we moved in between) or bottle nipples, bibs, straw cups, breastfeeding accessories etc.

Speaking of, does anyone know if the Buy Buy Baby completion discount can be combined with the other coupons? Because that would be amazing. It would be even better than Target, where you get 15% off + 5% from the Red Card (so around 19% because it's not additive).

ur_mom222 · December 2018

@mamakate1616 i have both and loved them for my daughter! I didn’t even breastfeed because she was too premature but the normal boppy helped me in feeding her a bottle and holding her too. I also absolutely loved the newborn lounger. I was gifted it in hot pink which I’m having a boy now so I need to buy a cover. I would recommend getting a neutral one if you wanna have more babes.

novelblessings · January 2019

@ashley14598 I believe we received about equal amounts of clothing in sizes newborn to 6 months last time. DD1 ended up being preemie sized at full term, so we didn’t have any diapers that fit or smaller clothes. We just went out and bought more once we were home and I believe our mom’s purchased some for us before we brought her home. She didn’t fit into 0-3 until she was 4 months.
I am just assuming a similar situation this time but will hold off on preemie diapers until we know we need them. So I did purchase a few extra newborn sleepers. I am also bringing a preemie sleeper (that we already had from DD1) and newborn sleeper to the hospital just in case.

babya422 · January 2019

Not sure if this goes here, but did anyone register for things like diapers, wipes, laundry detergent, shampoo, etc? Are these things that go on a registry? And either way, do you have any good recommendations for brands? Are store brands just as good as the name brand? I’ve heard good things about the Target diapers.

kristimh80 · January 2019

@jesiannv I registered for diapers and did for a few different brands. Just not knowing if they would fit baby well, figured it was best to have a few different one's on hand and also different sizes depends on how how little / big baby ends up being. I feel like brands from all the moms I know are preference and what works best for them. Planning on getting more natural / water wipes at first just since won't know how if baby is sensitive. My SIL did give me a tip that can use Tide free and gentle if didn't want to spend the extra $$ on Dreft.

catlady2015 · January 2019

@jesiannv - FTM so no recommendations on brands, but I totally put diapers and wipes, as well as baby shampoo/wash on the registry. Even if no one gets them, use the registry completion discount to get some at a lower price!

Kenneylynn3 · January 2019

@jesiannv I'm planning on cding so I put cloth diapers as well as baby wash/lotion on my registry

mihaelams1 · January 2019

@jesiannv totally put them on the registry to get the discount! As for the exact brands, it highly depends on the baby. DS1 hated Pampers Swaddlers and cried after every pee. Someone from a mom support group gave me a Kirkland brand diaper from Costco to try and it made such a difference! And then we traveled to Europe and my MIL got us Pampers Baby Dry to use while at their place. At first we were convinced he'll cry again like with the Swaddlers, but they worked really well. So eventually we settled on using the Costco diapers during the day and Pampers Baby Dry for the night for better absorption. Long story short - keep experimenting until you find a brand (or brands) that work best for your baby.

ashley14598 · January 2019

@jesiannv ditto what @mihaelams1 said! DS is very sensitive with his skin. He has eczema and can end up with pretty bad diaper rash if he doesn’t have diaper cream with every single change. He’s also allergic to luvs diapers and his skin does best with aveeno lotion. I would register for multiple different brands of baby wash, lotions, diaper rash cream, diapers, etc. you never know what baby needs will be.

3rdtime_charmed · January 2019

@mihaelams1 I don’t think you can combine buybuybaby discounts... but the completion discount doesn’t have exclusions like the normal coupons

zionsmama85 · January 2019

@jesiannv i lived by Target brand diapers with my DS. It was the best brand as far as comfort and price as well for us. I am starting off with them this time around too. I also have diapers, wipes, detergent, lotion, all of that on our registry. I also found that the Shea Moisture Raw Shea baby lotion was really good for my son (and my) skin and they still make it so i will try that out as well. Like others have said, its always good to try different brands because every baby is individual so i wont be surprised if different things work out. Her dad has very sensitive skin so i am anticipating that thats a possibility for her as well.

babya422 · January 2019

Thanks all! I guess I’ll get a few different things and not stock up just yet until I know what LO prefers.

lovesclimbing · January 2019

So, a very much future item, does anyone have recommendations for travel/out-and-about potty trainers? We're training D right now. We have a seat that goes on our toilet at home. I really like it, but it's too big and bulky to be taken in a purse or diaper bag into the store, and it's annoying to take over to people's houses on visits and such. D does not like sitting on a toilet with me holding her up. I'm sure she must feel like she's falling in. I've been googling and seen some foldable options, but a lot have negative reviews that they're not sturdy or they pinch where they fold or whatever. Anyone have a solution they like?

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