Best baby registries

manditchka24 · August 2020

Hey Everyone! Please share your prior or current experiences with baby registries! Where have you (in this or a prior pregnancy) or will you register and why? What did you like/dislike about different registries?

I like the idea of somewhere that is a universal registry like babylist, so I can add from any store and include non material items (like Doula expenses), but I know there are people who are more comfortable shopping in store. If you make a Babylist and add an item from Target, can the person purchase in person at Target? Or should I just make two: one at Babylist and one at Target? ( I will not have an in person shower, due to COVID, but may try to figure out some kind of virtual idea, and I know people will want to send gifts even if there is no shower).

I'd love to hear your registry plans!

moguippy · August 2020

Alright I’ll start. This is kiddo #2 for us and it’s another boy so we won’t be doing a shower or sprinkle.

Last time we did an Amazon registry and a buy buy baby registry. That allowed people to shop online if they wanted or to go to a store if they wanted. (Read: young people vs old people lol). Most places give you a completion discount of 10-15%. Basically that means near your due date and right after you can get 10-15% off the remaining items on your registry. Usually you need to do it in 1 shopping order. My SIL did a babylist type registry and it wasn’t my favorite, but that’s just personal preference. You can also add non amazon items to an Amazon registry. We also did a Target registry just for ourselves to get a few items that were only at Target, but didn’t tell anyone about it bc 3 registries is too much lol. Most registries also give you an extended return period and you don’t need a receipt to return if it’s on your registry.

animommy · August 2020

So far (I'm undecided if I'm gonna change registries as I look into other options) I'm registered with Babylist & Buybuybaby, BUT I have added items from other places (like IKEA because they have some good deals). I greatly prefer doing an in store registry but figured in the interest of COVID, I would have a compromise/online option. I personally despise Amazon & am trying to steer clear of Target but may add some stuff from there to the list (just a personal preference-I really can't stand the massive corporate chains & the homogenization they create, but then I found out Buybuybaby is one, so, ces't la vie). The reason I point this out is because I am unsure how much others will actually stick to the registry vs. just shop there anyway, but the bonuses are pretty nice to have a couple different registries, in addition to the percent off to buy remaining items. I didn't know it had to be in one go tho!

I'm debating on using Babylist as one registry we will give to certain friends/family (because there are some (potentially) sex specific items on there & we aren't announcing the sex; and using Buybuybaby for say friends/family we want to be more discreet with-but give both to those privy to Babylist).

birdiejo · August 2020

I’m using Babylist because people aren’t buying stuff for me and I want a lot of things from different places so I just want it all together in one place.

If you add items from Target, the person can click it and it takes you directly to Target to order and it’ll mark as purchased or they can go to target and buy it and just mark that they purchased it for you.

I’d do two if you want, that way if you want stuff not at Target you can have all of those things available for people to get for you!

babymamadimo · August 2020

This is my second so we won’t be doing any registries, but I used Amazon and Target for my first. They both have really good registry goodies so those alone are worth making a registry for even if you don’t share them with anyone. The young crowd seemed to love amazon and the older people went to target or just gave us cash. Babylist is super easy to use and I love that you can support small Etsy businesses with it, but the older non technical people seem to get frustrated so I would always recommend 2 registries so people have the option to shop in person.

hannahbananas11 · August 2020

This is my second and won't be doing a shower or anything, but for my first, I used an Amazon registry and a Target registry and would totally recommend it.

Amazon:

-Lots of people have Prime, so they like the free shipping for that.

People who don't online shop a lot(older people especially) trust and recognize Amazon more than most other websites.

-I also liked that as a gift-giver, on Amazon you can mark an item as purchased without having to actually purchase it from Amazon. For my best friend, I found a book at a local bookstore that was on her list and bought it there, then marked it as purchased on her registry. She could still see that I had purchased it, but I was able to buy it elsewhere. Most other registries don't allow that.

-Amazon has a great completion discount. I actually made a private registry for this baby on Amazon just so that I can use the completion discount. Added a shit ton of diapers, lots of nipple cream, etc.

-You can also add things from other websites that aren't listed on Amazon, like Solly wraps or Etsy things.
-CON: there are ethical issues with Amazon...but it's kinda like Facebook. It is definitely not a good organization, but we're all addicted to it.

Target:
-great for people who don't like to shop online (like old people who are nervous about online shopping)

-great for people who procrastinate to buy a gift until the day of the shower so they can't buy online and get it in time.
-CON: inventory is limited depending on the store, and is constantly changing.

Babylist:

-They've got a nice selection of high-end baby items.
-CON: they've got high-end baby items mainly, so the completion discount that they offer won't get you as far with the basic things like wipes and diapers.
-CON: it's hard to figure out. I had a friend who registered with Babylist, and I had to go to that, then click through to the item listed on the website, buy it through that specific site, then redirect back to Babylist to complete it. Way more steps than other registries. Probably prohibitive for people who aren't confident with online shopping.

tamalahoops · August 2020

This is my first so I don't have a lot of input on the use of a registry from this end. Right now we have a registry set up on Amazon and I like it. We use Amazon for almost everything in our house and I use wishlists for holidays and shopping lists so it seemed natural to have our registry there. I also have a very small one at Target because like everyone has said, some people prefer to shop online.

BUT! I will express my dislike for babylist as someone who has been to 10 billion showers in the last 3 years. I just am not a fan when on the purchasing end.

brittany1111 · August 2020

I agree with everything @hannahbananas11 said. I registered at Amazon and Target with first baby, and have started a small one for this baby to get the completion discount. I also liked Amazon’s gift they send, it gave a few different types of bottles. (Which is how I found the ones DD liked- tommee tippee).

hannahbananas11 · August 2020

@brittany1111 Yes, the Amazon box was really nice! I got box from Babylist and Target, too (Target's was a little baggie with a booklet of coupons), and Amazon's was definitely the best. Target's coupon book had some really good coupons, though! I mainly remember the one that was for a free Starbucks drink. Priorities.

animommy · August 2020

@hannahbananas11 dang you make some really decent points. The vast majority of people I know don't use Amazon so def don't have prime but I like how their registry is simple. That's the one thing I don't like about babylist is I'm worried it's gonna be too complicated for alot of my family. Is there anywhere else anyone knows of *like* babylist that's a bit more simplified? Most of my family is the opposite of tech savvy also blah.

earlgrey_honey · August 2020

I have discovered Babylist and I love it. I add things from all over the internet. Mostly it is for keeping track of my plannes purchases. It helps keep me busy without overthinking the whole "totallg having a baby" thing too much.

manditchka24 · August 2020

Thank you all for sharing your experiences! You all bring up lots of things I hadn’t thought of!

Do you know if you can add non material items to an amazon registry? I actually prefer to do some shopping/registering in person but the closest BuyBuy Baby is almost an hour away. Target doesn’t have that much of a selection. Not sure where else to go look.

animommy · August 2020

@manditchka24 this is part of what I'm facing too & agreed Target is limited which surprised me. The the other place I forgot to mention was BedBath&Beyond. Do you have one of those near you? They I believe are owned by the same company as BuyBuyBaby & I think you can link the registries. Perhaps people will be willing to travel for a gift? (ours is an hour as well but I figure people live for baby shower shopping haha!) But BedBath&Beyond had some pretty practical stuff as always.

I know many like Pottery Barn also if there's one near you they're just very pricey & a specific style it seems.

Want a personalized experience?

Best baby registries

Re: Best baby registries

Choose Another Board

Search Boards