The good, bad, & ugly about registering

[HGraceMom]

My sister is having a baby, and just getting into "registry" mode... I've sent a copy of BB her way, but would like some words of wisdom to add.

Things like:
Where would you register if you could do it all over again?
- BRU, Target, etc... online sites?
Where would you NEVER register if you could do it all over again?
Who has the best/worst return policies?
What would you register for?
What products would you steer clear from?
Other advice?

Our family is pretty central to one metro area, her DH's is all over the country. My thought has always been "register for more than you need so people don't choose tackkkky stuff for you..."

[almostamom]

We registered at BRU and it was fine, but I recommend checking your registry regularly (they added someone else's registry to mine at one point - it was an easy fix, but I'm glad I saw it - really didn't need 2 of everything!) Their return policy has been great for us. Even 6 months later I came across some sheets for the bassinet and PNP and lots of blankets that we never used. I didn't have receipts and they took everything back and issued a store credit.

Things I'm glad I registered for:
-Symphony in Motion mobile by Tiny Love
-Aquarium swing by Fisher Price
-High chair with an easily washable seat cover
-Diaper Champ
-Kick and Play bouncy seat (I think that's what it was called)
-Butterfly gym
-jogging stroller

We picked a variety of things on the advice of my best friend. Ex. I loved the aquarium bouncy seat but since we already knew we wanted the aquarium swing we got a different one.

Things I wished we hadn't registered for:
-Baby Bjorn carrier (we used it exactly 2 times!)
-blankets (we received so many extra - like 20 blankets total)

Advice: think beyond the immediate - register for things like baby gates, convertible car seat, high chair - you might not use them right away, but you'll need them soon enough. We didn't register for any clothes but received more than this child could ever wear (I can't tell you how many things were packed away with tags still on -we thought he would be a large baby and he wasn't even 7 lbs)

I found that the "big ticket" items went very quickly (PNP, high chair, swing, stroller, etc.) and the smaller things were not purchased (bibs, binkies, washcloths, etc.)

Best of luck to your sister and congrats on your upcoming niece or nephew!

HTH,
~Linda~
DS 11/04

[Momof3Labs]

My frustration was that you couldn't easily find one place to register that had the really good stuff. BRU and Target have some okay stuff, but not everything that someone might want. But BRU's return policy tends to be better than Target's, though that is changing.

Is her family okay with an online registry, or do you need a brick & mortar, too? I know that there are registry sites that let you register for things from all different places; that might help with the selection dilemma.

[kensjen]

I agree with Linda on everything, she said it all well! Especially the part about not registering for things like blankets, you get a ton. This was also the case with baby shampoo/lotion/powder/etc, burp cloths, bath towels and wash cloths, bibs, disp diapers and wipes...I received a ton of these things without even registering for them

Just wanted to mention, I would NOT register at Target. They have terrible return policies, even for things purchased from your registry. And their stock changes so often, it is really hard to register there. I wouldn't go through the hassle.

BRU was great...in fact, we recently had to exchange something that was on our registry (2 years ago!) and they were helpful, and no questions asked. I know they have changed some of their policies in the last year, but they really seem to be more lenient when things are from your registry.

It seems like most people use a registry for showers, but not for general "congrats on the baby" gifts. Meaning, at my showers, most of the items I received were from the registry, but after DS was born we received a bunch of random gifts that were chosen by the giver....LOTS of clothes, blankets, personalized items, etc. I didn't mind, it was fun to receive anything really, but I didn't find that the registry was used too much. Most of my friends/family had the same experience. It wasn't like our wedding, where all of the gifts were from the registry. So, I wouldn't stress over it, and spend too much time on it.

If there are things that she really wants/needs, put them on the registry first, without too many other things. You can always add more on later (even online at most stores) after some of the most needed items are purchased.

And definitely register for some babyproofing items. I didn't but a good friend thought ahead for me and bought a bunch of that stuff...and it was great to already have it. HTH!

[HGraceMom]

Online store rec's would be GREAT - her dh's family sent tons of online purchases for their wedding 2 years ago. I just feel "out of the loop" recommending one site over another since so much has changed in almost 4.5 years!

Especially since they have family everywhere, a site to combine registries from all over would be helpful.

She found many things at BRU that I know are still the great products (Marathon, Madela, etc.) but we all know they don't carry the best strollers, for sure, and that their prices aren't always the most competitive...

[pittsburghgirl]

We registered at BRU and it worked out well for us; people used it both online and at the store. I agree with PP's, not worth it to register for little stuff because people won't buy it. We also got nothing from the registry (there was still stuff on it) after DS was born... then we got mostly clothes, hand-knitted blankets, books, piggy banks and the like.

Products we registered for, received and used a lot:

Bouncy seat
Pack N Play
Boppy pillow
Diaper Dekor
Symphony in Motion mobile
Gymini

High chair - we didn't register for one, decided to wait and ended up borrowing one which saved us a lot of $ and space.

Stroller - I wanted a Zooper which wasn't available at BRU so the grandparents ended up buying it for us. In retrospect, I might have gotten the snap and go and shopped for the regular stroller later, but we have been happy with our choice.

Car seat: I don't know that I would have registered for the Marathon if I had registered for a convertible, but my DS grew out of his snug ride so early we are glad we ended up with it. If you think someone is willing to spend that kind of $ why not?

Bjorn - registered for and received, we used it a lot before I knew that there were other awesome babywearing options (thanks BBB) and I wouldn't use it again, too expensive for the amount of use we got out of it.

Marilee
mommy to James
http://lilypie.com/baby2/040120/1/1/1/-5/.png

[DebbieJ]

I'd also recommend staying away from Target. BRU is a solid choice. Although they may not be as competitive or have the selection for the higher end items (car seats and strollers come to mind) they at least have most of the basic stuff available and affordable.

~ deb
DS born at home 12/03
Breastfed for 20 months and 6 days

http://www.bfar.org/members/fora/style_avatars/Ribbons/18months-bfar.jpg

[bunnisa]

I don't know the URLs, but I know there are a couple online sites that compile registries from multiple sites. If people are big on ordering online for her, I would think that would be the way to go.

Otherwise, I second BRU. I had a miserable experience with Target returns. BRU was great about returns, and I used the store credit for well over a year for miscellaneous items (diapers, a pack & play, sippy cups, etc). BRU also has a much better selection than Target.

Bethany
mom to one and one on the way!
http://lilypie.com/days/060226/0/8/1/-6/.png
"And children are always a good thing, devoutly to be wished for and fiercely to be fought for."
-J. Torres

[crayonblue]

Target was a stess inducing disaster for us! I love Target but their return policies are ridiculous. "No, we cannot take back that package of Circo onesies that you received two of because you don't have the receipt. No, we cannot even give you store credit." UGH!

I think that the best place to register is Buy Buy Baby but their stores are limited (although they do have online registry.). We registered at both Target and Buy Buy Baby and were 100% pleased with Buy Buy Baby. They have super customer service. And, they have just about everything one could possibly need/want.

[saschalicks]

We did BRU and were very happy. I've heard about nightmares with Target. Our problem now with #2 is that I need little things here and there so I wound up just compiling a list of things we need and websites they can be found. I know that above PP said there are sites that compile registries, if I had known earlier I might have done that.

Our biggest mistakes:
not registering for a bouncy
not registering for safety items we needed later (i.e. gates)
not registering for basic newborn T's


We did not add a stroller b/c my bro bought us one off of e-bay (which was a big savings). We picked out our furniture on sale at a local store so we didn't register for that. We got so much clothing I'm so glad we never registered for clothing (except above).

I agree with the above PP about the necessities.

[new_mommy25]

We did BRU and Babycenter.com. Babycenter has some really nice things that BRU doesn't carry and they often have free shipping or % off codes floating around. It's a good choice for relatives that are all over the country. I found that BRU was good for local folks but they often had expensive online shipping.

[cmdunn1972]

Many in my DH's family live in a small town that's 1.5 hours drive from the nearest Target. Therefore, my beef with Target's online registry is that guests couldn't purchase online anything that was available in their brink-and-mortar store. That's fine if you live within reasonable driving distance of a Target, but not everybody does.

I also registered at BRU, but most people who came to the baby shower ignored the registry and bought whatever they wanted. (Without including a receipt! GRRRRRR x( )

In the appendix of the BBB, you'll notice a sample registry. In that, they include comments such as, "Don't bother buying this" or "Buy several of these." I found it very helpful.