Help With Registry!!!

[frzgrl2008]

I am going to start out by saying that this is a wonderful "problem" to have.

Several friends (and friends of my moms) are throwing baby showers for me and my first child due in September. And then my office is throwing a shower and a lot of people will come (I work in a large office).

I registered at Babies R Us and Target because of convenience and I found most of the essentials (High chair, carrier, extra base, toddler car seat, stroller, bouncy chair, tub, breast pump, baby monitor, boppy, linens, a few bottles and onesies/pajamas in various sizes).

I know that Target and BRU have less than generous return policies. It's my understanding that it's better if people buy you things on your registry in case you want to return them. My mom has also asked me to add things to the registry considering how many people might buy gifts.

Is there something that I haven't registered for that I need? What other things did you register for and really use? Or am I being totally crazy? I'm pretty minimalist and hate the idea of getting a bunch of stuff I won't use. So it's hard for me to pick out things since I've never been a mom. Any ideas?

Again, it's a wonderful problem to have but I hate the idea that people might buy me a gift that I might not use and can't take back.

[sue_g]

How about a snap-n-go stroller, diapers, swing, jumperoo and/or exersaucer?

[Tammy]

My favorite baby shower gifts were the practical ones. I got tons and tons of diapers and literally filled dd's closet before she was born. And believe me- we had no problem using those up. You could pick different sizes too. And wipes if you're planning on using those too. I noticed you said breast pump so I guess you're planning on bf (duh!)- I used the Lansinoh disposable nursing pads and loved them. I think they were around $8-9/box and maybe 60 or so came in a box. Let's see- some other things I needed were infant Tylenol, baby shampoo/lotion, blankets for swaddling, lots of one piece outfits, soft brush for baby's hair, diaper ointment, little toys for the carrier and bouncy seats, music cd's (Baby Einstein worked for us), and if you want some of the Baby Einstein videos as well. My dd loved her play gym by Baby Einstein as well around 5 or 6 weeks if I remember right- that gave us a few minutes to actually get to sit down and eat supper together. Plenty of washcloths and towels, fingernail clippers, thermometer, little hats to wear to keep their head warm. You could even plan ahead on some of the clothes sizes- everyone likes to buy baby clothes cause they're so cute. Good luck- that's all I can think of for now. I will say that it's come in handy sometimes to have 2 of something- so you can keep one in the diaper bag and one at home (like thermometer, ointment, suction bulb...). Congratulations!!

[SnuggleBuggles]

Could you do an amazon registry in addition to the BRU one? Amazon has a lot of cool products that you just can't find at a typical big box store. (BRU online does seem to have a bit more on their site than in the store at least.) Other options would be Buy, Buy Baby or bed, Bath and Beyond.

Items I can think of:
swaddle blankets (Swaddle Me or Miracle Blanket)
Halo Sleep Sack
nursing pillow (My Brest Friend is a really good one) and slip cover for it
crib toy (we have the FP Rainforest one and ds likes it)
Tiny Love Symphony in Motion mobile
sling (BRU has Peanut Shells and Hotslings which are good basics pouches)
maybe some stuff for when they are older, like things for solid feeding? placemat, mesh feeder, bowls, spoons, sippy cups, straw cups
humidifier
Dipees and Wipees holder
Fold and go changing pad/ diaper holder
Soothies (gel discs that provide relief for sore nipples)
gift certificate
a second boucy seat for another part of the house

If you have access to more than what BRU offers I would look for:
Baby Legs
MotherLove nipple cream (so much better than Lashinoh!!)


I know there are more but hth!
Beth

[cvanbrunt]

I found my cradle swing to be essential and a pack and play with bassinet feature is great as well.

[JBaxter]

moses basket
monitor
bottles
I LOVED my microwave steam sterilzer
Graco Safeseat infant seat ( is on mine)
onsies different sizes
blankets
Arms reach co sleeper ( instead of a pack n play)
diaper pail
socks
sleepers
bibs
diaper bag

in addition to the things the pps listed

[deannanb]

if you register on Amazon - and people buy $750 worth of items - you get 6 months worth of free diapers
(this would be good if you have people who are plan ahead shoppers - or out of town - and know about your amazon register)

From Amazon's site:
"Congratulations on opening your registry with Amazon.com. We are happy to announce a special offer for all of our new and existing registry customers. For a limited time, if you, your friends or your family complete $750 of purchases in your registry we'll give you six months of Seventh Generation diapers."

I would also make sure that you register for toys for ages 6mon and up. I found with DS2 that when he hit 6 months.... I was able to open up the closet and pick and choose toys - it was wonderful.

enjoy the shower!

[pastrygirl]

I wouldn't register for a toddler/convertible car seat now, since most have a 6-year expiration from the date of manufacture. I almost made that mistake, too, until someone gave me this tip. :)

[Bean606]

How about some books? I know Babies R Us carries some of the Dr. Sears books, and maybe some board books for the little one? I am a huge fan of The Portable Pediatrician book, I also registered for and received some music CDs of lullabies that we still use for DS.

Also, if you are ever planning to eat out or at someone's home once DC is a little older, we love our Fisher Price seat - I get grossed out by the condition of the high chairs at restaurants, so we always bring this one along, and also use it when we visit friends and relatives. http://www.fisher-price.com/fp.aspx?e=product&pid=27475&st=2002.

Another essential, IMO is the skip hop Pronto mini diaper changer. http://www.skiphop.com/mm5/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=SH&Category_Code=ACC&Product_Code=202000. Now that DS is a little older and we don't always take the whole diaper bag, this is a great thing to have.

Did you register for extra sheets? We went through a lot of sheets in the middle of the night between spit ups and leaking diapers when DS was really little.

If you live in a place with stairs, might as well register for some safety gates and other child-proofing items - you will need that stuff before you know it, and it is good to have it in the house when you realize you need it IMMEDIATELY as your little one starts to crawl toward the outlet.

Congrats and good luck!