The idea of creating a registry is fun and exciting. Who doesn’t love putting together a big list of all things you want people to buy you? Now that my baby shower date has been nailed down and invitations have been ordered, I am feeling the pressure to figure out this baby registry of mine. But I’m feeling a bit like Guiliana Rancic in the episode of Guilana & Bill when they’re trying to register at the fancy baby store and the woman trying to help them is clearly frightened for the future of their unborn child.
“Organic clothing? What makes it organic, can you eat it?” “It’s a kimono? Is that for karate class?” “Feeding system? We need a system?” “Swaddler?”
Okay, so I’m not that out of touch, and really I found it rather reassuring that they were closer to being parents and less prepared in the “knowing about baby stuff” department than I am. It just seems that there is a gadget and high tech invention for every baby need and unless you’ve seen them used in person, how is any first time parent to know what caring for baby will actually require? And with so many options for where to register it seems like the decisions are endless.
I appreciate that registering online is easy, I will say that. Since I am out in the country and my friends and family are spread all over the world, it makes sense for me to register someplace fairly universal. I’ve started one at Amazon.com and so far I’ve gotten a few of the basics on the list. Because we are not finding out the gender until delivery, I’ll obviously be keeping it neutral, which limits my selections quite a bit. My nursery isn’t terribly theme-y, but that’s how I like it. I’ve got a beautiful blue and green color scheme going on which will be perfect for a little girl or boy. My mom is sewing the bedding and curtains for us so I won’t need to register for that. We’ve already bought the baby furniture so I won’t need that either. I will need just about everything else though. But I’m kind of lost as to what everything else includes.
The kind folks at Amazon have put together a registry jump-start for confused newbies like me, which I appreciate. It divides common products into categories and makes suggestions for registry essentials. It’s the actual selection of specific products that’s got me. Aside from reading customer reviews and looking at pictures to determine cuteness, they’re all the same to me. So help a mama out.
- What is the best place to register for baby?
- What do I absolutely need?
- What is commonly purchased but rarely used?
- What is the one thing you can’t have enough of?
- What is your favorite baby product you can’t imagine life without?
- What advice would you give to any first time mom building a baby registry?
, including the 
for $25.
is available on Amazon and directly from 
. American engineering at its finest! Undoubtedly designed by the same guys that sent us to the moon in 1969, these use a variety of features to keep poop and pee inside/ away from you. Totally stopping blowouts is impossible, but these reduce them at least 90%. We tried lots of other types of diapers which were shower gifts –they all bow down to Pampers Swaddlers.
. I have run hundreds of miles with this stroller and I love it. When we bought it, I thought there was no way it could ever be worth the price. It is and baby loves riding in it. Not only is it great for running, we’ve used it at the mall, on walks, at Disneyland, and even the beach.
. We have 3 strollers and just leave this one in the trunk of the car all the time. It’s a good compromise–small enough to take with you and carry, but large enough to have some features like a fully reclining seat. If I were going to only own one stroller, it would be this one.
. Baby throws this toy on the ground almost daily while we’re running. It’s so easy to wash and give right back to him. It’s also small, easy to take along, and he never seems tired of it.
. I don’t really think Britax seats are probably any safer than the competition, but other people seem to think you really care about your kid if you buy a Britax. Strangely, I care what other parents think when it comes to my parenting abilities. Baby loves it, it’s a nice seat, and doesn’t cost much more than the competition. We had a carrier/ base type car seat, but only used it a few months so I wouldn’t waste much cash on one of those.
. I don’t totally understand how this thing works, but never once has there been any smell from the pile of dirty diapers. The heat coming out the top when you open the lid is frightening, but stopping the smell entirely makes this product great.
. Just for the peace of mind of paranoid parents, this is worth the extra cost over a regular monitor.
. Diaper bags aren’t made for dads, but dads are required to carry them anyway. Using a backpack instead sounds good, but that idea is never going to fly. We have 3 diaper bags; the Go Gaga bag is soooo much less feminine than the Coach or Petunia Pickle Bottom bags that I also have to sometimes carry and it actually has some good features as well.
