Let’s talk baby registries
Happy 27 Weeks to us!
We have officially entered the last week of the second trimester! Man is time FLYING by. Anyone else felt that way during their pregnancy? I figured it wouldn’t be bad because we’re quarantined and not really going out, but it seems the longer we’re home the more we have to do, and the list seems ENDLESS.
Anyway, you’re not here to read about me freaking out with this clock that has now started to tick a little louder. You’re here for today’s topic: BABY REGISTRIES! For many, this is a dreadful topic. For others, this is the highlight of their journey. I’m sort of in-between. It’s like pressing ‘Add to Cart’ on 200 things but you’re not committed to purchasing them just yet? But then most of them you actually think you need so you have to get them anyway? Oy!
While on my mission to compile the perfect list of first baby needs and wants, I was given a lot of amazing advice and so I thought I’d share.
Solicited Baby Registry Advice
Now our registry which you can view here has a ton of everything. I mostly wanted to add a lot of different price points. I know with Covid times are tough for many, and so I wanted to add some things that we could totally get ourselves, but someone may love to gift us instead. That’s one of the points that were made by my online community:
Have various price points on your registry. It allows everyone who wants to participate to be able to participate in the act of gift-giving. & honestly, as someone who’s purchased from three registries this week, who doesn’t love showering a new baby with lots of goodies?
Another piece of advice I loved is the following:
For gifts that are a little higher in price, choose a registry option that allows group gifting. We’re using Baby List. This is not sponsored by them or anything. They were honestly just the BEST to work with. You can literally add a Baby List button to your browser and add items from ANY website. So we have a lot of Zara, Amazon, random stores, etc.
Group gifting allows for gifts to be funded by several people. Now, my piece of advice for that would be to only add group gifting to products that you’re okay with paying the difference for. If you just want to add a $1,000 stroller to see what happens, and you only get $400 of it funded, but you have no desire to pay the $600 difference, that’s not really a good move.
Baby List lets also lets you add Helps & Favors which is another great thing to have on there. You have options like Home-Cooked Meals, Dog Walking, Preloved Baby clothes, and a few other gems. Great for those who want to help and are local to you. It’s also a really cute way of asking for help if that’s something you have trouble doing.
* If you aren’t using Baby List, you can use Meal Train. Meal Train lets friends and family choose slots on a calendar where they commit to buying or making you a meal. VERY VERY helpful.
On to my next tip!
Don’t feel bad adding stuff for parents.
I’ve got some postpartum care, nipple cream, and belly oil. You’d be surprised how many people want to take care of you as well. This is after all a collaborative effort between your body, your partner, and this baby.
Speaking of your body…
Everyone plans for the birth they want. For instance, I want a natural vaginal birth. Can I guarantee that will happen? No. I could very well need a c-section. With that being said, I would recommend you don’t add a ton of products for either scenario. Add a few items that will get you through the first couple of days of recovery, that way what you actually need, you can later decide on and get yourself. Or even better, chat with a mom who prepped for both and has some extra products she’d like taken off of her hands. My girlfriend Michelle had products for both options and so she’s been kind enough to pass along some things she didn’t have use for. If I happen to not have any use for them, I can also pay it forward.
Okay, on to the next! My favorite (as you can tell from our registry)…
CLOTHES!
The only thing I really got consistently from most moms was not to add too many newborn items. They grow rather quickly and you also may have the world’s largest baby. JK. But I do have this one girlfriend whose baby was basically 10 lbs at birth and skipped the entire newborn clothing phase. It can happen [shoulder shrug].
Mittens, socks, onesies, hats & swaddles were among the items I was really encouraged to add to our registry. Because some of the newborn stuff I’ll be getting gifted from brands, I added mostly clothing from 3 months+. I’m telling you.. Time FLIES! But, you could also have a little petite bebe and so it’s nice to have at least a few NB (newborn) sized things on hand. I probably added entirely too many clothing options to this, but maybe she’ll be like her mom and like clothes. Realistically she won’t care, but it’s nice to have options at any age.
Next up we have some CONSISTENT nursery MUST-HAVES.
These were ALL suggested to me by dozens of people. So we have a nursery noise machine, a portable noise machine, humidifier, diaper pail, wipe warmer, and night light. I personally decided to pass on the wipe warmer and the diaper pail. Our garbage gets emptied quite frequently, so we’re just going to opt for diaper disposal bags (we actually have a ton from our dog so we’ll start with those) and take it from there. I passed on the wipe warmer because I read a ton of reviews that mentioned it often dries out your wipes. No thanks. Those things aren’t free!
Some of the things I really wanted for our nursery were lots of books, blankets, a great mattress, plush toys, and sheets. Oh, and a lovie! I think those things are so cute, but here’s a tip I learned as a nanny. If you’re getting your baby a lovie and you’re committed to having them grow with it, BUY A BACKUP. Nothing worse than a lost lovie or blanket. I also know that even having a lovie is a personal preference as some parents don’t like the idea of object attachment, but I’ve found that it’s great and something we want to have. Little comforts, you know? Okay, almost wrapping up, I promise. Let’s move on to health and safety!
A rectal thermometer, no touch thermometer, everything Frida baby, SPF and more.
These are all items I was told you should have stocked your nursery. Rectal thermometers are recommended for newborns as they’re said to have a more accurate temp read. I’m not a pediatrician, so if you’re feeling uneasy about that last sentence, you can check with yours. No touch thermometer’s are great because you can use them as your child grows.
Frida Baby is a very popular brand that everyone loves. They have great postpartum care products and also great baby care products. The snot-sucker and acu-dose pacifier were among the most recommended. Remember the blue balloons used to get snot out? Can we say traumatic? Just kidding, I’m sure it’s fine. But of course no one wants to hear their baby wailing. OH! An electric nail file is apparently a must. Makes it easier on you and the baby when trimming their nails. Those things grow FAST.
Lastly, Luxuries!
Now I’ll label this is luxuries because I’m very self-aware and I know I’m boujee. As I mentioned earlier, for those items that cost a little more or you may be a little uneasy about adding when it comes to price, there is group gifting. And then there’s just adding those items because those are the ones you want and feel comfortable with. I would recommend that before adding high-priced items like my FR Nuna Car Seat and convertible Stokke High Chair, do your research. There were a ton of luxury items that I thought were the way to go because of the brand name and price, but upon further research, we found that they’re just overhyped and poorly rated.
Bonus Tip!
One of the things that I did was look at brands on Instagram. I’d check out their tagged photos and look for non-sponsored posts. Then I’d message those people and let them know I was interested in the item and wanted to know if they didn’t mind sharing their experience with me. I got a ton of “It was a gift but I wouldn’t spend my own money on it.” I also got many “I’m so glad someone bought this for me because I would have never splurged and it’s been a life saver.”
I know people are always cautious with influencer reviews and Amazon reviews. Rightfully so, because not everyone will be honest and some of those reviews are paid. So if you’re really wanting something but afraid to take the leap, reaching out to real people is a great way to connect and receive some insight on the products you have in mind.
Well, I think that’s all. Ultimately, DO YOU. It’s your registry and your baby. You know what you want and you’ve done the research. They’ll be things on there you don’t need and things you forgot about. That’s okay. We’re all figuring this out together.
For the people who just skipped to the end to view our registry, here it is.
Our Babylist Registry
Feel free to compare, send me a note with something I missed, or if you have a review for any of the products I added that you feel I should note, let your girl know! I’m not an expert. Hell, I’m not even done cooking this one yet. But I am surrounded by an incredible community of people who have shared so much, and so I hope this was a way to pay it forward.
