Registery 411!

I remember when I got pregnant with my son, the minute I got a positive pregnancy test I was already thinking about the things I would register for! I couldn’t wait to head out to my local baby store and use those fun little guns and scan all the exciting baby things! Well now that I’m two kids down and many baby showers later, I can tell you that registering isn’t all that it’s cracked up to be and in my opinion there are a few essential ins and outs to registering! So here it is in a nut shell:

#1- RESEARCH! The best thing you can do for yourself, your child and your registry is research. Just because an item has the most expensive price tag doesn’t mean it’s necessarily the best item. Make sure you go into your baby stores and play with the floor models. Most stores will give you lists of “must haves” that you should register for! I strongly suggest you take that list home thing it over and think it over again prior to going back to the store and registering. There have been many a time I’ve registered for something, got it and then never used it, or my kids hated it, or it was poor quality. Had I just reviewed the product ahead of time I would have been able to see that other mom’s are commenting how hard it might be to use.

#2- Ask yourself “Will I use this?”. This one is huge. I can’t tell you how many registries I’ve looked at of friends and giggled to myself thinking “when in the world is she going to use this?” These days, baby products have SO many bells and whistles. Do you really need the baby bath tub with the shower sprayer? Often times, I have found myself in situations that I have more baby products than room to store them. Most stores will give you lists of “must haves” that you should register for! I strongly suggest you take that list home thing it over and think it over again prior to going back to the store and registering. There have been many a time I’ve registered for something, got it and then never used it, or my kids hated it, or it was poor quality. Had I just reviewed the product ahead of time I would have been able to see that other mom’s are commenting how hard it might be to use. This go around with my daughter I wanted a pack ‘n play with the changing table attached. I had good intentions of course, it was so we could change her at night in our room and not wake our son by walking through the halls of the house. Well, let me just tell you how many times I used the changing table portion on the pack ‘n play that I just had to have! So really consider those extras before you register. Another important question: how easy will this be to clean! Keep in mind, black colors, although boring, will hide color 10x’s better than baby pink and light blue!

#3- Diapers: It’s okay to put diapers on your registry. Most department and baby stores will let you return un-opened diapers for a bigger size at any point. You might be responsible for differences in prices but if your family stocks you up on size 2 diapers and your little guy decides to outgrow them way too soon, then you’re still safe!

#4- Registry Information: Make sure when setting up your registry to include all the information you can. This will ensure that your family will be able to find things you like and want for your child rather than picking out what they think you will like. This also helps keep you out of the store for dealing with returns when you’re ready to pop!

#5- Listen to the advice of your friends.. but.. As always as soon as you tell your mommy friends you’re expecting they are going to have a list of the best things you must have on your registry. Not to say that this advice isn’t great, but, remember that just because something worked for Sally’s daughter doesn’t mean it’s going to work for yours!

#6- Test the floor models! Most baby related stores will have floor models of most of the larger ticket items. Push a stroller through the store, lift the infant car seat in and out of the base (now add a 10 lbs sack of potatoes to it!), see how the seats fit in your car. Play with highchairs and think about the way the fold up and where you will store them. These are all things you won’t think about when you see the pretty pink car seat or the fun blue high chair, but let me tell you that 6 months down the road when you got that amazing deal on the car seat that now weighs 40 lbs with your 5 month old in it because it’s one of the heaviest car seats on the market, you’ll have thought back to the moment you were registering and thinking “man.. I wish I had just carried around a sack of potatoes!”

As always enjoy registering! Make sure that you get the full 411 when you register as most places offer coupons on your left over items!