One of the most daunting things to me about getting pregnant wasn't having a child to care for, it was coming up with a registry.
My relationship with babies has pretty much always ended with me passing them back to their respective owner. I never cared for a newborn before. I don't have an older sibling and all of my friends just started having kids now -- and they all moved to the suburbs while I'm still in the city. Which means, I don't see them all that often. I don't know what they put their children to sleep in, which stroller is best, or the difference between a Miracle Blanket and a swaddling blanket.
So, when it came time to create my own registry, I was clueless. And incredibly stressed out. But I've devised an intricate system of looking at old registries, talking with people, and conducting my own research -- and I'm pretty confident that, right now, I have a kick-ass registry. And you totally can too. Even if you're as clueless as me.
First thing I did -- because, like I said, I had no idea where to even begin -- was go off of a friend's old registry (who went off of another friend's, who went off another friend's, etc. etc.). I knew I wasn't going to want to do everything exactly the same as this friend -- she lives in a house, I have an apartment; I'm a little more "green" than her -- but it was a basic jumping-off point. Then I started whittling and researching.
I tailored the list to suit my needs. Like I said, I don't have a ton of room, so big, real-estate-sucking items were swapped out for portable versions, or just nixed altogether. (Of course, I researched -- and researched -- write-ups and reviews on each product.) I also swapped out a lot of the blankets and wearable stuff for organic versions, because I'm neurotic like that.
Then, once I had my list, I took it to a friend whose opinion on all things baby I trust. A lovely editor here at The Stir, to be exact. (Yes, I have a bit of an advantage working for a website that caters to moms.) She told me things she loved and pretty much swore by when her babies were itty-bitty, and things that I didn't necessarily need. I.E., a diaper wipe warmer; a bottle warmer; a bottle sterilizer. And so now, I'm left with a list that's perfectly suited for my lifestyle.
To be honest, the hardest part was just getting started. It felt like such a huge undertaking, and I don't know where I would have begun if I didn't have something to initially go off of. I highly recommend it. But, of course, don't copy someone else's registry verbatim. It's for your baby. And definitely pick someone whose opinion you value to help you with everything else.
How did you do your registry?
Image via M Glasgow/Flickr
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Comments 12
Those microwave bottle sterilizers are a must have. Didnt have one for #1 and it is on my Very short list of things I MUST HAVE!!!! for this baby, even though I plan to EBF, you just never know what could happen-- didnt work the last time-- and having a pot of boiling water on the stove for bottles, to be honest, Sucked! Plus you have to boil the water which takes time but those microwave things work in like a minute!! My friend had one of those bottle warmers too, and I gotta say, for the newborn stage when you are warming like a bajillion 3oz bottles a day, it comes in pretty handy. For older babies, not so much. Wipe warmers, your totally right, all they do is dry the wipes out.
One thing to Skip, especially if you are limited on space is a High Chair!! Instead get the smaller version "booster seat with a tray" that straps onto a normal kitchen chair. Saves space and serves the purpose.
But to answer the question--w/ #1 I fumbled my way through my registry and put things I thought I needed and it turned out just fine. People dont always go by the registry and I ended up with most everything I needed an not much that I didnt.
Once I finally got down to it, the most annoying part that the Target registry was down while we were at the store. We ended up taking pictures of everything on the iPhone and doing the registry on-line at home. For some of the stuff we couldn't find at Target on-line, we registered at Amazon.
@phoenixmom2011 - ten lbs and eleven ounces.....OUCH!