when i was planning our wedding, one of the most helpful things i did was ask a lot of married women a few questions. the first was "what did you regretfully spend too much money on?" the answer to this was usually flowers. the other question was "what do you wish you had given more of your attention/budget to?" the answer to the 2nd question was usually pictures or honeymoon.
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husband and i have already been so blessed by all the awesome baby items that have been donated. we already have a diaper genie, a crib and mattress, changing table, bassinet, boppy pillow, breast pump and high chair. that means our registry will be full of items we really need and want. one thing i am doing a little differently is adding a pinterest board with items i have found that cannot be purchase at babies r us or target. most of the links send you to etsy or urban outfitters and some items can even be handmade. if i recieve/purchase the items or make them myself, i will leave a comment to let any visitors know. im kinda excited about my baby registry pinterest board experiment.
anywho, my questions to you are:
- whats your biggest registry regret?
- what did you forget to add that you paid for later (pun intended)?
- what did you get way too much of?
- what is the best gift you received that was not on your registry?
thanks in advance for your help! im gonna need all i can get :)
1. Biggest registry regret - not registering for diapers/wipes! I think most people don't want to buy you diapers, but it is one of the best gifts you can get (although it's super impersonal). It was such a lifesaver to have a nice stash of diapers.
ReplyDelete2. Forgot to add - bottle warmer! Usually I think this "warmer" type stuff is stupid (ie. wipes warmer) & I didn't have, or have the need for, one with L. However there were SO many times I found myself standing at the sink, bottle under hot water & screaming, hungry baby in my arms. The liquid formula has to be refridgerated after opening, C would NOT drink it cold. (I was lucky enough to have someone give me one about 5 months in!)
3. Way to much - BLANKETS! Oh my goodness! I still have blankets that she's never used!
4. Best gift not on registry - there's the obvious - food, help, support... best material gift - diapers!!! I said it earlier, but it was so awesome not to have to go out for diapers! Those things are expensive!!!
Other advice - register for a baby carrier! They're pricy, but hopefully people will chip in together. I'm a huge fan of the Bjorn... Loved it so much, I bought a 2nd one! I ALWAYS had it with me & only quit using it within the last 3 months! Totally need a carrier!
I'm sure you've got this one covered, but be humble! Being a mom is hard. Being a 1st time mom is SUPER hard! You're tired, you're happy, you're sad, you can cry & laugh & pee yourself all at the same time. You don't want anyone to think you can't handle this. Promise, no one thinks that! TAKE help when offered. Ask for help when it's not offered. Some people don't want to offend you by asking if you need something. Ask for it! Ask to take a nap, ask for dinner, ask for someone to go run some simple errands for you or for them to stay with the baby while you run the errands! Sometimes you need a few moments to yourself. No one will think you are a less capable woman or mother because you asked for help. I know that seems silly now... you know you're capable & you know you'll ask, but after you have that baby, everything is different.... you don't want to ask. Do it anyways!
I know you have an amazing husband & support group. This is going to be such an awesome journey for you & Husband. I'm SO, SO, SO excited for you!!!
1. My biggest regret is registering for so many smaller sized clothes. Babies do seem to need a lot of clothes changes, but they also outgrow the small sizes very quickly. The Gerber brand in particular runs small. Brad and I had a couple of packs of newborn onesies that Finn NEVER wore because he was born too big for them. They are sized for babies up to 8 lbs and he was 8.5 lbs (Liam was 9 lbs 2 oz). If you need a pack of newborn onesies they are cheap enough you can buy them later. I didn't register for any of the essentials though - diapers, wipes, baby wash, baby lotion, etc. and those are things, as parents, you spend LOTS of money on, so not having to pay for the first month or two is really nice.
ReplyDelete2. I didn't register for a stroller/car seat cover of any sort and ended up buying one later. Brad and I are very active so this was a big deal for us to be able to walk/run with the baby. I also ended up buying mosquito netting so Finn wouldn't get bit up by the bugs when he was little, though this probably won't be an issue in November.
3. I agree with the other poster on this. For some reason when people think baby they think blankets. I have tried to use all of the ones I got, but know that some have seen very little use.
4. The best gift I got not on my registry was a Pack N' Play. I didn't think I would need one, but my MIL got me one a few months later and it was awesome! When Liam was born I kept it set up in the kitchen/dining area so that I could lay him down there if I needed my hands free. I have taken it on so many trips that I have lost count.
I also agree with Funky Dot's other advice about being humble, etc. Nothing can prepare for having a baby, nothing. Your life changes in an instant and no matter how prepared you feel for it, you won't understand the magnitude of the change until that little baby boy is curled up in your arms. Brad and I used to just sit on the couch and watch Finn sleep on one of our laps because we were so enthralled by him. It will be love at first sight and your world will be turned upside down and inside out and you won't want it any other way.
The one thing I would recommend (besides my top 10 list - thanks for the shout out again) is thinking about stuff your baby will need down the road...
ReplyDelete...your little man will need sippy cups, bowls, spoons by 6 months. Instead having to go out and buy all that stuff, add those to your registry too.
Oh, and those mesh feeders are awesome. I recommend those too!
:)
don't register for ANY clothes.. you'll get so many and all in small sizes! like Shannon said, register for stuff you'll need down the road (cups, bowels, silverware, etc etc etc). I had WAY TOO MANY blankets... so take some back if you get a lot! diaper genie seems like a waste to me - you'll want those diapers out of the house faster than it'll take you to fill up the genie - but some people love theirs!
ReplyDeleteyeah...do not register for clothes!!!! I went to a shower that had a money tree and people just put money in a jar and signed a card for the mommy to be so that she could pick out what she needed..I thought that was pretty cool because sometimes I don't have time to go look at the registry!
ReplyDeleteCongratulations!! The pinterest board has some really original things. I'm going to repin them.
ReplyDeleteYou should check out http://babyli.st BabyList baby registry. It lets you add items from ANY store (like Etsy or Urban Outfitters) and unlike the Pinterest board, will prevent duplicate purchases.
they should give you a nipple shield at the hospital if you ask for one. that's where i got mine (you really only need one).
ReplyDeletewhat did you get way too much of? -- CLOTHES! babies only need 5 sleepers in a given size and maybe 7-10 outfits starting at 3m.
Congrats on the wedding! I'm nowhere near ready to get married, but these are awesome questions to think about!
ReplyDeleteI agree with everything above!
ReplyDeleteFirst - Love your pinterest idea!!!!
1) don't remember any regrets - but absoutely register for diapers and wipes - all different sizes. At Kari's shower I included a raffle for an awesome gift basket for those that brought diapers. 2 tickets for value size and 1 ticket for regular size. I am not lying when i tell you - she did NOT have to buy diapers until he was 1!!! and don't open them until you need to because most stores will exchange them at any time without a receipt.
DO NOT register for clothes - people are going to buy you want they want when it comes to this - and people love buying baby clothes!
2) we registered for bottles and we got them. But not enough. I mean - we had a lot - but it is one thing I wish we had double of because when I went back to work and he was drinking from bottles and I was pumping into them - I literally spent at least 30 mins washing bottles to make sure we had enough for the next day. This was an announce of mine becuase I would have rather have spent more time doing other things that washing bottles.
Oh - excersaucer!!!! BEST THING EVER!!!!! when he can stand on his own - this is howI got showers....they are so entertaining! Before he was able to stand on his own - a SWING!!!
3) WAY TOO MANY Blankets! again - people love buying blankets! We got a set of really good ones - Aden & Anais - and i LOVE them - they are pretty much the only ones we use!
4) Those blankets above - haha.
Diaper Bag - everyone is different on this one - and I have to say I was super excited to go pick out a diaper bag. Hardly used it. Used it a lot in the first 3 months - but only when I left the house - it mainly stayed in the car when we were out and about because it was so bulky....and I don;t remember ever needing half of what was in that sucker. I much perfer an oversized tote that looks more like a purse that I can keep Aydan's stuff in and a few of my items.
Don't be afriad to register for stuff that he will need a little later (6-12 months): toys for that age (because buying a few when you need them can get expensive - but having people spread it out...not so bad :)), eating stuff he will need...things like that.
When people ask you want you really want/need - don't be afriad to tell them the truth - and just refer them to the registry. Let them know - hey - we would really like.......
Good Luck!
oh yeah - we didn't register for a bottle warmer either...thought it was kind of silly. But my mom bought one when she was visiting - because she was tired of the old school method (yup - seemed backwards to me too).....and we LOVED it! get one!!!
ReplyDeleteI loved my swaddle blankets - the Miracle Blanket esp is a lifesaver!
ReplyDeleteInclude some easy tens for us clueless baby people. I usually go with an inexpensive gift like a first aid kit or kitchen wares. I have no idea what to do for babies but I think you're off to a great start!
ReplyDeleteRegistry regrets..hmmm. I had registered for a wipes warmer but took it off pre-shower because it seemed silly. After wiping butt for two years now, I realize I didn't need it. I registered for a kick-ass diaper bag but was given a totally different one that I hate but had to keep using. I kinda regret keeping that.
ReplyDeleteUmm I never added a baby gym thinking they were probably stupid and a waste of money. WRONG. I ended up buying one when Grant was about a month old and I'm so glad I did. He used it longer than I thought he would and I felt like I could lay him there and he'd be entertained while I did something I needed to do. Like eat. Also, I didn't have enough onesies and had to buy more. Grant spent most of his first 2-3 months in those. Oh and bibs! I have no idea why I didn't put them on there but when I needed them (he was 4 months old I think) I had like 3. Register for bibs!
I didn't really get too much of anything. I got a ton of recieving blankets but I found that I used them a lot.
Best gift you received that was not on your registry: most of the stuff I got was on my registry. But I'd probably say books. And AJ's wife made us a blanket that Grant still uses, so that would be on the list. Does it count if we got it and took it back? Nate's mom got us a bouncy/vibrating seat that we took back because it wasn't the one we registered for. We took it back and bought ours from the registry and liked it a lot but she went and bought one just like the one we took back for her house. Grant still sits in it when he goes over there (I can try to find a link to it if you want).
Ohh - a comment about the diaper bag issue!
ReplyDeleteWith L, I had a diaper bag that was handmade. I like it a lot. She put lots of pockets plus I got to pick the fabric I wanted. HOWEVER, I agree... it was bulky. It was heavy. I hated carrying it everywhere - which I did because it was essentially my purse.
With C, my mom got me a diaper bag that had these short straps inside with hooks on them. It hooked to the stroller - GENIUS! I LOVED this bag! Also, this time around, I got a purse. A big one (but you know that). I realized I needed to keep a little bit of "me" around! I use the diaper bag for longer trips/outings, but for short store runs, mall trips, I just shove a few diapers/wipes in my purse & a change of clothes & changing pad in the stroller basket. I bring a little lunchbox for her snacks/milk. This is much easier now that she's a little older & I'm not toting formula & jars of baby food, but... just thought I'd throw that out there :)