Baby Registry 101

When Rocky and I started the Registry Process, at first we were VERY overwhelmed. Not only do we NOT have any real experience with babies, we quickly learned that retailers will tell you what you need and the whole time they're thinking about dollar signs. So, we decided to start researhing about what we really needed to bring Cletus. We talked to people who recently had children, people who had children back in the good ole days, we talked to our Mothers, we read books, and we looked online. Everyone had really good advice and we appreciated everything we learned.

We headed back to BabiesRUs, armed with our newfound newborn knowledge (and Rocky armed with the scan gun) and we bagan to add items to our offical registry. We arrived about 2pm on a week day and we decided to start with the "baby gear", as it's called. Before we even left the registry desk, I spotted a really nice car seat on clearance. We took a look and compared it to the car seat we were already thinking about selecting and we quickly realized this one was not only better but on sale for 1/3 of the regular price. So, without blinking, our first selection had been made. We had a car seat!!!

Next we picked out a stroller. We had already decided that a "travel system" was not the way we wanted to go and finding the car seat on clearance confirmed that decision. So we picked out a lightweight stroller that accepts our brand of car seat and who's colors were very similar as well. Then we moved on to a 2nd car seat that picks up where the infant car seat left off. Next came pack n' plays, high chairs, and exersaucers/play gyms. We rounded the corner with a diaper bag, headed to the mattresses, changing tables, and crib sheets, and finished the day with a blanket or two. 2 hours later, we had the start of a registry!

Yes, I really said 2 hours later that we had started our registry. There were tons of things we still needed to decide on but at least we had a good foundation to start with. Or at least we thought we did. We were telling a few friends and relatives about the items we selected and how we tended to pick items that did't have bells and whistles. There was some concern that maybe we were trying to be too thrifty, not that it's a bad thing, but forgetting that these items did serve a purpose after all. So my Mom agreed to go back to the store with us and give us some hands on advice.

This time we arrived at 430pm, again on a week night, and this time we started in the accesory areas. We started off with cabinet latches, outlet covers, crib rail protectors, then a monitor and crib positioner, next bottles and pacifiers, then wash rags and towels, and finally bibs. We went back through the baby gear section and ended up in the diaper area. Lastly we made a couple of sweeps through the nursery aisle where we selected more sheets, receiving blankets, and regular blankets. 3 and 1/2 hours later, we were done.

Yes, I really said 3 and 1/2 hours later. But this time we had what we thought was a complete baby registry. Then we made the mistake of looking at baby items in Target. Here, we realized that some of the items we had selected were available at a better price. We even found similar items that we liked just a good or better than our original selection. So we decided to start a 2nd registry so people would have different choices. After all, Carter clothing is the same no matter where it comes from. And then we looked at Walmart...and you guess it, same items different prices, same prices for similar items. Now what do we do?

I thought about this for a day or two and I looked for an online resource that could combine registries. Nothing turned up. So I decied to take matters into my own hands. I created a single registry list on my own and added a column for notes. The purpse was simple, we wanted to share the items we selected but we also wanted to share why we picked them. If Rocky really liked an item, I wanted people to know that because it made that item special. If there were two items that met our basic needs, we wanted people to know that we didn't have a preference so they could select the one they liked and possible find a better price. Again, this made it special to us.

So, with all that being said, I'm attaching the single-source registry list on this blog. You can, and still should, ask BabiesRUs or Target to print out their registry if you plan on buying there. It not only will help reduce duplicate gifts but it will also allow the stores to track our items in case there's an issue that a warranty would cover.

I also want to share that places like BabiesRUs offers coupons on their website http://www.babiesrus.com/ and additional coupons if you register your email address with them. They also offer special offers on their website that you don't necessarily see in their ads. So looking at an item on their registry may show additional discounts. And some stores offer free shipping if you purchase online. And a couple of our favorite items are only available online.

Click here to view the registry.  The link will take you to a PDF document hosted on Google documents, a part of google.com.

So, we want to say Thank You in advance for any gifts we receive. But most of all, we want to say Thank You for being someone special in our lives and for promising to love our little Cletus. We have no doubt he's going to be a very lucky boy!

Love,

Rocky and Tara