Registry Hell

Registering for a baby can be an experience that will leave you muttering and rocking in a dark corner somewhere. It is not near as fun as it sounds like it is going to be. Here are a few tips to help you along the way:

Register early. You will change your mind and find out all kinds of new things during the process of registering. Do not wait until a month before your showers to do this. You will regret it.

Babies “R” Us might be what Hell is like. Just know, the first time you go to Babies “R” Us (BRU), you will probably be so overwhelmed you will cry. It is a horrible, yet necessary, place. Get used to it. It gets easier.

Make your first registry trip with your husband to pick out big things like strollers, cribs, etc. Leave him at home for all the rest. He DOES NOT care what kind of bibs you get, diapers you buy, breast pump you choose, etc. Take another trip with a friend who already has kids and can give you tips. Take yet another trip alone so you can spend 20 minutes obsessing over whether the kelly green bib really does match your carseat as well as the sage green ones you already registered for.

You CAN get everything at BRU, but some people are scared of that place, so register somewhere neutral, like Target. I know that I, personally, would never go to BRU for a shower gift. I hate that place.

Though you have a little girl or a bouncing baby boy this time, that doesn't mean you will the next time. So go neutral on the big stuff like carseats, strollers, pack ‘n’ plays, etc. Otherwise you will have to buy all new if you have a boy/girl next time or deal with the repercussions when your kid is 20...

Don’t feel bad about registering for some pricey items. People like to go in on group gifts and going the cheapest route on everything is neither fun nor wise. Do not, however, be the a$$hole that registers for top-of-the-line of everything. No one is going to buy you a $500 diaper bag. Get over it.

Register for a few types of everything (strollers, carseats, etc). Then, come home and start reading the reviews on the web. VERY useful. Some seem great in the stores and then get HORRIBLE reviews. You will then have to take them off your registry. Since you already have a backup, no need to venture into hell, I mean BRU, again.

Ask other mommies what they loved/hated, used/didn’t use. Other moms are your greatest resource when you have questions about baby stuff. Though beware: some will say you HAVE to have a wipe warmer, other will say it is dumb (it is). Same goes with most things, just take it all in, then form your own opinions.

Don’t be tacky. Yes, you can register for your after-birth jumbo maxi pads and tummy-sucking-in-wrap, but don’t. Gross, girlfriend. Some things a mommy needs to keep private. Also, if you decide to breastfeed, get someone you know is going to buy you a big gift (like your mother or grandmother) to get you the breast pump you want without adding it to your registry. I think it is a bit gauche to remind everyone that peruses your registry that you will soon be milking yourself. Plus, it saves you the awkwardness of opening it as a gift from your co-workers at a co-ed work shower. Shivers.