You’re having a baby! Congratulations! Whether it’s your first baby or your first boy or girl, someone who loves you is planning you a shower. All those months of having strangers touch your belly in the supermarket (like, really?) are finally going to pay off. Humanity at large is excited that you’re continuing the human race. Unlike those weirdos at the checkout line, your friends and family are going to celebrate you with gifts.
Having the perfect baby registry is part of a great shower. Your guests will buy most of what you recieve off your registry, saving you boatloads of money on baby-care items. In order to make sure you get what you need, you just have to make sure it’s on your registry. But you’re pregnant. You have enough to deal with as it is. It’s easy to miss one or two necessary items, which is why these baby registry suggestions could save your life (or at least your sanity).
When you decide what to include on your registry, make sure you don’t forget the basics. Some of the top baby essentials include: infant car seat, baby bath tub and toiletries, bibs and burp cloths, baby monitor, crib, mattress, mattress cover and crib sheets, stroller or baby carrier, bottles, a breast pump if breastfeeding, formula if not, newborn-size disposable or cloth diapers and wipes, baby first aid kit, rectal thermometer and nail clippers, and a baby bouncer. Whew! That doesn’t even include books, toys, or clothes. A great tip for making sure you get the good stuff at your shower: don’t register for any clothes, and keep the gender a secret if you can. Even if you and your spouse are finding out the baby’s gender ahead of time, not letting your guests know (maybe promise the announcement at the shower) means that you’ll get practical stuff instead of heaps of clothing. Even when the gender isn’t known, you’ll still get a fair amount of clothes, so keeping clothing items off your registry increases your chances of getting stuff you need.
Now that you know what to put on your registry, it’s time to make one! Making baby registries is ten times easier now that the internet exists. You can create a baby registry with Babies R Us, Target, Amazon, BuyBuy Baby, and more. A good tip is to register at two places: one with a physical store like Target or Babies R us, and one online. That way, all your guests can use their preferred method of shopping, and you have a wider selection of products to choose from.
This is an important and exciting time in your life! Babies can be a huge challenge, but you’re not alone. Your friends and family are proving that to you by buying you and your baby gifts. Help them help you and make the ultimate baby registry. You’ll thank them and yourself later.
