Baby stuff and registry

[sparks19]

I didn't use a registry either. Our familes all knew what we needed.

Why don't you take your MIL up on her offer for using the tea room.It
probably would make her very happy. That is, if it wouldn't be too
uncomfortable for you.

I woud just hate for her to spend all that money renting a room for only a few people. The cost to rent one of these places for the day is a couple hundred bucks. I don't need anything that fancy.... and I am definately not a fancy kinda girl lol. Hubby's aunt is perfectly willing to hold the shower in her nice basement. I would just hate to see her spend that kind of money when there is only going to be a few people there. AND I also feel bad because I don't know hubby's cousins and stuff THAT well.... I hate to feel like I am asking them for gifts when I've only met them a few times.


HMMMM I didn't think about having it mailed directly here from online. I also feel bad because my mom will not be able to participate in this baby shower.... in fact I don't know if she will be able to have a baby shower for me at all. I know she is excited but we live 8-9 hours apart. But the mailing thing is a good idea.

but where to start there are so many things to choose from.... i dont know what is good and what is not lol. It's so.... overwhelming to look at babies r us or what have you lol. What kind of crib? what kind of car seat do you need? what are good features in these areas? lol I'm so lost lol.

[Sirrahsim]

but where to start there are so many things to choose from.... i dont know what is good and what is not lol. It's so.... overwhelming to look at babies r us or what have you lol. What kind of crib? what kind of car seat do you need? what are good features in these areas? lol I'm so lost lol.

It is very overwhelming and it can add up fast!! For a carseat, a 5 point harness hooked into your car using the LATCH system is the very safest but a 3 point harness buckled in properly is safe too. I swear by GRACO carseats/strollers/safety products. As for the crib... In my opinion it doesn't matter all that much. Your little one isn't going to care if you got your crib for $100 at Walmart or for $1000 at a designer store. As long as it is sturdy they will love it. Convertible cribs are great too because many convert to a toddler bed and later to a full size bed but consider that if you plan on having another baby in a couple of years you will need another crib/big kid bed anyway. Tyler's crib was a convertible crib but only spent a few months in the form of a toddler bed before we got him his own big kid bed and turned the crib back into a crib.
I could go on and on and on and on

[Lobodeb]

I had 5 baby showers. Yes, 5! My mom threw one for me back home in New Mexico, my sister-in-law threw one for me here, my co-workers threw one for me at work, my hubby's co-workers had one for him at his job, and another department collected money for us and gave that to us as a kind of shower as I couldn't go to them because of their secure work areas. The only ones who went of my registries was my side of the family in New Mexico. Everyone else just got what ever they wanted, not what I wanted. I was really kind of disappointed because I thought that was the whole purpose of a registry. For example, my SIL got us a high chair, but not the one we wanted that matched everything else. My BIL got me the travel system he wanted, not what I registered for, which BTW was a crappy stroller, I ended up buying another one anyway.

And, I have to agree with what Missy said about Graco products. They are truly superior. The crappy stroller I got was Cosco. I strongly advise against that brand. They aren't made very well and they have several complaints against them at the BBB. As far as car seats go, I think it's the law now (at least in the US) to use 5 point harnesses. It's much safer than the 3 point. Again, Graco travel systems are awesome.

Other things you will need are lots of onesies, clothes, wipes and diapers. Hopefully, people will get you various sizes rather than all newborn because they grow soooooo fast. I had packs and packs of newborn stuff I never even opened. Partly because I had a near 10 pound baby. lol

Also, don't rule out bottles. I know you said you were planning on breastfeeding, but there may be issues that could prevent you from doing that you you might want to be prepared. Hugito didn't latch on right and I wasn't able to tolerate the pain, so I opted to pump for a while. So, you may want to consider a breast pump. Don't go cheap on that. The electronic are much better than the manual ones. With that, you'll need something to store your milk in as well.

Another thing I will buy for every new mother from now on is baby Tylenol, Motrin, Mylicon and Benadryl. These are MUST haves. With all of Hugito's allergies and stuff, I'm quite sure that Benadryl has saved him. The first time he got a fever, I about panicked.

You can hold off on the high chair for now, obviously, but a swing was a life saver for me. That was where Hugito first slept through the night.

I can't think of the site right now, but one of them had an excellent checklist for everything that you'll need. If I find it, I'll PM you.

As an alternative to registering, you could just ask people to get you gift cards to Baby's R Us. I would recommend going there for all of your things. Target and Wal-Mart are good, but Baby's R Us is really a one stop shop.

Oh, I'm having so many memories about when we were getting ready for Hugito. I'm so happy for you.

Have fun and enjoy this time. It is really special.

[JenBKR]

I can't think of the site right now, but one of them had an excellent checklist for everything that you'll need. If I find it, I'll PM you.

Could you possibly PM me that site too? I have looked at a few checklists, done a little in store looking around to get ideas, and I am amazed at how much space a little baby can take up! There are so many things to get.....it's all sort of overwhelming......

[Husky_mom]

I saw one checklist at Baby Depot back when my time was almost due.... it really helped me realize I was missing a few things I had NEVER thought about..... and if you ask me I have completely forgotten ......

ETA: I found this!!! themed nursery

cow stuff

[sparks19]

I saw one checklist at Baby Depot back when my time was almost due.... it really helped me realize I was missing a few things I had NEVER thought about..... and if you ask me I have completely forgotten ......

ETA: I found this!!! themed nursery

cow stuff

Those are awesome too cute.

I wonder if baby depot has a website and if they do they might have the checklist on there.... I will have to check it out.

there was a checklist in one of my magazines... but alas I think I threw it away lol.

A baby wipes warmer.... interesting. Might have to look into one of those.

LOL my MIL has already been sending us lots of stuff so I already have a head start. got some cute outfits, some pacifiers, even diapers lol. She's really excited. She also gave us the baby blanket that she used when my hubby was born.... I love stuff like THAT. Stuff that has a history.

I wish I knew how to knit or crochet.... or sew for that matter LOL. I wonder if my MIL knows how. I will have to ask her.

Have any of you seen those bunting bags.... you are supposed to put them on the baby to sleep at night instead of a loose blanket? I saw them somewhere... I wondered if they work just as well as a blanket. they say they are better because it can help prevent SID's.

[Sirrahsim]

I have a few of those sleepers. I have always seen them marketed as "sleep sacs". I guess they're a good idea but a good tight swaddle is just as effective and makes a new baby feel more secure. For the first couple months of his life Tyler slept SO much better if he was swaddled as tightly as we could manage Those sleep sacs seem like they'd be useful once you're past that stage though

[lizbud]

I woud just hate for her to spend all that money renting a room for only a few people. The cost to rent one of these places for the day is a couple hundred bucks. I don't need anything that fancy.... and I am definately not a fancy kinda girl lol. Hubby's aunt is perfectly willing to hold the shower in her nice basement. I would just hate to see her spend that kind of money when there is only going to be a few people there. AND I also feel bad because I don't know hubby's cousins and stuff THAT well.... I hate to feel like I am asking them for gifts when I've only met them a few times.

Still think you're missing out on an opportunity to LET your MIL honor you
in this way. It could be a way to get to know his family members & other
relatives. Hope what ever you do, it turns out great & you get many nice
gifts for the baby, O.K. , I'll shut up now.

[prechrswife]

When we registered before Mary Joyce came home, we registered at both Target and Babies R Us. Both places had good checklists to go by. We had to pick and choose because she wasn't a newborn and some things just didn't apply, but it was still helpful to have some kind of a guideline.

On car seats, we have a Britax Marathon for our daughter, which we love. It has the highest safety rating by Consumer Reports and is a convertivle seat. It is a bit pricey (we got ours due to a generous gift), but it is well worth the cost for peace of mind. We have an infant carrier style seat for the coming new baby. This was highly recommended by other moms of newborns, as you can go from the car into the stroller, into the house or a restaurant with the baby still in her seat. Later, we will invest in another convertible seat. I think our infant car seat is an Evenflo. The big full-sized Babies R Us stores generally have a "sample" car seat so you can get an idea of how the baby seats will fit in your vehicle. Some seats are quite large and may not be a good fit for every car. Also, make sure you can fasten and unfasten the straps easily. One couple we know just returned their seat for another brand because the mom could not undo the harness easily and feared for what would happen in an actual emergency.

On strollers, go to the store and try them out. Push the stroller a bit to find out which one works best for you.

The newborn stuff is new to me, too, so I'm not a lot of help there.

[Husky_mom]

there is this baby wipes warmer that is SOOOOOO handy in cold weather..... and you´ll be having a newbie in the winter months..... there are this ones that warm them up and don´t dries them and is really nice when having to use them un the warm toshies.......

also get some crib mattress protector, it´s really handy for those "accidents"

there is also a shampoo to use dry, just like mousse, and you don´t have to wet the baby when too cold.......