Baby Registry

i went with BRU the first time but again i would go with TARGET
I think TARGET is 2-3 bucks ormore cheaperon every single item..

i am also due with my second in summer

#1 baby item lots oflove and patience THAT what i needed the most
GOOD LUCK

#1 item I couldnt dream of being w/o is my swing! Its an instant soother! I registered at both places, but yes, if you dont have a receipt & even just want an exchange, they only allow you 2 items per year! Not a visit, per item!!

Target is great so long as you have a receipt of gift receipt. They get difficult when you don't have that. I think they let you return just 2 items per calendar year without a receipt (or something like that) and even then you have to exchange it for something from the same department. Still, I like them. They have good quality stuff at reasonable prices. I had registered with both Target and Babies R Us.

As for "must have item," it really depends on your lifestyle. For instance if you breastfeed, a Boppy (and a spare cover) is a must-have! And as boring as it may sound (meaning no one will probably want to buy it), a breast pump is also a necessity if you plan on going back to work or even having hubby take care of some late night feeds! Don't skimp here, get a good one! You can probably have a lot of debate on diaper pails, but most of my friends love the Diaper Champ and hate the Genie. We actually went out and bought two (one for upstairs and one for downstairs.) The other must have is from my son's perspective, he loves his Prince Lionheart Slumber Bear. It really soothed him as a tiny baby, and he still sleeps with it in his crib.

More than what you do need, really think about what you don't need. There's a lot of products out there they sell to new moms that are a waste of money. Don't just add them to your registry because they're there. Talk to your friends with babies or feel free to message me for ideas of you'd like.

Congratulations and enjoy your peace and quiet while you can :)

I did my registry with Babies R Us and did not have any problems. Other advice would be to bring along a friend who has already gone through the registry process and has a child. They can help guide you and give you advice with what you do need and don't need. Also (not sure if this is a big deal for you or not) I had my husband help pick out a diaper bag. He had informed me that if I got one that was 'girly' and looked like a purse he would not be caught dead with it. That was actually fine with me anyways but we both picked it out so he isn't embarrassed by it if he has to take our daughter out alone. Congratulations!!

Congrats on your pregnancy! We just returned a bunch of items to the Babies R Us in Lewisville... tonight. I didn't have receipts or gift receipts. They gave me store credit. That was fine with me. Our baby is due in 5 weeks and we used it up right away.

I had no issues with Target. As long as the item you are returning in on your registry, they will take it back with no problem. Also you can return things not on your baby registry without a reciept, but only up to a certain total amount under your name (when we reached that limit, I had my husband or mom return it). Depending on the Target, they have a lot of good stuff, plus if you get gift cards you can buy diapers, wipes, etc.
I have a few cant live without items, a bouncy seat, baby carrier (we loved the baby bjorn), and now that she is older the exersaucer.

Hi T.!

Congratulations! Target is a GREAT place to register!! Babies R Us is difficult now with returns and exchanges as well because you HAVE to have a receipt no matter what, even if you are exchanging one outfit for a different size, for example. A lot of people register with Pottery Barn Kids, but I think it's kind of pricey, personally. Great stuff, but expensive!

I think my #1 can't-live-without baby item is the Swaddle Me. Your baby will eventually grow out of it but the first few months, it's great!! Don't worry about wipes warmers, I think they're a waste of money and get cistly when having to refill the pad on a semi-regular basis after it "fries" out. We borrowed one from a friend thank goodness and it kept the wipes warm but they were instantly cold once you removed them fro the warmer. Waste of money if you ask me. OH! My other can't-live-without item was an organizer to sit next to the sink that I can stick the bottles and stuff in. Lionheart Prince hs a great one!

Good luck!

-Char

DO NOT use Target! I just had my baby not long ago, and we used Target, only to find that, without a receipt, you're stuck. Also, there is a limit to the dollar amount you can return. It was a complete hassle, and definitely not worth it. Next time around, I'm going to just stick with Babies R Us again (like I did with my first). They are fabulous! Also, my fav baby item is the high chair/ grocery store cart cover. It keeps my kiddos germ free and cozy while I shop! Good luck!

I have had good and bad experiences with Target so it really depends on if you have your receipt or not. The number one thing I couldnt live without was a bouncy chair. It was so convenient and both my babies loved it so much.

We registered at Babies R Us, Pottery Barn Kids and Target. That was when Babies R Us online was through Amazon. I don't have any experience with it through the new website. We were very happy with our experiences.

Our #1 can't live without item...a clean shopper for the grocery cart/high chair. Our daughter is 20 months old now and we rarely leave home without it.

T.,

Congratulations!

I have a daughter who just turned two. You learn a lot with the first child. Now as baby shower gifts I make sure to give my girlfriends the items that I felt that we could not live with out, unfortunately some of them are very practical, and not exactally the things someone is just DYING to buy when they see it on your registry. But these were important to us:
baby swing, this is a great thing.
bouncy chair
I think that it is called "Johnny Jumper" the bouncy, swing/chair that you hang in a doorway. (thanks to this item I was able to take a shower in the mornings when she was littler.
Burdeaux Butt Paste, The best thing every for diaper rash, makes it go away over night.
Gas Medicine, does not matter if it is Mylicon or the store brand, you will use it.
Lots of sleepers and baby bath towels. I don't like to do laundry a million times a week. I learned to buy lots of sleepers so I would only have to do laundry once a week.

Hope this helps!
M.

I registered online with both Target and Walmart. Super easy and your friends and family can access it in the store or online. With my little girl, I registered at Target. At the store they want your friends and family to bring the printed list back to the register with what they purchased. No one realized they were suppose to do this and no one did, so quantities and things that were purchased were not updated on the list and I got a couple multiples. With one of them I recieved no gift receipt, but they returned it after seeing my drivers license with no problem. On line, it automatically updates and deletes what you receive from your list so others don't purchase doubles.

Good Luck

Congrats! We registered at Target & Babies-R-Us and were very pleased with BRU, but has some problems returning without receipts to Target. If you don't have a receipt they will only refund whatever the current price is. So if it's on sale, you get the sale price back. Wal-Mart also has a registry, and believe it or not, they have some pretty cute stuff!

The thing I could not live without was my Boppy. I had one for home and one for the car, just in case I was out and about and needed to breastfeed in the car or at a friend's house, etc. My daughter is 21 months old now and I STILL use the Boppy as a pillow for me when I actually get a couple of minutes to relax!!! And even if you don't breastfeed, it's great support for bottle feeders too.

Good luck!!
K. G.

I love Target items, but I just used their registry with my 2nd daughter and had a BIG PROBLEM WITH TARGET ONLINE.

Anything you select online will show up on your registry as whatever color, size, etc. it decides to. For example, you choose a pink Pooh towel set and when someone goes to pick it out at the store, the printed registry can say blue because it doesn't discriminate.

Guess what? They are aware of this problem and won't fix it.

So, you'd do best for certain in-store items to actually go and scan it, rather than select it online. Hassle? I'd say. It was embarrassing to have the girl who threw my shower tell my guests to print the list online just to have a correct version, since I started the registry on-line and had already chosen most of what I wanted.

I had my baby 14 months ago, but Target let me exchange any item that was on my registry without a receipt with no problem. To me, that is fine- who can't find something else at Target? (Diapers alone.....) Most of the people who bought me gifts bought them at Target. It is much more convenient for everyone and those without kids get stunned in a "Babies R Us". Target is also really good at printing gift receipts for people, so exchanges can be easy. I received some of my big items from Babies R Us (from the close relatives and friends) and lots of the smaller things from Target (from the coworkers, etc).
You will end up exchaging quite a few things to get what you need and that's okay. People just want you to be happy.

T.,
First off congrats.
I had my son almost 6 months ago and my husband and I registered at Babies R Us and had a good experience. But I must worn you if you are registering for a travel system or something similar pick these things about a week or 2 before your baby shower. We originally registered for this when we found out we were having a boy and then my mom went to purchase them (car seat and stroller were sold seperately) about 2 months later and they were out of stock and discontinued. That is the only problem we had.

I have found that target doesn't have every little thing you need, so that is why Babies R Us comes in handy. I know that some cities don't have Babies R Us's close but the registry can be pulled at Toys R Us also.

The item we couldn't do with out was a baby Papasan Infant Seat, it vibrates and plays music my son sleep in it for 10 weeks. (I know that sounds like a long time but we had feeding and reflux issues). Also some sort of a front carrier (we had a jeep brand carrier), it was great when he was little little but man when he hit 13 pounds I couldn't wear it anymore (it hurt my back and shoulders). Some times that is the only way I could get him to calm down and take a nap. We have since switched to a Kangaroo Sling from www.kangarookorner.com.

Good luck I hope you get everything you want and them some. Oh one last word to the wise, if you haven't already start stocking up on diapers. We bought 4 packages of 0's and 8 packages in each size (1-2). This was a life saver. Also stock up on wipes you go through them like water. We found Pampers Naturals at Big Lots in boxes for cheap, like 11 bucks for 760 wipes.

J.

T.!
I too just went through many weeks of research for my registry—I am excepting my first in late May! I really did literally weeks of research ( I am total Type A personality!) and the things that were the most helpful to me in finally making my decisions on what to register for were talking with other moms ( like you are doing!) and buying a book called “baby Bargains.” I got mine at Half price books for $4 and would have spent triple on that if I had known how much of a help it was going to be. It is a book that goes through all the categories ( cribs, strollers, clothes, diapers, highchairs, etc…) and gives you info on where to get them, best prices, best brands by how well they hold up and safe they are, etc… basically it was like my registry bible for weeks! I feel I was able ot make good choices based on tons of research that others had already done for me!

As far as where to register—I did the normal Babies R Us, Target and then I found a very cool thing called “ www.myregsitry.com “ . Basically you can register for anything from any place through this site—so I registered for my very conventional items through BRU and Target and then my “hard to find in stores” unconventional items like my sling, miracle Blanket and a few parenting books through my registry.com—it is so awesome—I just love it!! It is all online so your guests far away will definitely enjoy it. I encourage you to check it out!

Best of luck and have fun!

L. S.

A little about me: Local area doula and admin. Dir. at the American Pregnancy Association-- Pretty much everything I do revolves around pregnancy! My husband and I are expecting our first in May--right now we only have furry kids...3 of them!

Baby Depot is great... it's a part of Burlington Coat Factory. They really do have everything! I don't know if Burlington Coat Factory is as abundant in Florida as it is here, though... but I guess they can order online.

The whole no receipt thing at Target is very easy to get around. If you don't have a receipt and the item is not on your registry, all you have to do is add the item to your registry and then return it. Problem solved.

I registered at both Target and Babies R Us and had good experiences with both.

HI T.,

I had no problems using Target's baby registry and would definitely recommend registering there.

The one thing that you should absolutely get, even though you won't be needing it until your child is sitting up, is a Clean Shopper - this is a fabric shopping cart cover. www.cleanshopper.com is where I got mine, although they are available in stores on a fairly limited basis.

Good luck!