Did You Register For Your Baby?

July 3, 2008

The concept of a gift registry makes sense — visit your favorite stores, make a list of all of your gift preferences and have friends and family buy them for you so you don't have to spend your time returning unwanted and duplicate items. Wedding registries are common practice these days, having been around since Chicago's Marshall Field's department store created them in 1924.

If first comes love, then comes marriage, then comes baby in a baby carriage, it is no surprise that baby registries were the next thing. Every time a celebrity announces she is pregnant there seems to be news about whether she has registered for pink or blue items. With so many bottles, cribs, swings and baby carriers on the market, it is no wonder pregnant women state their preferences.

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19 Comments

2 years 46 weeks

I found registering for my baby registry online was much easier!

3 years 17 weeks

Do play

imcs 4 years 46 weeks

I don't plan on having a baby shower to begin with. I didn't have a wedding registry; my then financee and i lived together and had everything we needed, so i found it disrespectful to ask things to buy us everything new when it wasnt' necessary. a wedding as a baby is a motive for celebration, share it with those you love and don't expect anything in return. I want to go through the process of buying everything myself and setting up the nursery as I want. I don't like sitting in front of a bunch of women oohing and aahing about baby stuff and getting my picture taken holding a gift. I'm having a huge celebratory party AFTER the baby comes to celebrate the arrival... i think that's what's most important about babies - that they're already there and healthy. but of course... this is just my opinion... there are many other women who are more gilie and romanticize babies much more than i do... and I hope those women have the best and most memorable baby shower(s) and get everything they want for their new babie :-)

imcs 4 years 46 weeks

I don't plan on having a baby shower to begin with. I didn't have a wedding registry; my then financee and i lived together and had everything we needed, so i found it disrespectful to ask things to buy us everything new when it wasnt' necessary. a wedding as a baby is a motive for celebration, share it with those you love and don't expect anything in return.I want to go through the process of buying everything myself and setting up the nursery as I want. I don't like sitting in front of a bunch of women oohing and aahing about baby stuff and getting my picture taken holding a gift. I'm having a huge celebratory party AFTER the baby comes to celebrate the arrival... i think that's what's most important about babies - that they're already there and healthy.but of course... this is just my opinion... there are many other women who are more gilie and romanticize babies much more than i do... and I hope those women have the best and most memorable baby shower(s) and get everything they want for their new babie :-)

RobinFabulous 4 years 46 weeks

I think registering is perfectly fine. But it is annoying when someone registers for only ultra expensive things and not little ones too. Your grandmother may buy you that $400 jogging stroller you like, but I'm probably not going to. Along the same lines it is nice to know what you'd like to have

dukegirl 4 years 46 weeks

I felt uncomfortable resistering but can see now that people find it helpful.

apma 4 years 46 weeks

I registered for everything I could possibly need. I mostly did so because it was the best way I could list everything I'd need.

radmama27 4 years 46 weeks

Definitely, I think some people would have been lost without it

faerymagick15 4 years 46 weeks

when i had my kids there weren't baby resgistries. we didn't have babies r us yet! so i didn't register. my friends and family did pretty good with gift giving...i ended up getting just about everything i needed including a bassinet, stroller, bedding, and crib too. Next time...if there is one...I am registering!

Happsmjc 4 years 46 weeks

I think the idea of registries are great, and I'm sure it is annoying when you get things that are not on your registry---but, I've never heard of having more baby showers after your first child. Around here people have just one. Once the baby is born most bring gifts though.

schnappycat 4 years 46 weeks

Yeah, Greggie. I did have a few people not like what I had chosen for myself and offering up their own ideas. I appreciate recommendations from experienced parents, but not them buying me something different than what I wanted because they thought the purple was prettier than the blue or whatever.

Greggie 4 years 46 weeks

I don't think it's at all petty to want people to at least look at the registry for ideas. If you register for a particular quilt, for instance, you obviously have your reasons for matching, the quality, etc. I wouldn't dream of how to decorate someone else's nursery or of deciding my idea of a baby monitor was better than theirs.

schnappycat 4 years 46 weeks

As an anal planner type, I spent a ton of time researching product safety, most recommended items, things I thought I'd use most, etc. before creating my registry. I wasn't working during my pregnancy, so I had plenty of time to do a ton of planning and research to ensure I picked the exact right products for my registry. I spent a lot of time with it all online, reading books, and going to stores.. So, I admit I was a bit annoyed when people got me really random stuff, or worse yet, stuff I had registered for, but not the exact brand, color, or type of item. There was a reason I picked everything I did and I think that people can at least look at the registry before buying a gift. That sounds petty, I'm sure, but there it is. I did appreciate items like clothing that I purposely didn't register for (knowing I'd get a ton) or hand-made blankets and similar. But on numerous occasions, I was given a "similar" product to one I wanted, but ended up having to return it for the exact one I had meticulously chosen. And often, there was no gift receipt, so I was stuck with a few of the things.

Greggie 4 years 46 weeks

I'm an "other" vote though. I didn't run right out, I didn't register until I was like 7 months pregnant and it was still incomplete for a long time since my shower wasn't until after the babies were born.

Greggie 4 years 46 weeks

Yes with my first and third. The second was only 2 1/2 years after my first, so I didn't want any showers or anything. I don't expect things off the registry, either. But I agree that it's really annoying when people totally ignore it as well. Go ahead, buy me something you thought of yourself, I love that. But don't tell me you wanted to get me a bouncer, you just didn't like the one I chose so you got me the awful red, black, and white one.

Greggie 4 years 46 weeks

justanerd1975 4 years 46 weeks

I think every baby is a new celebration. Yes, you may still have your crib from the first baby, but the baby will still need all of the other stuff and a registry is a great way to let everyone who wants to bless baby know what he/she needs...And I guess I have kind of a pet peeve about completely ignoring registries; it's annoying to recieve 10 of the same thing or stuff you never wanted to use, even though you appriciate the love behind the gifts. I guess that's why I stick to peoples registries, because I want to be sure they get what they want... Equally annoying are hugely expensive registries where a person on a limited income cannot afford even one thing on the registry... Just my opinion, of course!

justanerd1975 4 years 46 weeks

I think every baby is a new celebration. Yes, you may still have your crib from the first baby, but the baby will still need all of the other stuff and a registry is a great way to let everyone who wants to bless baby know what he/she needs... And I guess I have kind of a pet peeve about completely ignoring registries; it's annoying to recieve 10 of the same thing or stuff you never wanted to use, even though you appriciate the love behind the gifts. I guess that's why I stick to peoples registries, because I want to be sure they get what they want... Equally annoying are hugely expensive registries where a person on a limited income cannot afford even one thing on the registry... Just my opinion, of course!

mini_pixie 4 years 46 weeks

It wasn't like I expected only things from the registry (and in fact, the few clothes I did register for no one bought), but I did want to select the nursery bedding & stuff to make sure it matched.

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