All first moms-to-be (and even second and third time moms) know that figuring out what you'll need for baby vs what you think you'll need is one of the hardest parts of getting ready for his or her arrival.
Everything I've read says you really should start your registry around week 20 -- seriously? We only just found out that we were having a boy in week 19 and already I'm supposed to start picking things out that he'll need ... I don't even know where to start!
My mother thankfully is a Pinterest freakazoid. She is on that thing every day and is constantly sending my sister and me links to things she thinks her grandbabies need to have! One of the links she sent me was to Lucie's List - and oh boy is that thing a God send. Meg, the author is the mother of two young girls and has been reviewing products for moms-to-be the last few years. In addition to her registry recommendations she also write an honest (and quite funny) blog that I read as often as she updates it. Being a new mom it's always nice to see other women that roll their eyes at some of the crap that is out there. I mean really - there is more information on what you're supposed to do with your own child than is necessary.
This week, just days after I completed my registry (or so I thought) I received an email with Meg's updated registry cheat sheet. The very first thing I did was print it out (along with a copy of my own registry) and began comparing. Happily, because of my obsession with her site and constant hounding of my mommy-friends, I was right on the money with the things Meg recommended registering for at this stage.
When Brian and I first went to register we were both very excited - little did we know how truly overwhelming it was going to be. We met with the "registry consultant" at Babies R Us - a women in her late 60's who last gave birth to a child in an era when women were burning their bras and Roe vs Wade was in the Supreme Court. After listening to her very scripted speech we took to the aisles ready to start scanning. The moment we stepped foot in the car seat aisle we froze ... there were at least two dozen to choose from with various patterns and styles! I knew (only because of Sarah and Mr. C) that I was looking for a Graco Snug Fit 30 and low and behold we found one we loved! Slowly but surely we made our way through the "big stuff" (car seat, stroller, pack n play, swing) before coming to a dead end in the diapering section. How were we ever supposed to pick out diapers for a child that's not even here yet? What if we get Pampers and he only likes Huggies? Or what if we get Luvs and he constantly blows out of them? We decided not to register for them that day. We had spent about an hour going through the aisles debating over the different brands and patterns - I wanted everything to match, Brian just wanted the "best" for our baby. It was concluded that I would return the following weekend with Sarah so she could really help me do what I needed to!
That very night when I got home, I went online to our registry and deleted just about everything we'd chosen. I didn't like the pattern, it was too "boyish", the stroller was too bulky etc etc. By the time I went back with Sarah we were starting from scratch ... and thank God too because as we went through the "must have" list she was saying "don't register for that" ... "you're going to hate that swing" ... "try folding the stroller yourself" ... oh brother was I in for a rude awakening. I quickly learned that it's not about ME and what I like/want, it's about what this little nugget is going to need and finding items that will make my life easier. Does it make sense to buy the Graco Stroller System just because I like the pattern when the reality is that it's far too bulky for me to lift in and out of the car by myself? Probably not. It took Sarah and I less than 90 minutes to go through the list and get the majority of the items scanned. She suggested I use her online registry as an example - take a look at what she had (items we couldn't find) and register for those from home. By Tuesday my registry was done! And not a moment too soon because the shower date has been chosen! We're just two months away and if I know my family/friends people are going to start buying the second the invites go out!
Needless to say, the combination of Lucie's List and my sister's current first-hand knowledge helped me put together a respectable looking registry. Two of my girlfriends have also been giving me suggestions of what their children have liked/used so small things have been added/changed here and there but for the most part I think I can safely say "I'm Done!"
Happy Shopping!!
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