Building a baby registry

As a first time mother to an infant, creating a baby registry has been one of the most difficult processes of pregnancy. Moms are marketed to all the time about making the best choice for baby. Well, what is the best choice for baby? Is it Graco, Chicco, Britax? Is it having a pinewood, oak, or cherry nursery furniture? Is it bumpers, breathable bumpers, or no bumpers? I don't have answers because in the end, you just have to research and weighs pro and cons of each individual product, but there is a lot of help out there to get you through it!

I started off making two registries one at Babies R Us and one at Amazon.com. I figured those invited to the baby shower would like the option of buying online or in store, and using those two venues gives them options.

Both of the sites I am registered at have check lists of "Baby Essentials," this is a helpful starting point, but not everything is necessary, or not in the quantity they recommend. 

One of the things I'd also like to point out is that some moms don't need or want much for baby. They are perfectly content co-sleeping, breast feeding exclusively without bottles, and thus they only need to worry about buying the bare essentials like diapers, cloth or disposable. Each parent is different, and that's perfectly okay. Since this is my first, I plan on being over-prepared for anything a newborn can throw my way. If that means baby likes bouncer instead of swing, so be it! But we will have both until we figure it out. :)

I've compiled these helpful registry lists that look at different products and attempt to give moms an idea of what they think is best and essential as well as other items that moms loved and how they were rated.

1. Lucie's List
This is probably my favorite that I've come across. Everything was just matter of fact, no frills, and I liked that there didn't seem to be some big bias or diss towards parents who may choose to go with a different option. There was nothing like, "Buy Graco if you actually love your baby." Also, I liked the ease of using the site. It wasn't too confusing about what pages to go to. I never felt lost about where to find information. She also gives you pros and cons for different things like car seats. I found it really helpful.

2. Amalah's Ultimate Registry Checklist
This wasn't my favorite, but it had a lot of different brands that I wasn't used to seeing. The format isn't as nice as Lucie's List, so the content can be overwhelming. I haven't used it much, but it's another option for moms to take a look at!

3. A consolidated version of Amalah's Registry Checklist
This one is definitely easier to go through with lists and links! Something she had put on her list that I never thought of: Splat Mat! Definitely going to be adding one to my registry.

4. Pregnant Chicken's kick-ass registry
This one has lots of useful items, as well as, some fun ones like mustache pacifiers and monkey hats. It definitely important to remember to ask for some fun things for baby!


My next registry related post will be a compiled list of stuff you might want for a baby, which will essential be my registry list maybe with a few modifications. I don't think my list will include brand name recommendations, but just a thorough list of things.