The Do's and Don'ts of Creating a Baby Registry

Having a well thought out and organised baby registry is an excellent thing to do before your child arrives. Whether it’s to help baby shower guests some gift ideas or to feel more prepared, you’ll soon realize just how much stuff your baby will need. While this can be exciting for some expectant parents, it can also fill others with dread. So before you start frantically choosing essential baby must-haves, read these do’s and don’ts.

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Do: Choose expensive and non-expensive items

It’s vital that you consider the budgets of your friends and family when making your registry. Always make sure you include items that have a variety of price points. Some of the more inexpensive items such as socks and clothing will be just as useful as more elaborate gifts such as changing tables and strollers. Remember that not everyone wants to or can afford to spend a lot of money on baby gifts. So doing this will avoid any upset and allow everyone to contribute.

Do: Think ahead

You might be tempted only to include newborn baby items on your registry. But you’ll soon see how quickly babies grow and before long all of these gifts will need replacing. To it’s vital that you think about the future as well as the present. So as well as newborn products, look for items they can use when they get a bit older such as pushchair footmuffs and baby bouncer chairs. Also include clothing and shoes they can wear as they grow to avoid a mad panic later on.

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Don’t: Add anything you don’t need

Visiting a baby store can be overwhelming for new parents. There will be products you have never heard of and exciting new things to see. With so much choice available it can be easy just to add everything to your registry and forget all about it. But you’ll soon regret this once you start receiving items you don’t need or want anymore. So do plenty of research, talk to friends and consider yours and your baby’s needs. Doing this before you shop will ensure you stay focused and prevent you from registering items on impulse.

Don’t: Go overboard

Naturally you’ll be enthusiastic about choosing items for your baby and creating the registry will make it all feel even more real. This excitement, however, can make you go overboard. While it’s good to know what your baby needs, having an extensive list could put your friends and family off. So instead of going wild online or with a scanner gun in a store, consider whether you’ve added something similar before. The last thing you want is the same type of item included several times. Otherwise, you may receive the same gift multiple times. Go through your list regularly and keep it concise.

With these do’s and don’t in mind, you should find that creating baby registry is not as hard as you thought. If you get stuck, go on parenting sites and forums and ask for advice and guidance on which items to choose or avoid.

Disclosure:  This is a contributed post.