I have slowly but surely been working on our baby registry at Walmart. In a week and a half we will be going to Babies R Us and Baby Depot to register some more, but in the mean time it is nice to be able to get a general list of some of the items we are going to need for this new addition. My brother and sister-in-law have 2 year old twins, a boy and a girl, so they have about two of everything in any color, size, shape or form and they have graciously offered to let us borrow any of it that we need! That means we don't have to register for items such as a swing, infant car seat, bouncy seat, walker, bath tub, Bjorn, etc. They're even giving us their changing table in a few weeks! Needless to say we feel VERY blessed!
In light of all the items we will be borrowing from them I am trying to focus on the other array of items we need to register for. It just so happens there are a gazillion baby items of different variations with reviews written by hundreds of consumers who are all very convicted from their experience with said product, whether it be good or bad.
I find myself sitting on the fence most of the time while reading these reviews. What is that saying? "Take everything with a grain of salt." Most of the people that review items are the 'love it' or 'hate it' type. There are very few that say this product didn't work for me but that's understandable seeing that they were making an item trying to fit the wants and needs of thousands of mothers and fathers. Very rarely do you come across reviews were people list their opinion of the pros vs cons, most just rant and rave over why they love or loathe that particular product.
This being said, for those of us new moms who have no clue what we're looking for we find ourselves being pulled in different directions based on the reviews we read. I do believe one thing we can all agree on is that our child's safety is our greatest concern! And this brings up the list that frightens all parents and parents-to-be, Recalls! Heaven forbid I get passed down an item that has been recalled and I know nothing about it! It is a comfort to know that once a product is recalled it is no longer sold, but how on earth do you keep track of everything you buy along with all the products being recalled? This subject is overwhelming to say the least.
So my question is, how have other moms tackled their baby registry and fear of recalls?
We were in a similar position as you, being given many wonderfully necessary hand-me-downs...(crib, carseat, highchair, etc.) After that, we tried to register for things that friends of ours had suggested, especially items that we had been able to personally "test" or witness being used on other babies. This is how we ended up wanting such items as a "boppy" nursing pillow, "avent" bottles, a digital baby thermometer (that takes a temp orally, rectally, and under the arm) and a "graco" baby monitor. (Not that we got everything "wanted"). And I'm not sure I can help you out on the recall problem, but we did find it helpful to register for items that could grow with the baby, such as a 3-in-1 exercauser, a toddler carseat that graduates to a booster seat. Hope that helps a little!
ReplyDeleteThanks Carrye! We actually went and registered yesterday and let me tell you I am worn out! We basically scanned anything and everything we might be interested in and now I need to go back and edit the registry online! There's just so many choices! I bought a Boppy at a yard sale right after we found out we were pregnant and all it needs is a cuter cover! A stroller and car seat so far has been our biggest "ahhhhhh" moment! There's just so many to choose from!
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