Need Registry Help!

[crazyaunt84]

Calling all people with experience creating a registry for baby!

Holy heckles this seems super overwhelming. I've got a date for our baby shower, and my wonderful friend needs information on my registry to include in invitations. Today seemed like a good day to embark on such a task. It's slow at work.

Turns out I'd rather be working. This is nuts!

I'll take any and all advice, but the specific questions I've got so far are...

How many bottles do I need? I'm planning to bf, but I'm sure I'll need help with feeding two at once, so I'll pump and/or supplement with formula as needed. Also, how do you know what kind of bottles? I've done a little research, and it looks like I should get a couple different kinds. Suggestions?

I got a stroller second hand that fits two Graco Click-connect infant carriers. Is it worth it to spend the extra $79 for the Graco SnugRide 35, or will the SnugRide 30 be sufficient until we switch to a convertible car seat?

Can anyone give me baby carrier suggestions? My massive stroller won't always be super practical, so we'd like to get 2 carriers. What's the most practical/most comfortable? What will last me a year or more as they grow?

I'm not planning to register for any clothes. I have bins coming second hand from friends, and I assume people will buy outfits anyway. Are there any clothing items you think I really should register for anyway?

I'm happily accepting any and all other advice. This is totally daunting.

Thanks!

[kekaellypula]

Cloth diapers. Can be used as burp rags.
I have a TON of baby bottles. I'll mail them to you just to get rid of them!!! All brand new in their package and nipples too. I sent a ton to my brother and his wife when they had their daughter.

[karlamo]

Before I had kids BRU would make me nasesous. I used to walk in, print the friend's registry and then walk over the Customer service and make them escort me to the product. Now it's my second home and will be yours too.

The areas I can help are:
Wraps: We baby wear the heck out of our kids. We own 6 different styles of wraps. I use each one depending on the need. The newest one we just bought with L is Lillebaby. I LOVE IT. The great thing about it is it has the infant head support built in so you don't need to buy an infant insert like you do with Ergo's. Here's it on Amazon: www.amazon.com/LILLEbaby-Complete-Seasons-Baby-Carrier/dp/B00KC4VPNU/ref=sr_1_1?s=baby-products&ie=UTF8&qid=1449602207&sr=1-1&keywords=lillebaby


Bottles: If you are planning on BF then you will need a pump. With new health insurance changes, you can get a free pump through your insurance company. I would start there because it'll be easier to use the same bottles you pump into, to also feed with. With that being said we are currently struggling to get L to take a bottle, he likes it straight from the tap:) I'm having the best luck with Nuk. The nipple has a little hook to it and L latches better with it. I would hold off on buying a lot of bottles in case your babies don't like the ones you chose. The number you'll need depends on how often do you want to be washing bottles:)

Clothes: Get swaddles. Those things can be life savers.

ETA:  Forgive the typos, at work.

[jgy]

Bottles - as said, don't get a ton ahead of time. Get a few different kinds and then you'll just have to stock up once you figure out what works best for the kiddos.

Also, ask for help pumping in the hospital. When you do that, assuming you use their pump while you're there, they'll bust open a brand new accessory kit for you (that will be covered as a part of your hospital bill). That will have a few bottles in it as well and will help to get you going.

Normally I'd say go with the car seat that has the heavier weight limit, so you have more time before you HAVE to switch to a convertible (flexibility is key with kids), but since you're carrying twins there's a good chance they'll be on the smaller side weight-wise. So maybe not as big an issue? Then again, I'd imagine that with 2 of them you'll want to keep them in bucket seats as long as humanly possible so maybe you DO want the 35's? Sorry, not so helpful on that one.

Carriers - I can really only tell you what I have. We have a Moby and it was fine. A bit cumbersome, and I'm pretty much done with it now (not sure, I have to look up other ways to wrap it), but it served a purpose with the teeny weeny. I also have a ring sling that I use for very specific things. But long periods of time hurt my back and shoulder. Lastly, I have a BECO Gemini and I really like it. Here's the one:
www.tendercargo.com/catalog/beco-gemini-baby-carrier---owls---organic.html
I liked it because you can carry in both positions in front (facing in and out) and also carry on your back. There are things that I wish were a little different, but it's stuff like wishing it had a pocket on it for a pacifier. The structure and stability is great and it's really comfortable. It's also very adjustable for different sized people. I use it with little g, and I still use it with Big G at 35lb (back carry). I even used it with big G when I was 9 months pregnant with the little guy. Stupid? Perhaps. But doable.

I agree that you shouldn't register for clothes, but I would try to make sure that you have a few of these gowns on hand for the very early days well all they're doing is eating, sleeping, and pooping (especially with 2 of them):
www.amazon.com/Gerber-Unisex-Baby-Shoulder-Elephant-Months/dp/B0133JD17S/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1449607222&sr=8-6&keywords=baby+gowns

I found the book Baby Bargains to be really helpful in planning my registry. And I used Craigslist a lot because I wanted to get as much stuff used as I could. Right now the things that I couldn't make it without for little g are his playmat, a bouncy seat, a place to sleep, and bibs.

Got more questions? Shoot them our way!

[kh826]

Carriers - We have a Lillebaby Structured Carrier (not wrap), a Ring Sling, a wrap that I don't know the name of, and a Mei Tai. J loves the Lillebaby, but we got the most use out of the Mei Tai. It is good for Summer babies b/c it is light weight and won't make the baby and the baby wearer sweat like crazy. It is also the easiest (in my opinion) to adjust between two parents of different sizes that will be using it. I am 3 inches taller than J and smaller around the middle, and we had to adjust the Lillebaby every darn time when I would use it and it was a royal pain in the rear. As an occasional baby wearer that just wanted something easy, quick, comfortable and reliable (and would accommodate my super big baby!), the Mei Tai definitely gets my vote for whatever that is worth.

In terms of bottles, I definitely agree not to get a ton before babies arrive, since every baby's preference is different and you might go through 2 or 3 different brands/styles before you find what your kiddos like best (and that might be 2 different bottles for 2 different babies!). We ended up using the Medela bottles that I was able to pump directly into. After I stopped pumping, we still used them for formula only b/c William liked them and was used to them. I think we started out with the "slow flow" nipples as well, if I recall.

Other miscellaneous things...

*We very quickly gave up on standard burp cloths and started using receiving blankets as burp cloths. We wanted more coverage, and it just was easier for us. A standard size burp cloth will not cover your whole shoulder, especially if you end up with an active spitter!

*Are you planning to cloth diaper or do disposables? We are a disposable diaper house, and you can't register for enough diapers and wipes in my opinion. We love Pampers Swaddlers and have used them for the last 18 months for William. We started out with 2 cases of size 1s and 3 cases of size 2s, and it was really helpful to have them on hand and to not have to run out for diapers right away - plus they are expensive, so it is just practical. I am all about practical! We also love the Pampers Sensitive baby wipes. We use them for everything and still go through a TON of them. Register for wipes by the case if you are planning to use them!

*I love our video monitor if you are looking to put a few bigger ticket items on your registry. We didn't use it right away, because quite honestly we didn't leave William alone in a room for an obscene amount of time (we are crazy - he slept in our room until 11 months!), but with 2, I can see the need for you to potentially need a monitor much earlier on. We are now shopping for a new one that has two cameras so we can have a split screen with a view on each crib. They are pricey, but in my opinion the video monitor we have now was worth every penny, and I think we will feel the same way about the one with two cameras for two kiddos.

*A good pumping bra goes a long way. I liked the Medela one that I had. They have them at BRU.

*You can literally never have too many plain white onesies, in my opinion. We still use a plain white onesie for William daily as an undershirt. Also, sometimes, explosions happen and you just have to sacrifice a onesie. We like the Carter's ones and they make them up to 24 months. I would put several packs of those in various sizes on your list. Seriously, you can never have too many.

*Baby socks! They get lost. A lot. Get lots of them.

*Full coverage bibs. There are so many small little bibs that are so cute but don't do a darn thing. We have these in several different patterns and love them - www.amazon.com/Bumkins-Waterproof-Junior-Bib-Blue/dp/B004V5WBWK/ref=sr_1_12?ie=UTF8&qid=1449610682&sr=8-12&keywords=full+coverage+bib

*Definitely agree with the swaddle blankets. Our kid was a weirdo and hated to be swaddled after about 2 weeks old, but we still used the swaddle blankets a TON... to put over the carseat on a breezy Summer day when heading to the car, to cover the baby in the stroller, to cover the baby when they are napping on you, to put on the floor for tummy/floor time, and of course as a spit up rag! Eventually, everything becomes a spit up rag.

*Extra crib/pack-n-play sheets. There will be poop, pee and sometimes vomit and you don't want to run out of extras or have to do wash 3 times a day if it can be avoided.

That's it for now, but if I think of more things, I will come back.

This is fresh in my mind b/c I am making mental lists of all the things we have packed away that need to come back out from the basement!

[Stringy]

If you are going to cloth diaper, ask away here or on the CD board if you need info. If not, then yes register for them!

Carrier wise, a wrap type works better with smaller than bigger. We had a moby, which I never figured out, and then a boba for later on, which got much more use. The boba is very similar to the ergo, which is well loved by many. They are both a little tricky to use with a brand new baby, but a few months in and they are fine.

Bottles, just buy a few of a few brands and try them out. Babies are picky sometimes. Plus, you will be back in BRU all the time, so you can always get more. We used advent glass for a while and then Born Free for a long time. I was partial to glass so less selection.

[kona]

Carriers: We have a Moby but that used for maybe 6-7 months. We get the most use out of out Beco Gemini. I agree with the previous comments about it.

Bottles: I agree with getting a variety till you know what works for your LOs.

Diapers: We use cloth which I love but if you aren't going that route def register for diapers.

Clothes: I would also advocate for white onsies. We love the ones from Burts Bees, you can get them online at Target and BRU too if you register there.

[wittyandwaiting]

No real insights but I'm following this post for tips too!

[firstcomeslove2013]

Bottles: We lucked out and just bought Tommy Tippe and H was cool with them. We only purchased like 6 and rotated them...it was enough and worked for us. My sister's baby has been picky so she's purchased a million different ones. My favorites are the latch by munchkin and Comotomo.

Carriers: I love all things carriers! We love the Ergo and bought 2 second hand so we didn't have to resize. We also have a moby, ring sling, and although I don't own one, love the mei tai.

Other tips: get a bottle warmer!

So excited for you!

[mahler5]

We went with the graco 28 I think ( the size smaller than 30). It was my preference as it is a little lighter and I wanted something lighter. My experience was we were fine switching to convertible before she outgrew it. I had stopped using it as a carrier as she was too heavy for me to carry that way. Only draw back is if they fall asleep in car you can't take the carrier out with a convertible. So more likely you will wake up.

So, I would think a 30 would be plenty big, especially with twins. But everyone has their own preferences.


As far as wraps, I would try them on at a store if you can. I got an ergo but ended up not liking it because I couldn't get the buckle snapped in the back with my short arms. I had a boba wrap that was good when she was smaller. There is a way to wrap to give head support but it's hard to consistently so I think for kids that can't hold their head up yet (under. 3 months) a sling is probably easiest. I know the ergo has an insert you can but separately . We had it but it didn't work well . Wish I had gotten a sling.

In our town there is a baby wearers club. They are awesome and so helpful. They loan out carriers and let moms try them on, and give advice on how to use them, if you are wrapping correctly, etc.

Things I didn't use: wipe warmer, bottle warmer ( but I bf mainly. When I did use it it didn't seem work that great and it makes sense to me to get the babies used to luke warm formula as it is fine that way and less hassle ).

We had a rock and play that we loved for getting C to sleep when she was tiny. We had a bouncer but never used as C preferred the rock n play. We never had a swing but I'm thinking of getting one this time around.

Agree with what pip said about bottles and swaddle stuff. C was funny as she liked her lower body swaddled but wanted her hands out and hated then being swaddled in. The sleep sack swaddle thing seemed work well for that I think.

It's hard becaue you don't always know what will work for you and your babies until they arrive. Everyone and their baby is different. Good luck with it!

[2mrsks (mrs&mrsk)]

Bottles- 1 of every brand til you figure out what baby likes. Wrap- moby for first few months. Ergo (maybe 360?) for after.

[2mrsks (mrs&mrsk)]

Bibs- t shirt types are good when baby wants to rip all other kinds off. Essentials- white noise machine, rock n play

[crazyaunt84]

You all are awesome! I totally appreciate the suggestions! I'm a little sad that you all have BRU access. Our closest one is more than an hour away. I'm registering at Target.

For diapers, I've asked that we do a diaper raffle. I don't have any strong preferance for brands and realize each baby might end up with different needs, etc. Hopefully that will get us a good stash to start with! Hadn't even thought of wipes. Adding those to the registry!

I was gifted a hand me down Rock n' play sleeper, so I registered for a second one and will plan to keep the babies in our room in those until they transition to a crib. Speaking of cribs - is it worth it to get the convertible ones that transition into toddler beds? Also, how necessary is it to splurge on a mattress? I don't want the cheapest one, but not sure I want to buy the most expensive x2.

Other questions - how necessary are Boppys? I see BreastFriend has a twin pillow, but honestly its so big that I can't imagine actually using it. We've got a really large rocker/recliner in the nursery so I'm thinking I can accomplish the same thing with a few extra pillows or blankets if need be. But if a boppy is worth it, that would fit right in the chair with me.

Any favorites for high chairs?

[jgy]

Some people don't care for them, but I really do love my boppy. Yes, you can accomplish the same thing for breastfeeding with a few extra pillows, but I just really like the boppy instead. You can also use it to help support them for sitting and tummy time. I'd like that if I had more than 1 kid and was feeding them separately.

Right now, I use the boppy as my own pillow at night and then just pull it around my middle if I sit up to feed in the middle of the night. My friend is due with twins on NYE. I'll let you know if she likes the twin version of the MBF.

[kh826]

We have a convertible crib, but haven't converted it to a toddler bed yet, so I can't really weigh in that much yet... I will say that we wanted a nice set of furniture that matched that could grow with the kiddo, so that we wouldn't have to keep running out to buy something new (toddler bed, twin bed, etc. We liked the idea that the bed could get the kid through all of childhood and match the rest of his/her furniture. We splurged a little up front hoping that we wouldn't have to buy new furniture for a very long time (if at all). With that said, we don't have a second nursery, so we are playing it by ear with this kiddo. If we are still in this house when Dosey is ready to transition out of our room and into a crib, then we will put William in a small toddler bed (probably something cheap from Ikea that is small) in the same room and put Dosey in William's crib. Then we will buy a second set of furniture for one of the kids when we move. Anyway, long answer for a short question, but it seemed like a good investment to buy a convertible crib since we were buying a full furniture set that could grow with this kiddo.

In terms of the Boppy, we used it a bit for tummy time and for William to sit/lay in at various times. We got a decent amount of use out of it that had nothing to do with breastfeeding. It was helpful to have in the early days as a place we could safely put him (boppy on the floor with baby lounging in the boppy) and know he couldn't go anywhere!

We have the Fisher Price Space Saver High Chair. I really like it because it goes on chair that you already have, so we have it set up on one of our kitchen chairs and so when we sit at the table together we are all sitting around the table and he is at the same eye-level as we are. It also has worked well in toddlerhood, as we have almost entirely stopped using the tray and will push him right up to the table. It was also a cheaper high chair than other options, and you can purchase different washable covers that go on the chair. It is also not too bulky to transport. We have thrown it in the back of the car to take with us to J's parents' our my mom's house before.

[karlamo]

I may be the exception on here but I went with cheaper cribs but expensive mattresses. Our mattresses cost more than the cribs! We wanted an organic mattresses that was healthier than the cheap ones you see made of plastic. We got bamboo mattresses at Costco. An FYI about mattresses, they need to be aired out a long time, like 3 months before you use them. It releases the VCO chemicals out of them. Here's a link about that if you're curious news.utexas.edu/2014/04/02/crib-mattresses-emit-chemicals

For convertible cribs, if you go that route buy the whole conversion kit now in case it gets discontinued by the time you need to switch it.

[kona]

We have 2 boppy's. One was downstairs for daytime feeding and one in the bedroom upstairs for nighttime. M really liked them for breastfeeding.

We also spent $$ on an organic mattress. We felt it was important despite the cost.

We have the keekaroo highchair. It works great so far. We push O up to the table now. The chair converts to a toddler chair. We don't really have a nice dining room set so I liked the idea of this being her chair for many years.

[2brides]

I haven't read these - and it has been a long time since I bought baby gear...

Yes, the double snap and go is worth it. Looks on craigslist and see if you can find one there. You don't use them that long, so even with a used one, they tend to be in great condition.

See if there is a Multiples group anywhere near you..even an hour! They typically have consignment sales where members can sell stuff and you can get great deals. We got extra swing/bouncy seat/excersaucer from there for 1/3 of the price in the store (and yes, we had 2 of everything.) We LOVED the consignment sales until the kids got to be about 5y or so. It is worth the gas to go...but be there early. The good stuff goes fast!

ETA: I hated MyBreastFriend. Way too big. I used the Boppy periodically, but also used regular pillows. You can get Boppys at the consignment sale.

We had convertible cribs and then ended up buying toddler beds and then bunk beds due to space issues.  My kids slept in their cribs till 3.5y and by then wanted 'regular' beds. We weren't ready to go to bunks..so we did toddler beds which they were in till 6y and moved to bunks.

Also, we bought nice furniture from the kids section of a furniture store. What you don't realize when you have a baby/toddler is that the drawers are smaller and bigger clothes are a tight squeeze (ie. you can't fold a pair of my kids' pants and put them in the drawer length-wise - they have to be folded in half.) We should have bought regular bedroom furniture.

[Deleted]

Go to a baby type store and try as many strollers as you can. try out friends strollers. try out ALL the strollers, and then register for the best one for you no matter how expensive it is. Maybe you have a few friends who will go in together on it if you like some special one. Never take a tag off or throw a receipt away until you actually use the item. I cant tell you how many revolting onesies I returned to make up a pack of diapers, and its nice to have the little exchange card at target for those days when you are broke as sh!t but everyone seems cooperative and you NEED to get out of the house. I have a card for Barnes and Nobles also as I end up returning a lot of inappropriate and weird books people give J. to be fair, they haven't read them in a long time. Also those little fleece blankets people tie and give you( not my thing at all) ? they make great car throws. J almost never wore a jacket in the car. Don't be afraid to put a high dollar item on your registry. I was almost embarrassed to do so... but you never know. Suprizing people rally for babies,and get into buying them stuff. someone gave me a diaper wipe warmer, I almost threw it out, cause it just didn't seem like us. Turns out *some people* like their butts wiped with warmishness. so it was great. I never used a bottle warmer. you just wont know until you know sadly... but don't go whole hog on the bottle thing, echoing others.
The main advice is save receipts, for exchanges.

[amberreva]

Haven't posted here in forever but wanted to chime in. I love my boppy honestly didn't breastfeed without it for the first 6 months of E's life. I got two returned one and wish I hadn't. Second getting nursing bras and tank tops (I love targets nursing tanks) you will live in them while BF it us all about easy boob access. I have a ring sling and ergo and frequently used my ring sling but didn't love the ergo because we both got so sweaty. If you plan to use pacifiers get different brands like bottles you never know which they will take too and which will be rejected. I swear by swaddleme swaddles E would only sleep being held or swaddled when she was a little one. Also I learned what works for some babies doesn't work for others we never used a R&P or swing because E wouldn't tolerate either so got middle of the bed co-sleeper which she was in until she out grew.

Also may be the exception but I switched to a convertible carseat very early on I hated dragging around the bucket would much rather wear baby or use a stroller then drag around that cumbersome bucket seat.