Before you deep dive into a baby registry…read this first
On average, Babylist users spend 40+ hours building and tweaking their baby registries.
We’ve been there. The sweaty palms, a little nervous, a little excited, a little overwhelmed.
What will you put on your baby registry?
With that comes sub questions:
- What do you buy for yourself and what do you share with your friends and family?
- How do you pick the best of each category (pumps, bottles, playmats, the list seems endless)?
- Is the price worth the value?
- What the heck is a flange?
We’re here for a little prep talk before you dive into your registry. Maybe make these your mantra as you go through the deep depths of Google, Amazon, and Target.
We got you - and you got this.
Truth bomb #1: Even if something has hundreds of positive reviews - it may not work for you
Have you ever bought something after cross-referencing reviews on multiple sites, reading page after page? And then you bought it, and it still broke within a few months? Reviews are great - but they can be misleading. Some people are compensated/gifted/rewarded for their reviews. Sometimes product manufacturers change formulas, components, fabrics, and still call it the same item. Sometimes reviews cover a product brand overall but are placed under one item (well that’s confusing…thanks Etsy). Reviews have their place in creating social proof, but just know that if you have a very different experience - you’re not crazy.
Tip #1 - feel free to spend some time looking through reviews, but read a few and then move on. Save yourself the time and mental space.
Truth bomb #2: There is no one perfect thing that works for every baby
Are you the savvy shopper who immediately reads the top and lowest rated reviews for a product before you buy? Same. You may find especially with baby products that there is a very wide range of feedback on a product. This could be due to our discussion in #1 - but it also could be due to the fact that every baby (and mama) is different. There is no perfect baby wrap that works for every single baby. There is no perfect bottle that every baby will like. There is no perfect nursing bra that every mama fits into. That is okay! Don’t stress yourself out at buying what everyone else claims is the absolute best thing “on the market” - we’re looking for what will work best for you (and you may not know that until you try it out - I know that sucks). But cue #3…
Tip #2: don’t spin your wheels trying to find the absolutely #1 best thing for any category
Truth bomb #3: You don’t have to buy every gadget to survive the first year
Despite what social media and marketing may tell you - you don’t need every gadget on the market to survive and thrive in the first year of motherhood. Thank goodness for innovation and companies focused on a mother and baby’s needs…but that doesn’t mean it must be yours to achieve the optimal motherhood experience. And it can be overwhelming to figure out all the techy components in that newborn haze. Trust me, I tried EVERYTHING…and trashed a lot.
Tip #3: Ask some friends or relatives if you can borrow some items to see if they work for you and baby! You’d be amazed what parents hold on to in planning for another or perhaps waiting to donate later down the road. They also can give you a quick tutorial on how it works aside from the tiny instructions manual :)
Truth bomb #4: Baby “things” make work for a short period of time, and then baby moves on
Tip #3 comes in handy here too given the temporal utility of some baby products.
When we’re in the midst of early motherhood - we’ll try anything that works for some extra sleep or peace. We just want to prepare you that what may be the perfect swing that calms a baby one day may not work a couple of weeks later. It’s a cruel system of their rapidly developing systems and awareness!
Truth bomb #5: The most important thing that baby needs is…YOU
The most important thing your baby will need is you, mama.
You will both figure out your rhythms, routines, preferences, cry interpretation (it may seem impossible at first, but trust us, it will come!).
Tip #5: repeat this to yourself in any stressful moments during the registry creation process.
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