If you're currently pregnant or even if you're just trying to conceive, you're probably already starting to wonder about the BABY REGISTRY and all things related to it!

"Which registry should we use? Should we register with multiple retailers? What items should I put on the registry? ...Oh man...now I'm feeling overwhelmed thinking about researching said items. When should I start my registry? When do I share my registry?"

The list goes on and on LOL! I had so many questions and learned a lot from my own research, polling mommy friends, and just general trial and error. That being said, here are my top tips to get the MOST out of your registry.



1. Only register with one site (i.e. Amazon, Target, Walmart, Buy Buy Baby, etc.) I preferred Amazon for many reasons (free shipping, 15% completion discount, free welcome box, $100 in free diapers and rewards, large selection of items, and universal registry), but if you want all the deets on that, please see my previous post here about WHY we chose Amazon for our Baby Registry.

Why register with just one site? Two important reasons; ONE, it helps YOU stay organized knowing everything is all together on one site and avoids duplicates or confusion. TWO, it honestly makes it easier for gift givers to have just one place to go look instead of looking at two or three different registries. Plus in my opinion, if a gift giver has just one registry to look at then they are more apt to purchase something from the registry, where as when there are multiple registries, they often end up just buying a similar item to what they saw on one of the registries instead of the exact item you registered for.

2. Do your homework and start your registry early. If you're anything like me, you'll want to do your own research on the various products, decide what you want to use for YOUR baby, and then start curating your registry. If you wait to do this until a few weeks before your shower, you'll find yourself overwhelmed and scrambling to throw a registry together. Not my idea of fun! Instead, start your registry (and research) early on! Just because you've opened your registry doesn't mean you have to tell anyone it exists just yet. I started mine before my first trimester was even over and spent several weeks researching various items and products. Added Bonus - starting it early allows you time to change your mind. Add a floor based high chair, but decided you'd rather have a space saver high chair? No big deal, simply add and delete, and no one will know.

3. Register for the big ticket items and keep clothes, diapers, and wipes off the registry entirely. Say what?! I know, when most people start thinking about their registry they immediately want to register for diapers, wipes, and all the adorable baby clothes. Trust me, I get it. BUT, also trust me when I say I've thrown my fare share of baby showers so I feel pretty seasoned regarding this area. So WHY do this? You're going to get a ton of diapers, wipes, and clothes at your baby shower and for gifts in general regardless, even if they aren't on your registry. So if your registry focuses on bigger ticket items that you really need, then that gives gift givers the hint to strongly consider another item (i.e. your swing, your carrier, etc). Watch for my next post which will be a tell all on what all we registered for and why!

4. Following up on that notion, ask for the following phrase to be included on your baby shower invitation, "Baby is well clothed, please see the registry for much NEEDED items." This simple phrase makes a world of difference in whether you receive just a few items from your registry and then a bunch of useless junk you didn't register for, or a whole slew of items from your registry. Let's face it, no one wants to be the pregnant lady forced to haul in loads of returns because they didn't get what they requested on their registry.

**Another tip: for any shower I've ever thrown, and for the shower my besties threw me, we added a small extra slip of paper in with the invitation that read as follows: "One small request, that won't be too hard, please bring a book in place of a card. Whether Cat in the Hat or Winnie the Pooh, you can sign the inside with a note from you. Your book will be cherished whether old or brand new, but please don't feel obliged, we'll leave it up to you."  <-- this is equally as HUGE! First and foremost, books are cheaper than Hallmark cards these days, and second, why not use the event to start your nursery library!

5. Be vocal! Once you feel pretty solid with your registry selections, start being somewhat vocal about it! Not in a pushy, greedy, or annoying way, but when the opportunity presents itself, don't be afraid to voice your opinion. I can't tell you how many times someone asked us what we "really" needed with reference to gifts, and it was so much easier for us to just say, "whatever is left on the registry! We carefully selected items we truly need." You'll also encounter your fare share of opinions. Everyone has one and as soon as they find out you're pregnant, they'll be dying to tell you all about their opinion and why they're getting you the such and such product because they loved it so much and YOU MUST have it too. Kindly respond and just let them know it's so generous of them to think of you, but you and your husband have done your own research and have registered specifically for xyz because it best suits your lifestyle, your parenting style, and your needs. For example, we live in a pretty small house with very small rooms so we registered for dual purpose or compact items and tried to be as minimalist as possible. When someone complained about our "space saver high chair" and said they were going to buy us the large floor based one anyways, we simply said, "look, we registered for the space saver because it attaches to a chair that's already in our home, we literally do not have room for a floor based high chair."


**Along the lines of being vocal - when it IS time for your shower, I would encourage you to ask your hostess to create a "save the date" Facebook event so you can invite everyone a few months before the shower. Why? Obviously, A) so they get a heads up and can save the date since invitations typically only go out 4-6 weeks in advance, and B) it's a great place to note your registry so folks can start shopping it early, or save up if they wish to purchase one of your bigger items.

Whew! In a nutshell, create just ONE registry, start early and do your own research, don't register for clothes or diapers, and when approached about your registry or items, be vocal! Following these tips we received 86 of the 96 items on our registry (high number of items on registry due to requesting several duplicates - i.e. 3 packs of nursing pads or 5 tubs of baby lotion), have only had to make a few high ticket purchases ourselves, and also still have more than enough clothes, diapers, and wipes. Win win!

I really hope this was helpful for some of you, and if you have any questions, please don't hesitate to reach out! I'm already working on my next post which will be highlighting my registry must-haves and registry no-nos.