The Registry Process

Last week Aaron and I set aside a day to register at buybuybaby and Gaga (a local Austin boutique). We started bright and early, 9am to be exact, at buybuybaby. Like most people we had never been a part of the registration process so we walked in a little overwhelmed and unsure of what to expect. Immediately the 'Registry' lady stated that they offer a personal shopper, an employee to guide you through the store and answer any questions we may have. Of course this would have required a previous appointment so we decided against it because we were in the registry mindset. Aaron and I like to figure things out on our own but I have to admit the overwhelming amount of baby products and our lack of baby knowledge kind of made me wish we had known about it sooner. But alas, I filled out some paperwork with all our contact information while Aaron looked through the goodie bag provided. We were handed over a scanner and a checklist and sent on our way.

We were completely lost without that checklist (click on the link to see the massive checklist we were given). We started at the top and worked our way down, which unfortunately wasn't organized in corresponding store organization. This made for dozens of trips around the store, with me slowing hobbling behind Aaron (damn you, sciatica). Right from the very beginning we realized how little we actually knew. "What is a receiving blanket?" I asked Aaron, "I have no idea" was his response. Grrreat. We had to go find an employee and ask them what it was, and where we could find them. Whats a "nursing stool"? We still haven't figured out what a "splat mat" or "bath support" is, we got sick of asking so we are hoping these aren't essentials. We had to ask so many questions that those employees probably thought we were going to be the worst parents in the world.

As we worked our way throughout the store the we found ourselves not registering for at least half of the stuff the checklist suggested. We didn't register for any clothes (people usually cant resist buying tiny baby clothes and if not, Ill set Aaron free in a few baby stores, then I know she'll be set until she is at least 3 years old). We aren't going to be using a traditional crib or a changing table so we omitted those as well. Registering for baby proofing products seems a little premature to me, she wont be walking for a year so we will cross that bridge when we get there. And do people actually register for "Breast pads, shields, and cream"? We all know that these things are necessary if breastfeeding is planned but do you really want other people buying these things for you? I do not. Here is a bottle of cream for your sore nipples and a pad so you don't leak milk through your bra...umm, no thank you, we will be handling that on our own. We only registered for items we feel are necessary (except for the humidifier, we still don't know if we absolutely need that, I'm fairly certain I didn't have one as a baby and Aaron definitely didn't have one so a little more research is needed). We will not be those people with tons of baby crap that we never use laying around the house. We are minimalists and are going to stay that way, otherwise my OCD will fuel a mental breakdown.