Creating your baby registry can be a stressful process, especially if you never stepped foot in a full baby store. From all the advice I got on a baby registry the first thing you need to have is STRATEGY. And this goes from where you actual register to what you are registering for. I decided to register at buybuybaby because they have a great return policy and you can use 20% bed bath and beyond coupons which is AWESOME!   Not to mention the selection is amazing as well. Target is also another good option because there seems to be one on every corner so if you have a lot of “out of towners” it makes it easier for them to see the stuff they are buying you. Bottom line…Just don’t go in blind because its a  jungle out there!

I’ve been collecting some tidbits on my baby registry journey and I thought I would share them (a lot of this input came from my cousin….thank you! ) :

I’ve included the big items because you are going to need them, and they make great “group gifts”

Crib-

costco actually has a really nice set, with a changing table and dresser combo

Stroller –

Here are some great brands:

UppaBaby-easy to lock and unlock, adjustable height, great storage underneath,  but it’s a little pricey and kinda big

Britax-Most selling at buy buy baby, (this is the one we registered for) easy to fold up,  just click, lift, whoosh – done. It also has a click and go(which is different then a snap and go which the seat is actually removed and all your left with is a frame, I found out later), and it also makes a bassinet attachment!

Baby Jogger – I think this is the latest and greatest stroller, from what I hear from friends.  All of my friends that have it, love it.  It has large tires that you can go on rougher terrain with

Orbit – this is one of the most expensive options, but it is kind of cool because the seat pivots

Snap and go – pretty inexpensive,  it’s basically a frame that you buy the seat to snap into. You will need to have the sales person explain it to you but from what I read you can use a couple different brands of car seats, which could be a good feature.

Here is what you need to know about strollers- your stroller will be with you forever, but at first, you will remove the seat that it comes with and the infant car seat will snap into the stroller.  Most infant car seats will snap into most strollers, but you might need to buy special parts to make them fit.  I would pick your stroller first, then ask the sales rep to show you the most compatible infant car seat for the stroller you select.  Ask the sales person to show you: (1) how the car seat fits into the stroller, (2) how the car seat comes out of the stroller and (3) how the stroller breaks down to put into a trunk.  These are the 3 things that you should look at, as they will make your life easier (or more difficult) depending on how complicated the contraptions are.  Just imagine yourself with a screaming newborn in the target parking lot trying to go through the steps of moving the kid from the stroller to the car and then breaking down the stroller – the easier, the better.

Once the kid moves on from the infant car seat, then you transition to the toddler seat (after maybe 9 months).  The toddler seat should come with the stroller you purchase.  At this phase, your kid will have a separate toddler car seat, so you will move your kid from the toddler car seat to the stroller seat.  When they show you the strollers, they usually show you the toddler seat, but it’s important to understand how the infant seat works with the stroller because that is what you will be using first.

Car seat –

I don’t think the car seat selection should be as confusing or time consuming – all the new car seats are safe.  Just pick one that is compatible with your stroller and if you need a tie breaker, pick the lighter car seat or one with the higher safety rating (which the sales person can tell you).

A few other items in that section you might want to register for: car mirror and clip fan.

Monitor –

I looked at several but I really fell in love it the motorola monitor with the large screen. You can pan tilt the camera and it has a talk back feature. My cousin has the I have the summer infant monitor and she loves as well.  There are cool things you can get for your i-phone – cameras that go right to your phone.  However, my friends that have this say that they don’t always work well.  I would get a regular monitor and later on (once you figure out your babysitting situation) you can get another type of monitor that will let you monitor the kid from anywhere.

Digital Thermometer- I hear when you are a new parent and your child is sick this can be really beneficial to have this thermometer.

Swing

Highchair-even though you won’t need this for a while they say to include it on the registry so you have record of what you want in the future.

Some smaller items that are great for registry:

Blankets- I hear you can’t have enough of these

Burp Clothes-And you definitely can’t have enough of these

Dishwasher bottle washers or items that make dishwashing all those little accessories easier

Hopefully this helps! I would love to hear your strategy!