The Struggles of Compiling a Gift Registry

Man, oh man: The time to compile a gift registry has finally arrived. At 6+ months, I figured it what about time I start to prepare "in case" some sort of surprise baby shower were to miraculously appear. 

You know, at first I thought it would be so much fun, and exciting, and just so easy. But the more research I did and comparisons I made, the more I began to realize that there is so much more to registry building than I previously assumed. And my one day of leisurely scanning baby items at +Toys"R"Us isles quickly turned into hours of research at home, at work, on forums and on the go. So when I originally thought I was going to spend ~an hour or two at the store adding things to my registry, what I was really in for was hours of background checking anything and everything—because, don't we all want the best for our babies? I now fully (or so I think) understand this statement.

The first challenge I faced was strollers. The questions my husband and I had to ask ourselves were:

• Do we want a three-wheel jogging stroller or a regular four-wheel one?
• What colour do we want to choose?
• Do we want to buy a travel system or buy things separately?
• Has the car seat passed safety inspections?
• What are the safety features each stroller has to offer?
• Is the stroller easy to fold, transport and store?
• Does the seat offer good back support and sufficient coverage from light and wind?
• +Graco? +BOB Gear? Chicco Nuevo? +Baby Trend? +Peg Perego? +Britax? +Evenflo? Nuna IVVI? The list can go on and on and on...

Finally, my husband and I decided to go with the "Graco FastAction Fold Jogger Travel System with SnugRide Click Connect 35 Infant Car Seat". Why? Because we both like to run and we have a very active lifestyle (I plan on going back to doing the same level and intensity of activity once I get the go-ahead) so it only made sense. I have not used it yet—evidently so—but once the baby is here and I begin to regularly test it out, I will know if it was a good choice for us!

Graco FastAction Fold Jogger Travel System with SnugRide Click Connect 35 Infant Car Seat - in Marathon

Our second challenge was cribs. Boy, oh boy, was it mind-boggling to come up with the perfect colour pallet. Because, choosing a crib is not just about choosing a crib, it is about planning out the whole nursery. No amount of pinning on +Pinterest or googling on +Google could prepare me for this long journey. I often asked myself:

• Do I want a beige, grey or white crib set? (My top three colours)
• Do I want them to be rustic-looking or have a solid colour?
• Do we want a traditional or convertible crib?
• Will we actually use the convertible options when baby Boy gets older or will we end up buying him an actual bed set?
• "High-end" designer or regular? Is there a difference in quality or are you paying for the crest and the name?
• What are we going to use as nursery accent colours?
• What about bed sheets, wall colour and curtains?
• CURTAINS?! Should we do curtains or blinds?? Whatever the case, should we add ruffles and all those baby-ish accessories to the windows?
• I like elephants... Will my theme be ruined if I start to stray a little?
• Should I bother with a bed skirt? What about a bed set?
• Oh my gosh, what kind of light fixture should we choose? We don’t want the boob-light that came with the house, it barely emits enough light!
• Do we want an organic mattress? What about sheets? Should we go with organic sheets as well patterns or no patterns?

As you can see, there is so much thought that goes into a nursery. I didn't even put that much thought into my own room! Verdict: I kept the light, neutral wall colour, went for a rustic-y grey crib and dresser, off-white curtains and light-gold and mint accent colours. I "pulled off" the gold and mint by painting the letters of my baby’s first name in these colours. The mattress I chose is the “Kidiway Organic Delicate Touch Mattress” and the sheets I chose are the “Kushies Organic Jersey Fitted Crib Sheet” in off white. I think it’s important to keep natural items like these a priority, since baby will spend so much time sleeping and breathing in the air around him. I am hoping to eventually get the Melissa and Doug plush giraffe for the corner in between the crib and the dresser. And as for a rocking chair, I haven't even looked into that yet. All I know is there was an ultra-comfy one at +Fab Baby Gear. And let me tell you, it's best to keep me off it, or else I will be lulling myself to sleep, never mind baby. It might seem as though I am “obsessing” quite a bit over this aspect, but whenever I do something, I make sure that it’s not just a temporary fix. This room my husband and I (more like just “I” lol) are putting together will last our son quite a few years, and that is why quality is so important. Also, it really doesn’t help that the baby market is so full of choices. It is truly dizzying!

Baby Caché Windsor Lifetime Crib - Grey

The next big thing I came to realize was that not all toys and teethers are to be trusted. I had the pleasure of watching a great documentary on +Netflix called "The Human Experiment", during which I learned that many plastic children's toys contain chemicals that babies can ingest while innocently biting them. If we give our children harmful toys (not on purpose, of course) we could end up exposing them to unnecessary long-terms conditions, which could prevent them from having kids in the long run or cause them to develop short-term or even long-term diseases. So please guys, avoid plastic, dollar-store-quality toys and opt for something more eco-friendly. What they suggest in the documentary is going for wooden toys, as they do not release toxins into your baby's environment.

And then there’s all the other stuff like receiving blankets, diapers, onesies, twosies... You name it! Holy cow, this baby is going to end up having more clothes than my husband! Lol! That's not saying much though, he doesn't really like the whole shopping thing, and most men make due with their favourite staple items anyways. Gee, I started getting dizzy at this point! There is so much to choose from! But in my research, I found that many first-time moms are thinking the exact same thing as I am...

• How many of everything will I need?
• What if I get too much? What would I do with it?
• What if I get too little? How am I supposed to save money, especially on diapers?
• Which brands should I go for?

Thankfully, I joined an online group for mothers due in November 2015 from all over the world, and many second- or third-time moms have provided me with tons of useful insight. According to them, about 8-10 receiving blankets should do the trick. I still don't know if I personally bought too much or too little diapers for each size my little baby will be, but I just figured I could just buy some more if need be or sell them. I found a gem of a way to buy and sell that kind of thing by joining a local resale group, and that is where I have found all my diapers and wipes so far. Some of the deals are quite the steal! I went for +Pampers because apparently they tend to work better for baby boys. So we will see! And as for onesies, I tried to be tactful. I haven't bought many, but whenever I would come across a nice deal or clearance at a good store, I usually rummage through to see if there is anything I would like. On top of that, my mother, sister and mother-in-law have been getting us cute little items here and there to slowly fill his closet. I am in looooove with some of the things they have gotten him!!

To sum it all up, I think those are the items I most struggled with. However, I am so happy that I made a final decision on the things I will be choosing for Baby L. In the end, I know he won't care what he gets and what he doesn't get in terms of material things, but I would give him the world if I could.

Are there any baby items you struggled with? Anything you thought you would love, but didn't? I would love to know. 

-Alesia D.