baby mega store aversion

[Anonymous]

Great Beginnings is wonderful -- it really is a less stressful environment and the people that work there are generally pretty helpful. We got all our baby furniture there (many years ago), and I still trek out there to get the big kid furniture because their delivery and installation people are very good. I think they have a registry service now (they certainly have everything you need). I also agree that Buy Buy Baby is better than BRU.

[Anonymous]

I had the same experience at Buy Buy Baby- my husband and I left in a panic without registering for anything. We ended up going back. If you call, you can set up an appointment with a representative who will take you around the store and help you pick out items you will need and explain the differences between different items to you (although it still is a bit overwhelming). Good luck!

[Anonymous]

A friend of mine registered at Great Beginnings and was happy there. For her shower, I didn't want to trek out there, so I ordered online. The shipping and gift wrapping were very reasonable & the items came right away.

I've also had a number of friends register at Babies R Us. When they do so I typically pick up the items in store to avoid shipping costs. Unless I'm picking up a bigger ticket item, I've found it very hard to navigate the store for smaller registries items, especially clothes. That might just be our local one (Silver Spring).

[Anonymous]

A coworker is letting me borrow her Baby Bargains book since she just had a baby 7 months ago. It's a must have pregnancy book with lots of helpful tips and recs.

I went with my mom to BRU and was totally overwhelmed by the whole experience too. It really helps to go with someone who's had a kid. They help you put things in perspective. That it's okay. You do not need everything before the baby is born, or need everything that's being sold. I'm the first of my close friends to have a kid so I understand how hard to find someone to go with can be.

I have to admit I'm more of an online shopper now and have set up a wish list at Wish Pot. However, it is good to check out things in person to get a sense. Also a BRU employee was really helpful (a rarity I hear) about my questions regarding what type of stroller to get. It helped too that another mom shopping joined in!

[Anonymous]

I agree with everyone who has posted. The first time I went into Buy Buy Baby (what a horrible name), which was early on in my pregnancy, I practically got hives and ran out of there. Since then, I did lots of research on-line (including via Amazon, which also posts customer reviews). After doing a good amount of reading (books, web sites/forums) and getting feedback from people I know who already have babies, I put together a list of things I thought I'd need - everything from diaper rash ointment to a new lamp for the nursery. I ordered clothes on-line and registered for some things at the Babies R Us and Amazon web sites (I think friends/relatives appreciate having that direction - otherwise they'll just repeatedly ask you, "What do you need?"). It's now less than a month to my due date, and my partner and I just sucked it up and went to Buy Buy Baby yesterday. We were there for a good 3 hours and managed to get almost everything that was left on the list. We figured that one marathon session in which we would Just Get It Done was a good approach, and that turned out to be true for us. It was tiring but very productive. I like the atmosphere at Great Beginnings a little bit better, but having been to both places (we got our nursery furniture at GB), I just somehow had the sense that BBB had more things in one concentrated space. Good luck!

[Anonymous]

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[Anonymous]

I feel the same as so many of you about the mega-stores. I just find them for some reason to be a little bit walmart-y. To be honest, I don't really have much of a reason for feeling this way except for the fact that they're such huge chains and I generally try to buy from smaller and more boutiquey places for non-baby things, so I was hoping i could do the same for baby. My husband and I will definitely be registering, since this is our first child, although frankly I would LOVE to escape with no shower. I positively hated my wedding shower...hate the attention, hate opening presents in front of people, hate the (obviously oversensitive) perception that a shower is just a gift grab, etc. But we are starting to feel so overwhelmed by the list of things that we need and we have such supportive people in our lives who would genuinely love to buy a gift for baby to be, that I think we'll relent and graciously accept a shower. Soooo, that leaves the registry. I'm not sure if anyone frequents the what to expect boards, but my due date month had a discussion of this too, and many posters there warned that Target has a very cumbersome return policy if you don't have receipts. Worth mentioning, since they apparently only update their registry once a day and most posters had experienced duplicate gifts with no return ability (unless they wanted to call one of the givers, explain the situation, and ask for the receipt, which I would not do unless it was a very, very close friend). I've also heard that Land of Nod, (a crate and barrel site) is delightful. Unfortunately, many of my gift givers will not be buying online. We have lots of grandmas and great aunts in the mix, so they really will need a bricks and mortar store.

A last thought. I live on Capitol Hill. If it weren't so expensive, I would do one registry only at Dawn Price baby. http://www.dawnpricebaby.com/ They have the cutest stuff! I think we'll probably furnish the nursery and buy a lot of things ourselves from that store, but I'm afraid it's a bit pricey to use for a registry. Kind of like the couple who only registers at Tiffanys for their wedding (not that there's anything wrong with that!) But my family would not approve of Dawn Price prices....


BTW, as a first time mom, I find it really helpful to see that some moms have said you don't really need all that much to get started. Please, tell me more like this! Seriously, if anyone would put together a list of things they found most useful on the registry, I'd be much obliged. I will start a separate thread for that Q -- don't want to commandeer this thread. Thanks.

[Anonymous]

I remember staring at the wall of binkies at Buy Buy Baby and wanting to cry. But I was armed with my Baby Bargains book and made it through. I DO suggest bringing a friend WHO you trust to help you sort through the junk (baby wipe warmers? PLEEEEEASE). That is a very good suggestion!!!!

[Anonymous]

Yes on the Baby Bargains book. I only go to BrUs with a very specific plan of what I need. I hardly registered for anything, because I got almost everything secondhand from friends or on Craigslist. Most people gave us clothes as gifts.

I still can't handle Buy Buy Baby- something about that store stresses me out.

[Anonymous]

i've been to BRU plenty of times for shower gifts for other people, but on my first visit as a pregnant woman, i almost hyperventilated.

Did you register for your wedding? I bet that was hard enough, and you probably knew how you would use things like towels, or how many place settings of china made sense.

With baby stuff for your first baby, you haven't got a clue what you'll really use, some of it is completely foreign and there are WAY too many choices and not always a clear "winner" of a choice. it was the bottle aisle that did me in. so many bottles, so interchangeable, and i knew nothing except that BPA was "bad." I had "Baby Bargains," which I highly recommend, but still - near total meltdown. I registered for a few items with monkeys, bought some nutrition bars and fled.

I am now the mother of an 11-week-old and I now know that some of the stuff I registered for is stupid.
I doubt we'll ever use the "ultimate crib sheets", of which I have two.
I've learned that my child doesn't wear plain t-shirts.
I've learned that she has no reason to wear onesies that are off-season - i.e. short-sleeved at this time of year. And she probably won't wear long-sleeved onesies in the warm months.
I've learned that one-piece outfits like sleepers can be complicated because they don't always fit the trunk and legs at the same time.
I've learned that nightgowns in winter are a stupid idea. Their feet get cold. Stick with footed sleepers.
I've learned that any outfit that fastens up the back is not convenient for a very young baby. (young babies are floppy. stick with things that fasten up the front.)
I've learned that zip-up sleepers go on faster, but leave the baby's torso exposed for diaper changes.
I've learned not to bother registering for outfits anyway because the descriptions that come up are so abbreviated and vague your friends have no hope of finding the right thing.
I've learned that people will give you whatever they feel like, and you'll end up with way too much of one size. In my case, everyone I know bought me 6-9 mo onesies and sleepers, and didn't give me receipts. My daughter has 70 onesies in 6-9 mo size. she needs 10.
I've learned not to buy ANY clothes until you have your shower, or you'll end up with duplicates.
I've learned that it's dangerous to buy clothes in future sizes - who knows at what rate your kid will grow?
I've learned that cotton swabs are pretty useless, so why do the baby sets include them?



My advice: do your registry online, then have one of your experienced mom friends look at it and tell you what to add and what to take off. And definitely register for diapers and wipes; they're easy for people to buy. (don't ask for too many newborn diapers - if your child is on the large size, he/she will grow out of them within a week or two.)

by the way, for the bottles, we've found that Playtex vent-air wide-mouthed are my daughter's favorite, and they're easy to scoop formula into in the middle of the night when you're half-awake.

[Anonymous]

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[Anonymous]

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[Anonymous]

I got the Baby Bargains book and used the Consumer Reports online reviews. I registered completely online except going to the store to test drive the infant seat and stroller.

[GenXPlanner]

Big overwhelming shopping places give me headaches. Besides, if you don't create a registry you don't go "scanner happy" and scan a bunch of things you don't need or have space for. Now I shop for things online one at a time when I need them. I save a lot of money not stocking up on things I'll never need.

[Anonymous]

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