Where to baby register? Multiple Stores?

[Anonymous]

I did it at Target today, thinking that Target is located everywhere and it's convenient for my family/friends to go. but I realized, Target does NOT have a lot of choices for the items I put on the list. My friend, who is a host for my baby shower, already printed shower invitations with "XXX is registered at Target". But I feel like I should probably register at Babies "R"Us, too. What do you all think? Should I register at two stores? I'm thinking, for the invitations, I could put a label with two store names...or Does that look tacky?

[Anonymous]

Some will say that any mention of your registry on the invitation is tacky...

[Anonymous]

I just did Target. If people asked, I told them, but I didn't advertise it anywhere. You could try BuyBuyBaby if it's near you. I think it's got a much better selection than Babies R Us.

[Anonymous]

We only put the items that are between $5.00-$50 on the registry. We put three items that are more than $50, including the swing ($99), the crib bedding set ($99) and the portable bouncer ($40). We didn't want to presser our family/friends into buying us expensive items. We bought a crib and a dresser/changing table, and we plan to buy most of other $$$ stuff like a stroller and a car seat. Is that what you all do? Some suggested baby registry lists I downloaded online includes SO MANY items and our list only has less than 15.

[Anonymous]

I don't think there is anything wrong with registering at several places. For weddings, most people I know register at a couple of places, I don't think that is a big deal at all, should be the same with baby registries. The advantage of Babies R Us is that they have stores all over the country and everybody knows about it...I know that whenever I hear about someone having a baby and I want to get a gift, the first thing I do is go on the Babies R Us site to see if they have a registry there and most of the time they do...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Some will say that any mention of your registry on the invitation is tacky...

Yup. Tacky and really inappropriate.

[Anonymous]

Baby registries are ghetto.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We only put the items that are between $5.00-$50 on the registry. We put three items that are more than $50, including the swing ($99), the crib bedding set ($99) and the portable bouncer ($40). We didn't want to presser our family/friends into buying us expensive items. We bought a crib and a dresser/changing table, and we plan to buy most of other $$$ stuff like a stroller and a car seat. Is that what you all do? Some suggested baby registry lists I downloaded online includes SO MANY items and our list only has less than 15.

I also did not assume that any one friend was going to get me an expensive gift, but all the people from DH's office chipped in to get our $180 bedding and some other stuff. In my office, they chipped in to buy the $200+ stroller. I'd just put stuff on your registry and let people buy what they want. they can just as easily choose a cheaper gift.

Also, its a good way of keeping track of what you have an what you need and if there is still stuff on the registry after the baby is born, the store will usually send you a 10% off coupon to buy anything left, so you might save yourself some $$.

[Anonymous]

I'm not as familiar w/ their baby registeries, but I know Target is known for being difficult w/ wedding registeries. The merchandise changes over a LOT (meaning stuff you've registered for won't be available when people are shopping) and they also do not allow returns without a receipt, even if it's on your registery.

[Anonymous]

Tacky, tacky, tacky.

[Anonymous]

I wouldn't update the invitations (and I don't think it's tacky for the hostess to include the registry info, although it would be if you sent it out yourself), but certainly see nothing wrong with registering at multple places. We registered at Buy Buy Baby only, and included big-ticket items, too so that we can get the discount. Surprisingly, people ended up buying us most of the more expensive items, even though the vast majority of things on our registry were less than $25.

[Anonymous]

Agreed that registry information doesn't belong on the invitations. People will ask you or the host where you're registered, and that's when you let them know.

That said... I registered on Amazon. They offer this "universal wish list" now that's really handy, that allows you to add things Amazon doesn't actually sell. So the baby's wish list has a few items from IKEA, some cloth diapers from other websites, etc. Nice way to keep everything in one place.

If you have family members who aren't really online, you might still stick with a Target registry too. Personally, I think two stores are plenty for registering. More than that would get confusing for me - of course, your mileage may vary.

And one thing I learned from my wedding registry, lo these many years ago - go ahead and put a few more expensive items on the list. You'll sometimes get groups - your office, for example - who want to pitch in on one big gift. So long as you have a nice price range, you should be okay.

[Anonymous]

I registered at Babies R Us and BuyBuyBaby. I liked BBB better but there is not one anywhere near my family. On my Babies R Us registry I wrote under the notes section that we were registered at BBB as well. BRU was just constantly out of stock on things so I wanted to give people the option of looking elsewhere for more options in every price range. I don't remember if Target had a notes section like that.
As a frequent baby shower guest and host of a few baby showers I think it is very helpful to mention the registries. Everyone knows what the shower is for. Those who don't believe in registries will just ignore it and those who want some guidance will appreciate the mention (especially those who are not moms, and have no clue what to get). My friends meant to put the registry information down in the invitation but forgot and instead got lots of rsvps asking where I was registered. With the younger crowd I think it is just expected now, more so with baby showers than bridal showers.
In terms of big ticket items. I registered for them, not expecting to get them, but you do get a discount when you buy out your registry. However, you need to put in your shower date rather than the birth date so you can get the discount after your shower and before the child arrives.
Good luck!

[Anonymous]

First, I have to chuckle that on other threads, the etiquette police dogmatically argue that an event called a "shower" is called that because the guests are supposed to "shower" you with gifts and so if you are going to have a shower, then it's imperative that it be all about gift giving. And, yet, other etiquette police on this thread are saying that it is tacky to include registry info in a shower invitation. Oh how contradictory this etiquette stuff can be!! Are the sticklers for these rules the same group of people?

If the purpose of the event is for people to buy you stuff, and in today's day and age, the accepted norm is to register for things you want, why not include registry info on a shower invitation??? Flame away, etiquette police (or take the high road, which is what Miss Manners would tell you to do)!

That said, here are my thoughts:
1. If you are registering at Target, also register somewhere else with a liberal return policy -- like Buy Buy Baby or Babies R Us-- so that you have a way to return things that Target won't take back (because you are missing a gift receipt).
2. Offer a range of items on your registry. We've gotten a lot of hand-me-downs and probably won't need a single article of clothing. But, some great advice we got from a family friend is that, "people like to buy cute outfits" so, register for lots of cute clothes that you can take back and exchange for big ticket items and/or practical things like bottles and diapers.
3. One of the few things we really want is a fairly pricey stroller. We're not having a shower and so our family has been getting a lot of questions from friends/family. We've asked them to let folks know that we really want this stroller and so contributions towards the stroller (in the form of gift cards) would be super appreciated.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If the purpose of the event is for people to buy you stuff, and in today's day and age, the accepted norm is to register for things you want, why not include registry info on a shower invitation???

No need to get angry. She asked if people felt it was "tacky" (her word) to include registry information on the invitation, and people responded to her question. The purpose of etiquette - and I'm far from a stickler, just telling you what it says - is only to make other people feel welcome. So one wouldn't include registry information on an invitation, because a) it implies that one is required to buy a gift in order to attend, and b) it instructs people how to spend their money.

Yes, I use registries and I absolutely see their purpose. My family are a fiercely practical people and want that kind of guidance on what I want and need. But no, I didn't include the registry on the wedding or baby shower invitations.

At the end of the day, you know your friends and family better than any of us. If you feel it's appropriate, go to town.