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Working on my baby registry...
and I have some questions...
I'm confused about what clothes I should register for. Babycenter.com has a checklist of registry items and they say to register for 5-7 onesies, 5-7 shirts, 5-7 pants, etc. Should I register for 5-7 of each of these in a newborn size as well as a 0-3 month size? It just seems like a lot! I'm worried about having too few or too many clothes of one size and not the other.
Also, my SIL gave me a Pack n' Play. It does not have the bassinet type attachment on top, so it basically just looks like a small playpen. (this is probably a dumb question), but can the baby sleep in the pack and play the way it is? Or should I register for a separate bassinet? I'm thinking we'll want something in our bedroom with us for at least a few months until we're ready to move him to his crib in his own bedroom.
As far as mobiles, DH wants to register for one that plays music has a light show type thing, etc. I don't think we need all that and just wanted to register for one of those "Sleep Sheep" things instead that plays soothing sounds for the baby and then just a plain old fashioned mobile (probably from Etsy, because I saw some cute ones on there). I read that the flashy mobiles tend to disrupt baby's sleep anyways. What do you ladies think?
Re: Working on my baby registry...
advice coming from a not-yet mom!
I only registered for a few articles of clothing that i really wanted (a certain brand)- people give you tons of clothes. I still need to get a stash of onesies and socks though-- I don't have enough of either.
I have a standard Graco pack n play-- without a bassinet attachment. The mattress lifts up though and I plan to use that. A friend is also giving us a cosleeper, so we'll use that in the bedroom.
We will not have a mobile-- I thought about making one but I didn't want to entice monster cat to attack it. I'm hanging some poms & lanterns in a corner though for decoration-- just nothing dangling over the crib.
We bought a pack and play and the cat sleeps in it. I still use the cosleeper and couldn't imagine life without it.
We have an Etsy mobile and Abe LOVES it. It doesn't make music or move on its own but he has loved to look at it since he was a newborn. Still does.
hmmm I'll have to see if the one we have has a mattress that lifts up.
I wouldn't register for any clothes. People will give you clothes anyway, so by not registering, you're encouraging them to buy the other things on your registry. Also like Shuga said, lots of babies don't fit into those newborn clothes, or even 0-3 in some brands, so it's best not to go overboard in that department.
A pack and play without a bassinet would work fine - the basinet is actually just the mattress being lifted up to a higher level. It makes it easier to reach them to have them at that higher level, but I don't think there's a reason they can't just sleep in the bottom.
We didn't have a mobile. Someone did give us that little aquarium thing which he liked, and he also has something like the sleep sheep, but it's a giraffe with a sound machine in it, which he LOVES. It's his favorite stuffed animal, and it's awesome because we can take it with us when we travel. It wasn't something I had registered for, but I would with another baby or give it as a gift. It has four different sounds that play for 45 minutes and it's pefect for a cuddle.
I agree, don't register for clothes. and the PNP with the mattress on the bottom is fine. We were gifted a mobile that was cute and sort of matched her bedding, but it didn't fit on the crib. So I returned it and got the FP Precious Planet mobile. We just took it off her crib a few months ago. We would turn it on if she needed some entertainment while we were in the shower or something. When she started pulling up etc, it had to come off, because she figured out how to turn it on and off.
I can't think of anything that we really HAD to have. We just kind of purchased as we needed because I didn't get hardly anything from my registry. Oh well
That makes sense-- I was thinking of the newborn napper attachment/ changing table that they all seem to come with now.
Yes, I thought that the diaper changer or napper thing was what they meant by basinnett also, but yeah, they just mean the higher mattress setting because ours was bassinet and diaper changer, and you definitely wouldn't want a baby sleeping on the diaper changer
I would not register for NB stuff unless you know you are going to have a tiny baby. We had a few NB things and had a 6lb baby. A friend went out and picked up a few onesies and sleepers and it was no big deal. And I never used the side snap shirts, but some people love them.
I got a regular $15 mobile. My little one loves it. It spins and plays music, no lights. She will lay in her crib for 30+ mins just cooing at it. Totally worth the $.
I agree w/ the other posters about not registering for clothes...the styles and inventories change so often that the clothes won't be on the registry very long and people will just pick out their own stuff anyway. The PNP will be perfect as it is - we used the "bassinet" attachment for Jake but never for Katie, because you have to stop using it when they're 15 lbs and as we know, I make enormous babies so it's not worth the hassle. Definitely get a PNP sheet though, manufactured by the company that makes YOUR PNP. If you switch to generic brands or other sheets, they don't fit right (we have a Graco PNP and every other brand sheet is so tight the mattress won't lay flat).
I would definitely get a mobile that moves and/or makes music. It doesn't help Katie go to sleep, but there are times that she's screaming and that or her music FP seahorse are the only things that will calm her down. We have the FP Precious Planet mobile and it also projects onto the ceiling, so Jake actually used it until he was about 2 and we moved it to Katie's crib.
The biggest must-have in my opinion is a bouncy seat and a Boppy (even throw a Breast Friend nursing pillow in there if you plan to BF).
Jake blowing out the candle at Katie's coming home party
Katie Belle
Kristen, Chad, Jake, Katie & Sadie the Wonderdog, est. 6/17/06
We didn't put any clothes (besides the HALO swaddlers) on our registry. Baby already has a closet full of clothes thanks to my mother and I! Plus, people love to buy clothes for showers, so I am sure you will get some whether you register for them or not!
We got a normal PNP for downstairs (w/o changing unit) and bassinet for our bedroom upstairs. We registered (and I peeked and saw someone purchased) a bee mobile that's absolutely adorable. It does not light up or make noise. I also purchased a Sleep Sheep after hearing rave reviews. It does seem pretty soothing, but the "whale" and "heartbeat" settings are just plain creepy!
So excited to meet Peanut this fall!
*Outdated* Wedding Bio
Ditto the others re: clothes. I didn't register for any b/c we were team green. We got a lot of basics at the shower and then I went and bought one or two things the day all hell broke loose for me.By the time we got home from the hospital 7 days later we were inundated with clothes, all pink, and were perfectly fine
You do want a few extra of each item in each size b/c of spit ups, accidents etc. but I found I didn't need quite as many as all of the books said.
I was big on not getting a mobile and only used the FP seahorse until Caroline was about 3 months. Then, I decided she needed something to occupy her when she was in there just resting and not really sleeping. I found this mobile and LOVED it. It goes higher up so you can keep it in there much longer than 5 months, you can detach the mobile and it can just play music and act as a nightlight, and since it's at an angle the kiddo gets to look at something more than a flat object.They also have one that isn't so girly
http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3623306
We didn't register for any clothes and were given a ton (mostly matching outfits... ugh) so I wouldn't worry about registering for clothes...
as long as the pack and play has the mattress that rises up you should be fine, but something to think about is if you end up having to have a c-section, bending down to reach a crying newborn is not going to be much fun for a few weeks... I was so glad we had them up higher so I could just roll over and grab them!
I originally didn't register for moblies, because I didn't want to spend the money for one and didn't really think they were a necessity... we were given two of the FP rainforest mobiles that spins and played a couple of different songs, no lights, just music... and the boys loved them! they were the same as the leaves on their swing so they were really comforted by that and the music (music does wonders to help them sleep... even now they will turn their seahorses on at random times... and when we were at camp and in their PNPs they had a little star thing that played music and loved that too)
I don't really like the ones that project light but like the ones that play music and rotate... worked great for the boys!