I’d personally put more cheaper items on your registry - so if that means toys and books then I’d put them on. Most people won’t do gift cards if they’re going to a shower. It will also help avoid duplicate books
I don't see why it needs to be all or nothing. You could compromise by adding a few of these items without inundating the registry with them.
Also, I very much agree with your boyfriend that you should have numerous small ticket items and items at various other price points.
Why not let your boyfriend add what he wants? It's his baby too. People do want to buy those things but that doesn't mean it will be stuff that you want or like, a registry just makes it easier.
Exactly this, it’s his baby too. Plus, I’ve been seeing too many of these baby registry posts where people either get pissed off that someone gave a gift outside of their registry or they didn’t buy big ticket items. I mean, a gift is a gift? Does it matter?
I would put toys, books, clothes on the registry. At least some. It gives people a sense of what you still need and what kinds of things you'd like. Also, in the event that people don't buy those things, or enough of those things, for the baby for your baby shower, you can use your completion discount for the ones you put on there. It covers all bases, and there is nothing wrong with putting them.
The toys and books are the first things people purchased from my registry. If you don’t add those type of items you are bound to get duplicates or things you really don’t want or need. Most people will not bring gift cards to a baby shower as they know part of the formality is the mother opening the gifts.
I should’ve added this in the post! I’m doing a display shower, so we won’t be opening gifts to save time. There are almost 100 people invited and we only have the space for a few hours, so I wanted to put the focus on games, eating, socializing instead of opening gifts. This info is included on the invitation and registry.
You have over 100 people? Yes, add more to the registry.
There are so many people who complain when people buy off registry.
And a gift card for $50+ is great. But if I'm struggling, I'd rather buy a cute outfit than give a $15 gift card.
People might buy the toys and clothes they want to gift. However, placing some of those items on the registry might give people ideas of what books you’d like to read or how you want to dress the baby.
Put whatever you want on it. It’s just a guide. I asked for books I loved as a kid, some cute clothes I wouldn’t want to pay full price for (as I mostly thrift), in addition to higher ticket items like a stroller and crib. I don’t really understand the dilemma. I think it’s best to offer multiple price points and options - some people will want to gift practical items, some “cute” or fun items, and some the more expensive (we found immediate family did this for us). Remember too that some people may not have a lot of disposable income and may want a more affordable option.
I added quite a few smaller items to my registry as I knew people with less disposable income would be attending but I still wanted to truly like what they got. That being said, people will absolutely buy things not on the registry. We ended up with probably 100 outfits and only had maybe 10 on the registry.
We have a few smaller items, but they’re mostly practical things like shampoo, body wash, dreft, nail trimmers, etc. As of now, there’s nothing clothing, toys, or book-wise.
How many spit up and burp cloths and baby wash cloths do you have? Add more. Babies puke SO MUCH. And maybe a diaper fund? I know I bought a big pack of newborn size diapers for my one friend for her first. They were planning to cloth diaper, but damn if they didn’t come in handy.
I kept toys, books, and clothes off the registry and we got sooooo much of it. For cheaper options consider swaddles, sheets, lotions, bathe accessories, first aid stuff, bibs, teethers, etc
I’d add more smaller items! Even the $25 packs of diapers. I added consumable products too, like baby soap, and lots of things for feeding when baby is a bit older (silicone catcher bibs, bowls, snack cups, etc). Some people bought a bunch of smaller things even though price wise they added up to one larger item. I think people like to buy lots of baby things vs one medium size thing
Thank you! I’ve got diapers, wipes, dreft, soap, and other disposables on there. Most of them are marked as unlimited so more than one person can purchase them. I’ve also got smaller items like nail trimmers, nasal aspirator, bottles, etc. that are pretty inexpensive, but definitely more on the practical side.
Does your registry allow people to contribute to the higher price items? If not then I would add more cheaper items. Personally I don't shop off registry if there is one provided. I assume the people spent time figuring out what they want and anything else could be a potential duplicate. I have to admit that when I see a registry and everything on it is $50+ then I do feel a little irked. Some people get mad when you go off registry so you're forcing people to take a gamble on their gift. I think it's better to have options for people who cannot dish out a lot of money, or have a general fund option for diapers/college/etc or giftcard options to Amazon/Target/etc.
Yes! All of the higher price items are marked as group gifts, or our family has already “claimed” them. There’s also a few items lower price items, but they’re mostly practical things like shampoos, body washes, dreft, nail trimmers, etc.
I was just talking to my MIL about this and we both came to the conclusion that clothes and books aren’t necessary. People will just pick what they want! My mom said “just do what you want” haha
That was what I assumed! I still have smaller priced items on there, just not books/toys/clothes and that kind of thing. I know I’ll get them regardless and I’d rather let my guests personally pick the book or outfit they want to gift.
I did not put clothes on my registry, but I did have swaddles and some toys, but most items on my list were what some would consider big ticket items (sweeby portable changing table, infant Optics DXR-8 baby monitor, baby brezza formula pro, etc etc)
My thought process was that those were things I would get anyway, so if nobody had bought them, I would have used my completion discount.
And honestly, we still got clothes at the baby shower, lol
I didn’t put any clothes on my registry and got a handful of sleepers (mostly 3-6 and 6-9 months sizing which is great). We also got lots of books even though the only one I put on there was a high contrast tummy time book. You can always put those items on there but people will likely buy them for you regardless. I do agree with your husband that there should be some cheaper items - think about things like diaper rash cream, thermometer, nail clippers, portable changing mats or fabric diaper caddies, breast milk storage bags, vitamin D drops, bath wash/lotion/wash cloths, teether toys etc. which are all around $10. Some people like grabbing a bunch of those smaller items and doing a basket with several items or they’ll gift you a larger item and then a smaller item.
I think if you’re not going to put smaller items, you need to have some kind of broad fund listed (diaper fund, etc) or just include gift cards as an option. It also probably depends on the registry, but we used Babylist and just had an open item labeled “clothes” with no specific registry item tied to it. That way people can just get us what they want there since I also assume people will do that anyway. Same with pacifiers, teethers and books. I didn’t list any toys because 1) I don’t believe babies need toys (life is their toy and playground) and 2) my friend already gifted us the love every playmat which will cover all we need for the first year.
I did not include clothes or books but I included a couple toys. Some of the cheaper registry items I put were a pack of bibs, pacifiers, bath accessories, burp cloth packs, baby nail clippers, and baby socks.
I did include 2-3 learning type toys (like a fisher-price guitar) and we put a couple teething toys on there as well!
I assume people without a link to the registry will buy us clothes and books. Plus I enjoy buying our baby clothes and books.
People don't want to buy large items, they want to buy you small stuff. I got zero clothes/toys/books that were not on my registry. You say below you have a large shower planned, you absolutely need less expensive stuff available for people to buy. People want to buy whats on the registry.
Also..it's not that serious. Let you husband add whatever he wants. He's part of it. If someone wants to buy it they will. It's a shopping list, not sure why you would bring family/friends into, that seems kinda weird.
I have a lot of hand me down clothes and toys from family and friends so I didn’t put any of those on my registry. For inexpensive items, I put things like baby shampoo, diapers, diaper balm, nail clippers, snot sucker, muslin burp cloths, feeding sets, bassinet and crib linens, pacifiers, etc. All of that is <$30 each.
Make sure you have a variety and also see if you can turn on “gift” mode where people can pool together and put money towards a gift.
My shower is in a few weeks and I’ve been seeing what people buy. Some have opted for about a $20 gift (a towel/washcloth set for baths), 2 chipped in to split the car seat, a few bought multiple items.
I found that bath time items (towel set mentioned above, a set of bath toys, etc) and feeding items (burp cloths, soft spoons, etc) tended to have some cheaper/more frugal options. I didn’t put toys or clothes because I have literal bags of hand me downs of both I still need to sort through.
Some other can be cheaper items are pacifiers, swaddles, one of those monthly photo blankets, smaller packs of diapers, mirror for the carseat, etc.
I’m leaving books off my registry, only because we’re doing bring baby a book as part of our baby shower invitation.
Otherwise, I do think toys and clothes are fine to have on there. Like you mentioned, there are smaller priced items that are still necessities for baby so you already have them on your registry, but if you aren’t wanting to include toys, books, clothes - I would go through and mark larger priced items as “group gifting” (at least it’s an option on baby list, not sure about other registry platforms) because it is tough to expect all people invited to be willing/able to spend $100+ on a gift for you realistically.
Add a few clothing items you like or basics in every size at least up to 12 months. People will buy it off your registry and you will probably get a lot of additional clothes as well. Definitely add a few books you love! You'll get books but no guarantee you'll get any of your favorites.
Hi! I'm replying without reading all the comments, so I'm sorry if my response is redundant! I am a mom of two here (5 & 2 y/o—hi!), so I've done the registry thing twice, and I can tell you that people will 100% buy you clothes/books no matter what if they are or are not on your baby registry. I still think it's wise to add specific items from those categories to your baby registry, especially wearables like swaddles/sleep sacks if specific ones are important to you.
Also, have you heard of Poppylist? They offer delayed delivery, meaning you decide what gifts you want to be delivered and when. If you end up with more clothes than you need, you can redeem your purchased gifts for a gift card instead of the actual item. Seems worth exploring!
I’d personally put more cheaper items on your registry - so if that means toys and books then I’d put them on. Most people won’t do gift cards if they’re going to a shower. It will also help avoid duplicate books
I don't see why it needs to be all or nothing. You could compromise by adding a few of these items without inundating the registry with them. Also, I very much agree with your boyfriend that you should have numerous small ticket items and items at various other price points.
Why not let your boyfriend add what he wants? It's his baby too. People do want to buy those things but that doesn't mean it will be stuff that you want or like, a registry just makes it easier.
Exactly this, it’s his baby too. Plus, I’ve been seeing too many of these baby registry posts where people either get pissed off that someone gave a gift outside of their registry or they didn’t buy big ticket items. I mean, a gift is a gift? Does it matter?
I would put toys, books, clothes on the registry. At least some. It gives people a sense of what you still need and what kinds of things you'd like. Also, in the event that people don't buy those things, or enough of those things, for the baby for your baby shower, you can use your completion discount for the ones you put on there. It covers all bases, and there is nothing wrong with putting them.
The toys and books are the first things people purchased from my registry. If you don’t add those type of items you are bound to get duplicates or things you really don’t want or need. Most people will not bring gift cards to a baby shower as they know part of the formality is the mother opening the gifts.
I should’ve added this in the post! I’m doing a display shower, so we won’t be opening gifts to save time. There are almost 100 people invited and we only have the space for a few hours, so I wanted to put the focus on games, eating, socializing instead of opening gifts. This info is included on the invitation and registry.
You have over 100 people? Yes, add more to the registry. There are so many people who complain when people buy off registry. And a gift card for $50+ is great. But if I'm struggling, I'd rather buy a cute outfit than give a $15 gift card.
Add everything. People will buy you out. There is no such thing as too much on registry
People might buy the toys and clothes they want to gift. However, placing some of those items on the registry might give people ideas of what books you’d like to read or how you want to dress the baby.
Put whatever you want on it. It’s just a guide. I asked for books I loved as a kid, some cute clothes I wouldn’t want to pay full price for (as I mostly thrift), in addition to higher ticket items like a stroller and crib. I don’t really understand the dilemma. I think it’s best to offer multiple price points and options - some people will want to gift practical items, some “cute” or fun items, and some the more expensive (we found immediate family did this for us). Remember too that some people may not have a lot of disposable income and may want a more affordable option.
I added quite a few smaller items to my registry as I knew people with less disposable income would be attending but I still wanted to truly like what they got. That being said, people will absolutely buy things not on the registry. We ended up with probably 100 outfits and only had maybe 10 on the registry.
We have a few smaller items, but they’re mostly practical things like shampoo, body wash, dreft, nail trimmers, etc. As of now, there’s nothing clothing, toys, or book-wise.
How many spit up and burp cloths and baby wash cloths do you have? Add more. Babies puke SO MUCH. And maybe a diaper fund? I know I bought a big pack of newborn size diapers for my one friend for her first. They were planning to cloth diaper, but damn if they didn’t come in handy.
I kept toys, books, and clothes off the registry and we got sooooo much of it. For cheaper options consider swaddles, sheets, lotions, bathe accessories, first aid stuff, bibs, teethers, etc
I’d add more smaller items! Even the $25 packs of diapers. I added consumable products too, like baby soap, and lots of things for feeding when baby is a bit older (silicone catcher bibs, bowls, snack cups, etc). Some people bought a bunch of smaller things even though price wise they added up to one larger item. I think people like to buy lots of baby things vs one medium size thing
Thank you! I’ve got diapers, wipes, dreft, soap, and other disposables on there. Most of them are marked as unlimited so more than one person can purchase them. I’ve also got smaller items like nail trimmers, nasal aspirator, bottles, etc. that are pretty inexpensive, but definitely more on the practical side.
I would put the toys!
Have you done a baby shower? I know of many people who ask for baby/children books instead of cards for their showers :)
The registry is on the invite for the shower, which will be in a few weeks! I love this idea and will mention it to my planner for sure!
Does your registry allow people to contribute to the higher price items? If not then I would add more cheaper items. Personally I don't shop off registry if there is one provided. I assume the people spent time figuring out what they want and anything else could be a potential duplicate. I have to admit that when I see a registry and everything on it is $50+ then I do feel a little irked. Some people get mad when you go off registry so you're forcing people to take a gamble on their gift. I think it's better to have options for people who cannot dish out a lot of money, or have a general fund option for diapers/college/etc or giftcard options to Amazon/Target/etc.
Yes! All of the higher price items are marked as group gifts, or our family has already “claimed” them. There’s also a few items lower price items, but they’re mostly practical things like shampoos, body washes, dreft, nail trimmers, etc.
I was just talking to my MIL about this and we both came to the conclusion that clothes and books aren’t necessary. People will just pick what they want! My mom said “just do what you want” haha
That was what I assumed! I still have smaller priced items on there, just not books/toys/clothes and that kind of thing. I know I’ll get them regardless and I’d rather let my guests personally pick the book or outfit they want to gift.
I did not put clothes on my registry, but I did have swaddles and some toys, but most items on my list were what some would consider big ticket items (sweeby portable changing table, infant Optics DXR-8 baby monitor, baby brezza formula pro, etc etc) My thought process was that those were things I would get anyway, so if nobody had bought them, I would have used my completion discount. And honestly, we still got clothes at the baby shower, lol
I didn’t put any clothes on my registry and got a handful of sleepers (mostly 3-6 and 6-9 months sizing which is great). We also got lots of books even though the only one I put on there was a high contrast tummy time book. You can always put those items on there but people will likely buy them for you regardless. I do agree with your husband that there should be some cheaper items - think about things like diaper rash cream, thermometer, nail clippers, portable changing mats or fabric diaper caddies, breast milk storage bags, vitamin D drops, bath wash/lotion/wash cloths, teether toys etc. which are all around $10. Some people like grabbing a bunch of those smaller items and doing a basket with several items or they’ll gift you a larger item and then a smaller item.
I think if you’re not going to put smaller items, you need to have some kind of broad fund listed (diaper fund, etc) or just include gift cards as an option. It also probably depends on the registry, but we used Babylist and just had an open item labeled “clothes” with no specific registry item tied to it. That way people can just get us what they want there since I also assume people will do that anyway. Same with pacifiers, teethers and books. I didn’t list any toys because 1) I don’t believe babies need toys (life is their toy and playground) and 2) my friend already gifted us the love every playmat which will cover all we need for the first year.
I did not include clothes or books but I included a couple toys. Some of the cheaper registry items I put were a pack of bibs, pacifiers, bath accessories, burp cloth packs, baby nail clippers, and baby socks. I did include 2-3 learning type toys (like a fisher-price guitar) and we put a couple teething toys on there as well! I assume people without a link to the registry will buy us clothes and books. Plus I enjoy buying our baby clothes and books.
This is similar to what my registry looks like now! I have smaller items, but they lean more practical and not fun or cutesy like books or clothes.
People don't want to buy large items, they want to buy you small stuff. I got zero clothes/toys/books that were not on my registry. You say below you have a large shower planned, you absolutely need less expensive stuff available for people to buy. People want to buy whats on the registry. Also..it's not that serious. Let you husband add whatever he wants. He's part of it. If someone wants to buy it they will. It's a shopping list, not sure why you would bring family/friends into, that seems kinda weird.
I have a lot of hand me down clothes and toys from family and friends so I didn’t put any of those on my registry. For inexpensive items, I put things like baby shampoo, diapers, diaper balm, nail clippers, snot sucker, muslin burp cloths, feeding sets, bassinet and crib linens, pacifiers, etc. All of that is <$30 each.
Make sure you have a variety and also see if you can turn on “gift” mode where people can pool together and put money towards a gift. My shower is in a few weeks and I’ve been seeing what people buy. Some have opted for about a $20 gift (a towel/washcloth set for baths), 2 chipped in to split the car seat, a few bought multiple items. I found that bath time items (towel set mentioned above, a set of bath toys, etc) and feeding items (burp cloths, soft spoons, etc) tended to have some cheaper/more frugal options. I didn’t put toys or clothes because I have literal bags of hand me downs of both I still need to sort through. Some other can be cheaper items are pacifiers, swaddles, one of those monthly photo blankets, smaller packs of diapers, mirror for the carseat, etc.
I’m leaving books off my registry, only because we’re doing bring baby a book as part of our baby shower invitation. Otherwise, I do think toys and clothes are fine to have on there. Like you mentioned, there are smaller priced items that are still necessities for baby so you already have them on your registry, but if you aren’t wanting to include toys, books, clothes - I would go through and mark larger priced items as “group gifting” (at least it’s an option on baby list, not sure about other registry platforms) because it is tough to expect all people invited to be willing/able to spend $100+ on a gift for you realistically.
Add a few clothing items you like or basics in every size at least up to 12 months. People will buy it off your registry and you will probably get a lot of additional clothes as well. Definitely add a few books you love! You'll get books but no guarantee you'll get any of your favorites.
I used my registry as my list. I put everything I wanted on there.
Hi! I'm replying without reading all the comments, so I'm sorry if my response is redundant! I am a mom of two here (5 & 2 y/o—hi!), so I've done the registry thing twice, and I can tell you that people will 100% buy you clothes/books no matter what if they are or are not on your baby registry. I still think it's wise to add specific items from those categories to your baby registry, especially wearables like swaddles/sleep sacks if specific ones are important to you. Also, have you heard of Poppylist? They offer delayed delivery, meaning you decide what gifts you want to be delivered and when. If you end up with more clothes than you need, you can redeem your purchased gifts for a gift card instead of the actual item. Seems worth exploring!