Diapers and Strollers and Cribs OH MY!

"Are you registered yet???" This was a question I hadn't anticipated would come so early in my 40 week adventure. As soon as we found out that "it" was actually a "her" it seemed to be the quickest question to fly out of people's mouths. And then I realized. I gotta get a bunch of stuff for this baby. Well, I suppose 'bunch' is relative but seeing as Chris and I aren't exactly what you would call 'big spenders' shopping for many new items is a bit out of our repertoire. Don't get me wrong here, I know all about the joys of second hand but there are a few items that just shouldn't be reused. As I started perusing the baby isle on the wide, wonderful world of the internet I found that there is a lot too many options out there. It left my head spinning! A frenzy of text messages and e-mails ensued. This overwhelming, primal surge came over me. I became consumed by the 'things' that my baby would need upon her arrival. Like which ones were most cost effective, longest lasting, highest quality and most of all SAFEST (hormonal nesting anyone?). I was asking every mommy I knew what she bought and why, not to mention 'honey come look at this' (he handled this phenomenally and was a lot of help in researching the bigger items). After a few weeks of looking, searching, calling, analyzing and looking some more I feel confident that I have chosen items that I REALLY want. 


While talking with a brand-new-mommy friend of mine it was brought to my attention that most people want to buy you clothes. I factored in that my first born is also of the female gender which equals boat loads of cute clothes that are just screaming to be bought and worn... However. There are enough new baby friends right now that we shouldn't have a problem getting enough hand-me-downs to clothe her twice over. Another possible hazard is that each person has their own distinct taste in clothing and it is a lot easier to let the momma do the picking. I was also recalling a few of the baby showers I went to when I was younger where I didn't have the cash to get an expensive item or know enough of the other attendees to go in on a gift yet felt it was only proper to show up with a nicely wrapped gift. As I'm writing this I am praying that I am not the only one who has found myself in this position. Unfortunately, I also didn't realize that by buying something I 'thought' she might like I was possibly creating a situation where little momma-to-be would have to exchange/take back the 'gift'. This requires one to expend more time and energy, which seem to be two of the things you lack during pregnancy.  I should have given a thoughtful card or a $5 gift certificate to the store she was registered at... but hey... you live, you learn and then you have a baby (not always in that order). 

The first item that consumed my mind was what every baby needs. and needs a lot of (no not love, that's a given) DIAPERS. Yep, the big D. I will be using disposables while her umbilical chord is still attached and for ease while traveling but cloth is our diaper of choice. A friend of mine had introduced me to the bumGenius brand a few years ago and I just couldn't believe that those were cloth diapers. I remember my mom using the white cloth diapers with the safety pins and those completely unfashionable (and bulky) clear plastic covers (bleh). These cloth diapers were less bulky, snugger fit and cute to boot! Naturally I looked into them. After talking to Chris, other mommies, a baby store and non stop internet investigation I decided that I want to get the organic bumGenius one size diapers. They are somewhat steep in price ($24.95) but Chris and I felt that the organic cloth is very important to us and they are only $7 more than the non-organic ones. Rumor has it that the snaps aren't as effortless to put on a squirmy babe as the non-organic velcro ones but they've gotta be an improvement from the safety pin right? There are lots of adorable colors to chose from and if anyone is planning on buying them as a gift I am requesting that we stick to gender neutral colors as we would like to use them for more kids later down the road (all colors are great minus pink and blue). These are not included in my registry, as they did not offer the organic ones on that site but here's a link for them http://www.cottonbabies.com/product_info.php?cPath=98&products_id=1825. 

After I had the diaper situation under control I moved onto cribs and found that I had an affinity for the modern style. The first one I fell in love with was the Argington Sahara. Much to my dismay this crib is $685... boo. So I started searching for modern style cribs with friendlier price tags. I found the Babyletto Mercer 3-in-1 for $399 which was a more manageable price to justify.  The versatility that is afforded by purchasing a convertible crib ensures that our little girl will get her use out of the furniture and the quality will allow us to hand it down to future children . This crib is offered via the site I used for my registry but they are currently out of the espresso color that I want. I will be anxiously waiting for them to have more in stock so I can register for it. 


Then I was on my way to car seats, strollers, swings, playpens and all the other 'stuff' I could imagine I needed for our little girl. And to tell you the truth, I feel a little bit of relief having this whole registry thing under way. OH! I am registered at http://www.diapers.com/. These very same items may be out there in some far off corner of the galaxy that I left undiscovered so just let me know if you find better deals!!!!!