Baby Registry Regrets

The number one item I wish I registered for? Spoiler alert- It’s a wagon. (But keep reading!) My kids are currently 6 and 8, so it’s been a little while since I did a baby registry. Since then, I have seen so many cool products and registry ideas that I wish I had a do-over! There are a few essential items I am positively kicking myself for not adding to my baby registry. Scroll down even farther to see what the mommas over at @pump_momma_pump wish they registered for!
*This post is not sponsored by any registry sites or stores. Ahhh, refreshing to hear!*
Disclaimer- This post may contain links, but have not been sponsored by any specific brands.

Top 3 registry regrets

• NUMBER 1 REGRET: I wish I got a stinkin’ WAGON! Listen mommas… I could STILL be using this wagon! My petite 6 year old hates any long distance walking, so a wagon would come in handy on walks around the neighborhood, at the county fair, trick-or-treating… etc! If I registered for a wagon with baby #1, I would have been using that gift for over 8 years now… can you say that about any other baby registry item? Nope! Still kicking myself for not registering for, or buying one myself! (Alas I think it’s too late to invest at this point… *sighhh*)
  • What kind of wagon? As long as it folds up, I’d be cool with it. While something like this Larktale Caravan looks amazing, I’d also be thrilled to have something as “basic” as the Wonderfold. My husband would probably love the grey and orange Jeep wagon! GAH! Looking at these has thrown me into deep despair- whyyy didn’t I get a wagon?! *first world problems, much? Hehe*
    
    
• A close second: Wish I got a stroller with a basinet attachment. They look so posh, don’t they? Like a proper vintage English pram. My baby could have been blissfully sleeping in a movable basinet instead of scrunched into a car seat. Our neighborhood was very walkable and I had summer babies, so I spent a lot of time going on walks. Walking was good for my mental and physical health, and was a way for me to connect with my husband after work. I wish I registered for a stroller with attachments for every age and stage.
  • This Thule brand one would have been amazing, though I was very happy with my Baby Jogger even though it didn’t come with a basinet option!
    
• Coming up third: I regret registering for diapers and baby clothes! Buying diapers was not a hardship for us personally, and we enjoyed trying several different brands before picking a favorite. (Pampers ended up being the worst, and Huggies/Kirkland were our favorites!) As for baby clothes, Everyone gives you those anyway! Both of my babies were early and tiny, so the holiday-specific clothes didn’t line up with their sizes, I didn’t realize I had no use for baby shoes (most pointless item ever) or that I’d come to prefer snap jammies over zippers! (I am definitely in the minority there, LOL) I’d rather put some big ticket items on the registry instead of ten zillion outfits they outgrow instantly, and diapers we didn’t even like!
  
• Lastly, shoulda registered for a wearable breast pump! Okay I know I said 3, but I would be remiss if I didn’t include this one. After all, I do run “Pump Momma Pump!” I wish I registered for a wearable breast pump. I got my trusty Spectra through insurance, and I was gifted the Baby Buddha… but I paid for that Elvie out of pocket and ooof did that hurt my wallet! I wish I had registered for it, or for a gift card toward it! I would have included a mid-grade wearable on my registry instead of buying a super expensive one myself.
  • The MomCozy M5 or Lacevo would have been great to register for!

Thinking outside of the box (or gift bag!)

Did you know that many registry sites let you register for things that can’t be wrapped in a box or stuffed into a gift bag? You can register for a postpartum doula, a postnatal massage or facial, parenting magazine, photography sessions, house cleaning, babysitting, meal delivery or laundry service!
My number one “can’t be wrapped” gift regret?

• MEALS! I wish I had asked someone to set up a meal train with friends, family, even church members! I remember getting home from the hospital, expecting a porch full of casseroles, and getting… nothing. I ate cereal and I cried.
  Even DoorDash or GrubHub would have helped in those early days! I have distinct memories of hobbling through the grocery store on the way home from the hospital, so sore from birth, filling my cart just like it was any other week. Who let me do that? Seriously major regrets there!

Sharing is caring

One of the best “gifts” I got after having my second baby was 4 black trash bags of hand-me-downs. For those unfamiliar with that term… I am talking about gently used baby clothes passed down so someone else can get use out of them and avoid buying everything new.
My coworker’s twins were a year older than my daughter, so she was eager to get rid of bins of baby clothes, and I was eager to receive!
Why more people don’t pass along baby clothes is a mystery to me. Infants don’t wear each size for very long, so if they aren’t completely stained, pass those on to someone who could give them a second life!
The regret here is buying soooo many new clothes, when I could have requested hand-me-downs or purchased from my local thrift or consignment stores.

What the mommas really want

When I asked my mommas over at https://www.instagram.com/pump_momma_pump/
what they wish they registered for, I got hundreds of answers. The number one regret? Not registering for a…

• BABY BOTTLE WASHER! Now, keep in mind that most of my Instagram community is made up of pumping mommas, so bottle washing is a BIG TIME hassle for them, for sure. I was actually blown away by how many mommas wish they had a baby bottle washer. I was curious, so I asked a follow-up question. For those who had a washer, which one did they get and love? The results were, in order of popularity:
  • MomCozy
  • Baby Breeza
  • Countertop dishwashers (I know this isn’t a “baby” item but it was a verrrry popular answer!)
  • Papablic

Tips for your baby registry

I could do a whole blog on tips for creating a baby registry, but that isn’t the point of this particular post. Since we are talking about regrets, that’s the spin I’ll take here: Making a registry you won’t regret!

• Talk to mommas! What do they regret putting on their registry? What do they wish they had registered for, instead? Take notes!
• Don’t register for things that expire, like formula. Instead, put gift cards on that list so you can make those purchases yourself, when you need to.
• Don’t try to be someone you’re not. Registering for cloth diapers and homemade baby food-makers will not automatically make you a crunchy mom if you’re not already crunchy, know what I mean?
• When in doubt, include it! Nothing is too big or too small to be on a registry. If you only include big ticket items, you may wish you got more smaller necessities. If you only include small items, you may wish you took a chance including that stroller or crib!
• Look into what non-gift items you’re going to wish you included, like food delivery or a laundry service.
• Second or third baby? Go ahead and make a registry! It’s not gauche, and you may regret not asking for what you need! Even if you don’t have a baby shower or baby sprinkle, make a registry. That way, if someone asks, you have a link to easily give them.

What are YOUR biggest registry regrets?