Registry, Take 2

Saturday we did something we thought we would not do...register at Target. Not that we have anything against Target per say, but I thought one registry would be enough and so did Tiffany. That was until we got a mailer from Target offering us a $20 gift card if we registered with them, so off to Target it was. 

This time it was much more low key. We got the “necessities” out of the way at Babies R’ Us so the pressure was off to a degree. Of course Target’s shelves are filled with items not just for baby and I was tempted to slip into electronics and throw a TV on the list, but I didn’t. 

But if it wasn’t already clear, Saturday made it official how different women look at a baby registry then men. For example, I think most women are actually shopping when putting things on the registry as if they are going to get everything they registered for. I, and I assume most men, want to include anything that looks interesting and that we wouldn’t buy ourselves. Example: We are buying a breast pump, it doesn’t really matter if somebody buys it for us or not, we are going to buy it. On the other hand, if the Baby Einstein rattle that attaches to the car seat doesn’t get bought, we may go ahead and take a pass.

With that in mind I was scanning some funky toys that looked cool, but that I would never buy. Also, we didn’t want to double up on too many items, just in case the registry genie arrived and people hit up both registries. Needless to say that I think we have EVERYTHING covered now.

On Sunday we headed to Tiffany’s grandparents for a labor day celebration. There we were greeted with more baby clothes that Tiffany’s mom had picked up. This child now has more clothes than I do, I’m not even exaggerating. We let her mom take the clothes back with her so we don’t have to move them next month when we move.

For those that don’t know, we have a bought a house closer to TIffany’s parents. Much of my attention lately has been focused on that, both the purchase of the new house and trying to sell our house. Let’s just say the purchase is going better than the sale. I’m glad this will be documented because down the road the headaches will be well worth it so it will be nice too look back and appreciate the effort that’s going to take place over the next few weeks.

This week we have the inspection on the new house. I’m not expecting any surprises, it’s new construction and looks solid. That same day we have tickets to the Dave Matthews concert. We timed that just right as shortly after we bought the tickets, the band announced that they would take a year off from touring. And with a child on the way, this will most likely be my last Dave Matthews Band concert for some time.

Just Browsing

While it’s too early to “officially” register, Tiffany and I have been checking out prices of various items at Target and Babies R’ Us to see if there’s difference and what should be registered for where. I don’t think there’s any doubt that the market for baby supplies has quadrupled in the last 20 years and that estimate is probably conservative. I can’t believe some of the stuff they’re trying to pass off as essential.

Anyway, there are some things that are necessary: crib, stroller, car seat, diaper bag etc... You can’t avoid these things, but you would think one could limit the spending. Last week Tiffany called me from Babies R’ Us and said she found a nice stroller and that it was made by Chico . It’s a stroller and also a car seat, a combo, a travel system as they call it. Many makes offer travel systems, Graco, even Eddie Baur, and I’m all for it. One less purchase,  we just have to buy an extra base so we have one for each car. 

However, when I heard Chico I thought that sounded expensive. Sure enough it’s one of the most expensive units on the market. Likewise when we’re at the store Saturday I saw a play yard that looked pretty good, that could also double as a bassinet for a week or two, only guess what? Chico makes one of those too and it’s 70 bucks or roughly 50% more than the one i thought looked good from Graco.

Now I’m not saying we need to buy things on the cheap, not at all, but who is the $300 stroller really for? The baby who doesn’t even know what a stroller is or mom or dad? I’m not saying I’m even against buying it, let’s just be honest and not buy these things under the assumption that it’s better for our child when in reality we could probably get one used and the baby would never know the difference.

Another debate that is raging right now is the “lifetime crib” vs. a traditional crib. And when I say raging debate, I mean neither of us can decide for certain which might be better. The lifetime crib, for those uninitiated folks, turns from a crib, to a toddler bed, to a full-size bed, so in theory, it could be the only bed frame you buy the child its’ entire life. Obviously, I like the idea of that. But I have some suspicions on whether or not that will be the case.

Already, I’m hearing things like, “Our guest room bed is a full so if nothing else, it could become the frame for that if we buy a cute kids bed later.” Again, sounds good in theory until the cute kid’s bed becomes embarrassing for the teenager to use. Do you switch back to the lifetime crib at that point and if so, what happens to the cute kids bed. I wouldn’t say I’m stressing about all this, I just find it interesting and wondering if they only have this lifetime crib as an option so they can squeeze another 40-60 bucks out of would-be parents, meanwhile it ends up in the trash heap or garage sale like everything else. I’m sure these are all issues that we’ll have to address at a later time. 

 I won’t even get into the “great glider debate”, we’ll save that for another post. Next doctor appointment in two days.