Baby Gift Registry or Not? That is the Question.

Baby wish lists are a thing of the here and now and so naturally, at MMM we wanted to get in on the action. We often find that sending out a gift list or registry list can bring up quite a bit of controversy especially when it comes to one for baby gifting, with so many mixed opinions out there.

So we’ve compiled our take on things to consider and our top tips on how to make the most out of your registry.

The Pros of a Baby Gift Registry

• The most obvious, is that you get to receive items which you have hand selected and work for you and your little bubba; items you want and need. Whether that is based on your parenting style or your aesthetic taste – it’s a great way to guarantee that you will love every item sent to you.
  
• You can reduce a lot of waste as often when you are gifted items you end up with multiples of the same item or excessive amounts of things you don’t really need. 
  
• You can plan ahead and get everything you need for your newborn in time. This is a great win-win for you and your family and friends, who will love the idea of being able to give you something you want and will be used straight away. And for you, it will save you money you would have spent on the things you need.
  
• A gift registry will remove the pressure and stress of finding a great gift for your friends and family and is ideal for those who may not know you very well but want to send you something to welcome your new baby. 
  
• It makes it even easier for friends and family to send gifts from afar and wide without physically seeing you – this may be especially handy if you live abroad or are living in a pandemic (aka 2020). 
  
• By creating a gift registry and receiving gifts you know you’ll love, you save yourself the inevitable shopping centre dashes for exchanges – not the most fun experience when you have a newborn.

The Cons of a Baby Gift Registry

• It’s often difficult to know exactly what you will actually need and use before baby arrives (that is beyond the basic essentials). For example, you may think you will use a dummy and put some cute ones on your registry but you might never need one or your baby might end up preferring a different type.
  Every baby is different, they are their own individual beings, just like you and me, and so their preferences will differ too. Thereby, by ordering and planning in advance you may end up with some items you never use and so waste may happen.
  
• Whilst gift registries are far from taboos, they’re not always taken in a positive light as often people feel like they are being forced to buy something from a list of items. 
  
• Using a gift registry effectively removes the element of surprise from gift receiving and so if you’re partial to a bit of suspense and some cute wrapping, you might luck out on this one.
  
• Similarly, if you have friends and family who are experienced mums they will be well versed in what is useful with regards to babies and so by limiting them to a gift registry you may miss out on a great item you otherwise would have been able to try out.
  
• A gift registry effectively takes away the imagination and creativity that can go into the gift giving process and so you might miss out on some really awesome bespoke or personalised gifts that you may have otherwise received. 
  
• You have to put the time in rather than the gift giver.

Our Tips on a Baby Gift Registry

• Use a universal registry like www.myregistry.com – this allows you to select products from a plethora of different websites and put them all in one place for your friends and family to peruse
  
• Try to pick a good number of gifts which will sit within a variety of different gifting budgets depends on who you’re sending the list out to – make sure there is something for everyone but also lots of items around a certain price point if you think that’s a common budget.
  
• Try to stick to items which would ordinarily make good gifts rather than giving in to the temptation to put on a box of wipes and nappy bin refills.. Remember your friends and family are choosing to gift you something and so it should still feel like they are giving you a gift even if it’s something you’ve already handpicked
  
• Consider sending a little message to say that it’s not essential to pick something from the list – in most cases your list of recipients will have experienced mums who know a lot about parenting and good buys and so you might be missing a trick if you limit people to only buying from a registry.

Ultimately, it comes down to what a gift means to you; is it the element of surprise when you receive a package and the thought that has gone behind or is it receiving what you need and want and will work with your lifestyle? There’s no right or wrong, it’s always best to go with whatever works for you and your baby!

Did you have a baby gift registry? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section below.