What exactly do you need to register for??

The question of baby registries recently came up while I was talking with a group of friends.  I mean, really, how many things can a tiny baby actually need??  Of course, there's shelter, food, clothes, and diapers, but all that other stuff that the stores tell you that you can't live without???

My husband and I went in to register for our baby with two different thoughts in mind.  My husband thought that we should only register for the absolutely necessary items.  I thought that we should register for a few "extra" things.  There's nothing wrong with wanting both a crib and a Pack n' Play, a high chair, a couple of different strollers, as well as all the clothes, mattress pad, changing pad, diaper bag, carrier, toys, etc. etc. etc.  Needless to say, we spent nearly four hours at the store trying to agree on what to register for.

After all the hassle of trying to register, after our baby came, we realized that many of the things we thought we needed (i.e., bottles, nipples, swing, sleep sacks, etc.) weren't really all that important.  Our daughter refused bottles for over two months.  Then, we had to "experiment" with different nipples until we found one that she would actually take.  This called for all different brands of bottles and nipples.  She wasn't a huge fan of the swing - she preferred to walk up and down the stairs or be raised and lowered by the mechanism of Mom and Dad's biceps.  I also found out that I hate sleep sacks and any other clothing item that involved putting something over my newborn's head.

So, what do you really need to register for?  Well, for me, it was burp cloths, receiving blankets, onesies/pajamas that either zipped or snapped,  Dreft, and my Baby Bjorn.  These are the items that I cannot live without.

Now that my daughter is older, we have added in other items.  She no longer minds having outfits pulled over the top of her head (although I still prefer easy-access outfits for those messy diaper occasions), she needs the teething toys and pacifiers during certain times of the day, she absolutely loves her Baby Einstein activity gym, and I still can't do without our Baby Bjorn carrier and All Terrain Jeep umbrella stroller.  But, what I have basically learned is that every child is different.  What one mother says she can't live without, another mother might say that the same item was useless for her child.  So, the bottom line, be sure you keep your receipts so that you can return items should they not work out for your child or find someone who needs the items you can't return.  And, don't spend too much time fretting about a gift registry before Baby even arrives.  The things you think you won't be able to live without are often the things your baby wants nothing to do with (at least that's how it was with me and my baby!).