Hellobee Boards

We started with the big items. Crib, car seat, stroller, swing, bouncer, pack n play. Really, just set a price range and then search within that.

We have 2 Graco strollers (A larger one that came with our travel system and a smaller Mosaic) and a Snugride carseat. I really like all of them and they were within our budget.

I know this DOESN'T help because it completely contradicts what a PP just said, but get one of those all inclusive lists that babies r us will give you.
It has A LOT of stuff on there that is 100% wasteful and you'll never need, but it also has everything you do need.
So, I just a star next to everything we'd def need and a line through everything we wouldn't.
Then, I highlighted what i'd ask my mom friends about because I was confused.
Then I made my list....started out with big items because I knew i'd get small items from shower.
I got:
all nursery bedding, cribs, dresser, glider, hangers, mattress on my own.
stroller, swing and carseat.

I registered for everything else....but I didn't register for half of what other people do just because I don't feel like I need a swing, bouncer and bassinet....they all do the same thing.You also should get bottles.....get some. But, 1. you don't know if pumping will be successful ...2. you don't know if your baby will want a certain brand.
If you want to look through my registry I can give you my info! I've had mine approved by about 3 different moms to make sure it wasn't missing anything or had too much of anything.

what's your email address? I can email you my first and last name so you can look it up if you'd like:)

i agree, start with the big stuff (crib, car seat, stroller). (Register for those and hope that your parents bite!....ours did!) To figure out which ones to get I'd look online and see the ones that catch your fancy: read their reviews and if you have time see them in real life. (This is especially true for strollers and car-seats....for the infant car seat see how heavy it is as you will be carrying it around a lot, likely).

It is likely that lots of people will buy you most everything else, whether you register or not. People love buying things for babies. It is a reason I would recommend for you not to buy anything.

And don't be afraid to start your registry really really really early and just not tell anyone about it. I did that and as I read things on Hellobee and such, I would pop onto my registry and update or change items. People won't always use the registry, but dont be afraid to return things they give you to exchange for things you actually need. I wish I did that a bit more....I only did it for duplicate items.

Things that people don't buy you, you can buy for yourself in the end. So long as you have your car seat and crib and diaper-changing stuff when the baby is born you are fine. And don't worry about 'shopping with the newborn' because you can order pretty much anything online and have it shipped to you.

We made a spreadsheet. I had categories according to things like Gear, Clothing, etc. We bought all of our own stuff, so we didn't have a registry that people referred to when they bought us gifts.

Since you mentioned the stroller, I'd recommend selecting your car seat first. Make sure it fits in your car and then see what strollers it is compatible with, that is, if you go without the popular infant bucket/snap and go frame. I'd also remember that there isn't one stroller out there that does everything. It can't be an all terrain jogger and a super small umbrella stroller, so think about your lifestyle!

Good luck!

I looked at numerous lists, trolled Hellobee for comments on products, asked friends about necessary vs useless items, etc. Then looked at Amazon product reviews before deciding between items.

I made an excel spreadsheet with a column for necessary items, one for wanted items, and one for clothes. I put in links when I found "the" item " (such as the Twilight Turtle constellation nightlight), prices, and the number we had on hand if we needed multiple (for things like onesies.) (Course, I put that together when DH wanted to go ahead and try for kids while being a college student, and I'd been unsuccessfully job-searching for over 6 months. Money WOULD have been ultra tight.)

I decided against a Moby, because I just don't trust myself to wrap it properly. I will NOT get a diaper genie, because they tend to be no less hassle than an ordinary trash can, along with the need for special bags. I'll probably get a Bumbo, as a friend has used hers every single day since her oldest was 6 months old

@cyneswith: we used our bumbo only a few times. My lo's chubby legs never fit, she would get stuck! It all just depends on your baby and what they like. You can do all the research in the world and buy the best, highest rated, most expensive stuff, but your lo might prefer the cheapo version.

I haven't bought a lot of big stuff yet (we're 25 weeks) but what I have bought has been in the sales. We're also Team Green so I'm only really buying enough clothing to get us through the first couple of weeks.

FWIW my midwife reckons that the only essential equipment / furniture that you absolutely need is a cot / crib / bassinette, a carseat and a good stroller / pushchair - everything else can be improvised.

I have a couple of friends with new babies so I've been asking them what they've found useful and they've also very generously offered to lend me stuff to try it out.

And one last thought, check with your families if they have any loyalty points / programmes that you can use to buy baby stuff. My Mum has stacks of Flybuys points (a New Zealand loyalty programme) so she's getting my a woollen cot underlay, a cot duvet and a play gym.

BTW, my first purchases were sale items I bought while TTC: funky toddler shoes, trinkets while traveling. But my first real purchase after we found out the gender were little tiny flower headbands for LO's newborn photo session:
https://www.etsy.com/transaction/72561551
https://www.etsy.com/transaction/72561550

They're not essentials at all! But buying specific items for me is what built up my confidence to continue with all the rest.

1/. crib, 2/ car seat/stroller, 3/basics (receiving blankets, 5 NB onesies, socks, and a hat, a few diapers and wipes, thermometer, and that was it. We got gifted a boppy which turned out to be essential. Everything else is extra.

There are some great suggestions here! I agree with doing some browsing to get a feel for prices and then sit down and do a budget with your SO.

We planned on purchasing all the big items by ourselves and then seeing what gifts we got from the shower for smaller things. In the end a few people did offer and buy a few bigger things which was nice

1. Crib with mattress - $200-$300
2. Car Seat - $200
3. Stroller - $200
4. Breast pump - $300
5. Swing - $100
6. Bouncer - $50
and then I think we added in another $200-$300 for little things.

We did not purchase the high chair until after she was born and we found a good deal on a used one. We also waited and did not buy extra car seat bases but bought a convertible seat.

I third @Oliviaobliviaand @Ladyfingers suggestion for Lucies List!

I also loved the list--and the pregnancy calendar!-- at AlphaMom. Amalah is the cat's pajamas!

http://alphamom.com/pregnancy-calendar-overview/

Doing it all over again: car seat, rocking chair, crib, changing pad, bath tub and bottles would be the basic foundations.