I’m becoming my own personal shopper

By Published On: June 2nd, 2010
Written by: Ginny June 01 2010

Isn’t it nice that just as shopping for your own clothes becomes decidedly un-fun, you come up with a billion and one things to buy for baby?

If you’ve been following along with our Maternity & baby gear reviews lately, you’ve seen some of the big registry items on my list. I had a blast compiling my favorite things for baby, although it was definitely challenging making all those decisions. I know what I like … sometimes … but I don’t feel that I have a very consistent personal style, so it takes extra exertion to find things that (a) Ilike from a practical point of view, (b) look cool enough to get me excited, and (c) seem to go with the other items I’ve chosen in terms of color and style.

But really, I’m not in any way complaining! During my first pregnancy I relied on the book Baby Bargains pretty heavily – using it to decide which items were really worth purchasing and which were possibly overrated. I registered at Babies”R”Us and Target and brought home some great loot from my two baby showers . Afterward, I found and purchased several of the items I still lacked through CraigsList.com. I scored a Fisher-Price cradle swing (complete with batteries) for $25, a classic BabyBjorn for $20 or $25, and a Tiny Love playmat for $10. Not bad, right? My dad refinished the crib I slept in as a baby (but of course, I’m not recommending using a hand-me-down crib – do as I say, not as I do!) and we bought a new mattress to stick in it. In short, we were good to go for pretty darn cheap.

This time around, I really considered all the gear I’ve come across over the past couple years of working with P&N, trying to decide which items were truly my personal favorites. Some gear categories have so many choices available that it’s nearly impossible to decide. Take strollers, for instance:I really don’t think there’s one single best stroller in the world. Same with highchairs. In fact, friends are frequently asking me for gear recommendations, and I have a hard time keeping my answers concise. It’s like, “Well this one is really great, but if you’re more into this, then this other option might be the best for you … And don’t forget this other choice over here!” Just like everything else in life, there are pluses and minuses to pretty much any piece of baby gear. And that’s why so many of us end up buying so much of it.

Keep tuning in to check out more of my top registry picks during the next few weeks.