You’ve probably been to more baby showers than you can count at this point. They’re all pretty much the same, aren’t they? At your own traditional baby shower, you can look forward piles and piles of onesies, mostly in newborn to six-month sizes, which may not make it past the first few months. You may also get a few must-have items, more blankets and stuffed animals than you’ll ever use, and a few ‘unique’ gifts from well-meaning aunts.
Two months in, when you’re staring in disbelief at the receipt from your recent trip to buy diapers and wipes, you might be shaking your head. Why didn’t you just ask for gift cards to stock up on a year’s worth of essentials?
Before you head to the store with your Pinterest boards and that barcode-scanner, check out some different ideas below from parents who have been in your shoes and lived to tell about it.
Here are five alternative baby registry ideas to consider:
1. Subscriptions for diapers and wipes.
This tops the list for most useful gifts. For example, Amazon offers a comprehensive ‘Amazon Mom’ program for guests to contribute toward your first years’ worth of diapers and wipes.
2. Deposit a Gift.
This is basically a crowd-sourced registry where you can allow guests to contribute toward long-term goals such as cord blood banking or childcare fees.
3. Not Finding Out.
Allow your guests to buy gifts for a boy or girl even though you and your guests don’t know the gender! This website keeps it a secret for you, and you won’t get inundated with yellow and green baby items.
4. One-of-a-kind gifts.
Check out Etsy’s baby registry, where you can register for any unique gifts that suit your style. Moustache mobile? Droid onesie? No problem!
5. BabyList nontraditional registry.
There are plenty of ways to think outside the gift box. Whether you want art made from your baby’s umbilical cord cells or a gift card for laundry, there is something for everyone at BabyList.
During your pregnancy, you may hear about cord blood banking and wonder if it’s right for you. Talk to one of our specialists to learn more.