First Time Mama Needs Advice on Best Places to Register!!

I agree with Karen. Babies R Us is hands down the best place and target is pretty great also. You can order online from Target-they are affliated with Amazon. You can register at babies r us right online and then go into the store to make modifications.

Good Luck and Congrats!

Babies 'R Us for sure. Do NOT register at Target. Horrible return/exchange policy and the prices are the same at babies r us. You will receive many coupons for babies r us as well so i find you save more that way. Good luck and congrats!!

Babies R Us is definitely the place to register at! Target, I think has the worst return policy. I have always gotten a hassle when I try to return something.

I would not register at Target. Their return policy has gotten better recently but you most likely will get duplicates. Try Kohl's and Babies R' Us.

I registered @ Babies R Us & Target. People can shop online or in stores, plus I believe you can return unneeded items in the store, even if it was bought online. Congrats and good luck!!

Hi M.!

Congrats on your new family member!!

I registered at Babies R Us only because they have a great return/exchange policy. I was looking at Target as well, and was told by many friends and family members that the return/exchange policy there was really strict.

Best Wishes and Happy Baby :)

Good suggestions from the other moms. BRU is great and they have almost everything you could possibly need. I also agree with Target - their return policy is a pain in the rear. If you like upscale decor, PB kids and Land of Nod are wonderful and offer online registries.

One thing I didn't see recommended here -- bring a trusted friend who is also a mom with you when you register and do some of your research ahead of time.

The mom friend can tell you what you really need, what is great to have and what you can skip because you'll never need it. The stores offer lists, which can be a helpful starting point, but you probably won't need everything on the list and keep in mind that they're in it to make as much money as they can.

The research will help you save a ton of time in the store and will help narrow your selection on larger ticket items such as strollers and car seats. Knowing the safest rated before you go in can really help and can provide you with more time to do the fun stuff (like nursury decor) while eliminating confusion. If you don't have one already, I highly recommend an online subscription to Consumer Reports - they have a huge section dedicated to baby products that are rated based on cost, safety, praticality, use, etc. I think it's like $40 a year, but it's worth it!

Have fun!!

congrats! Being a first time is exciting and overwhelming. When I was pregnant I registered at Babys R Us and Target. I had no problems returning anything, but I don't think I had much to return anyway....however, pick a place that has things you want and need. I had most of my things picked out at Babys R Us, but since they are not all over the place (and not everyone in the older generations of my family are computer savvy) I registered some items at Target, too. Just have fun!!!

Oh, and it is NOT rude to ask when the shower will be. They should be setting it up with you anyway.......I had mine when I was 7 1/2 months.

Target and Babies R Us are both great places to register. I know for sure you can order on line at Babies R Us and pretty sure you can at Target as well. Good luck!

Babies r us for sure. I agree with avoiding Target due to their return policy unless you don't plan on returning. But you always end up getting a double fo something. Babies r us keeps the registry available online for a year I believe. So I suggest you just register now and that way you don't have t rush.

It doesn't matter where you register, I'm sure you've already picked out certain things you want. It's better for your friends to register at one of the more reasonable stores where they sell the same brand names as Macys for half the price.

Congratulations, M.!

Babies R Us is great! Target is good, but you'll need a receipt for returns. Without a receipt, you can only return up to 3 times within the year. I think a lot of people get frustrated with that!

I also created a Wish List on amazon.com. Great place to register for books, and hard-to-find items. I have family and friends who live out of town/country as well, and they appreciate being able to go online and order through amazon. Just a suggestion!

Enjoy this season in your life!!

Babies R Us. DO NOT REGISTER AT TARGET!! First, you have to have the gift receipt to return anything and everything. If you don't have the receipt, you can only exchange $20 PER PERSON PER YEAR (yes, YEAR) of items. Not everyone at your shower will include receipts, trust me.

Congradulations****

I have two boys, boys are great!!!! I would say Babies r us too, but a girlfriend of mine just found out about buy buy baby its in Downers Grove and she said it was a great store, i'm going with her this weekend to check it out. you should check it out also. a shower is given around 6 or 7 months. Good luck and enjoy every momement

Hi M.,
Congratulations on your pregnancy, that is great! If you are looking for one place to get all the basics, you only need Babies R Us. They truly have cornered the market and have literally everything you need. If there is a store close to you (there's one on Golf and Roselle in Schaumburg), I suggest going there in person. They have working-mother friendly hours and the baby registry desk is immediately to your right as you walk in the doors. They have a checklist they hand you when you register which lists everything you need (and more!), you can make your initial selections from there. If you want specifics on what I suggest you are welcome to e-mail me individually. If you're not close to Babies R Us, that is fine too - you can do literally everything online.
If you feel a second store is necessary I'd go Target. The prices between the two stores are almost exactly the same, so one isn't a great bargain over the other, just a little different variety.
I'm not sure how ritzy you or your family are, but for a higher-end store there's always Pottery Barn Kids, or even more so, all the major labels have kids lines now - Tiffany's Coach, etc. Those are more for decorative v/s practical items though. Even Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie's new twins need your basic diapers and onsie's :-) And BTW, I have a friend who got the Coach diaper bag and swears it was the worst thing she's ever used. Definitely fashion over form on that one.
Good luck, this is one of the fun parts! Enjoy.
Mary-Claire

Yeah! Registering is so fun! I would suggest focusing on two main options and to consider what your family members who live far away (and some who might not want to shop online) have available to them.

Babies R Us is great and has a good return policy, unless it's clothing that has been out too long and you don't have a gift receipt. (They suggest not even registering for clothing because of this issue.)

I also did register at Target, but probably wouldn't do so again.

My boss had a sister-in-law registered online at OneStepAhead.com and that was a fun place to surf around on. I registered there, but only told my boss. She didn't get me anything from there anyway, but I ended up ordering some things from there myself later!

Because my Mom works at Walmart, I also registered there and only told my immediate side of the family.

You could consider Buy Buy Baby and see if they have locations around the country - it's like Babies R Us, but owned by, and set up like, Bed, Bath, and Beyond.

Finally, I was a research junkie about baby equipment and really enjoyed using the book Baby Bargains to help me decide what I wanted. My sister (an experienced mom of two) also went with me to Babies R Us one day to help me out with all of the little stuff that my husband didn't have the patience for once the big items had been decided.

Have fun!!