buybuySanity

I have come to this conclusion- I am no good at registering.  I wasn’t good when I was getting married, and I’m even worse when it comes to things for the baby.

The first problem was getting to the store that everyone was telling me was THE place for baby gear- buybuyBaby.  The nearest location is in a town called Brandon, a good forty minutes away from my house.  Factor in that you’ll need a couple of hours just to walk the store and find everything you need, you’re looking at almost an entire day’s long excursion.

My mom bravely accompanied me the first time and what I thought might take only an hour turned into three.  We were there almost up until the store was closing for the day.  Thankfully we got some guidance from willing and helpful employees who walked us around and showed me some things to register for.

“But,” they all said, “make sure you actually book an appointment for a ‘personal shop’ where one of our associates will take you around and assist you more thoroughly.  That way you have someone’s undivided attention.”

Yes!  I thought.  I need THAT.  I need that exact thing desperately.  I was so overwhelmed by beanies, and mittens, and onesies, and sleep sacks (and those are just to clothe the child) let alone safety gear, feeding accessories, and sleeping materials.  I needed someone to take my hand and say, “there, there, little Mommy-moron, this is what you’ll need to keep your child alive and, hopefully, happy.”

I called and made an appointment for my personal shop and miraculously talked Joe into joining me this time.  We arrived a little late (shocker) and I half expected to be pushed to the bottom of the line, but as we stepped up to the registry counter, one woman sat at the desk.  No other customers or clients were waiting in the chairs.

She greeted us and I told her my name, apologizing for our lateness.

“Oh, you’re fine.  You’re actually the only appointment we have at this time,” she said, assuringly.  I sighed with relief and gave her the rest of my information.  After that, she handed me the scanning gun and said, “Ok, now if you have any questions, feel free to ask,” while remaining at her station.

Hmmm…, I thought.  Isn’t the point of setting up a “personal shopping” experience is that someone personally walks around with you as you shop?  Maybe I was supposed to use some sort of code word to activate her.

“Well, I could really use some help finishing out this registry.  I’m totally lost and bewildered by all this stuff,” I joked.

“Oh…yeah sure, of course,” she said coming to her feet.  I immediately got the impression that maybe she doesn’t normally do these, as she seemed suddenly nervous when she joined me at my side.

For the next few hours, she guided us on a tour of the store, explaining what each section contained and offered tidbits of advice on what people “typically” registered for.

It was helpful, but I was missing the handholding experience I was hoping for.  When we got to bottle sterilizers, she talked about one brand in particular.  It was a bit on the pricey side, so I asked if there were other brands that were good.

“Well, you could do with the Philips…or the Dr. Brown’s.  But this one we always push,” she said, indicating back towards the expensive one.  Again, I don’t think she does this all the time, but she was still very sweet and patient even after I registered for the one that was $10 cheaper.

As we continued on in our tour, the gun was beginning to feel useless to me.  We were seeing everything the store had to offer, but were getting very little done in the way of actually registering for anything and I was getting antsy.  I found myself scanning random stuff, like baby-safe hand wash, just to feel like I was getting something done.

By the end, we finally arrived in the stroller section.  This was one of the main reasons I wanted to bring Joe with me- so that he could try out the stroller and we both could practice opening and closing it.  I also had more questions about the one I had registered for, so I was relieved that I would have some one-on-one time with an employee that I could ask questions to.

“Ok, so, I’m not as well-versed in the stroller-area but there are a few guys here that can answer your questions more thoroughly,” she said.  She grabbed the attention of one of the guys and told him that we would have some questions about strollers, but that we wanted to take a quick look at the baby carriers first.  The guy said sure, and then disappeared into the gathering crowd of couples milling about all the strollers.

After we had had our look at the carriers, the girl said, “Ok, well, I’ll leave you to the experts in our stroller department.  You can just bring me the gun whenever you are done, OK?” she said, smiling kindly.  We thanked her for her help and walked back over to the strollers.

It took me a few minutes to recognize the one I had registered for, and when I did, naturally, it was up on a shelf.  There was a similar one from the same brand on the actual floor and we began playing with it as we waited for our turn with an associate.  The one guy who had acknowledged us earlier was nowhere to be found while the only other guy was deeply engaged with another befuddled couple.  We continued to busy ourselves with the false-stroller, waiting and waiting for someone to approach us.  After nearly fifteen or twenty minutes, I had had enough.  My pregnancy hormones began to shift from a mild simmer to a stewing boil.  Fortunately, I had kept it all in check as we gave up the hope of actually talking to someone and walked back to the registry counter.

“Hi!” said our girl associate, “How’d it go?” she asked excitedly, but still glancing at her computer.

“Great!” Joe said, laying on the sweetness.  All I could muster was a “Good,” but I kept a smile on my face.

“Were you able to get a lot more stuff done?” she asked, eyes still fixed on her screen.

“Sure…,” I said weakly.  It wasn’t her fault, but I was disappointed and couldn’t help letting some of it seep out.

“How about the strollers?  Were you able to get your questions answered?” she asked, glancing back at us.

“We actually couldn’t get a hold of anyone,” I began, about to let more of the annoyance out, but at this she looked at us fully.  I could see she was concerned that she was about to get an earful, so I backed off.  “But it’s ok.  I understand.  It’s a weekend, and there are a lot of people here now…” I said quickly trying to smooth it over.

She apologized but there was nothing that could be done at this point.  The day was pretty much shot.   I regretfully handed back the barely-used scanner, and we walked out.  Joe tried to keep me from boiling over, but I was frustrated and couldn’t help it.  We have this huge list of stuff we are “supposed” to have for the baby, and I don’t think we even have 20% of it accounted for.

I came home and began thinking of all the mothers I know who could give me advice on what to register for and (even better) what I don’t need to bother with.  I got some great tips from my sister and sister-in-law, but then I thought, why not pose the question to YOU as well?

So I ask you, as one desperate mother-to-be to another- What are your Top Things I Must Specifically Register For and (conversely) What are the Biggest Money-wasters?  Sound off in the comments!