Out of My Element

Who said registering for this baby would be fun?

Actually, I don’t know that anyone really did. And now I see why … Registering for kitchen gadgets when we got married was way easier – and more fun – than this! At least I knew what all the things I was asking for actually WERE …

Yes, our baby registry has begun. Well, kind of. The only thing on it at the moment is a breast pump. Yes, that will look really odd to anyone who feels like an early bird and decides they want to look and see if we’ve asked for anything yet, but that’s as far as I got. And there’s a really good reason.

It all started yesterday when I mentioned to Andy that we should have our registry done by the beginning of April since my shower is at the beginning of May. Sounds like plenty of time, but really, we’re talking about a few weeks here. So he suggested I get things started online. Why not?

I’ll tell you why not! Because there are 50 different kinds of every single item I can think of to register for at 50 different prices that are wildly different and sometimes, from what I can see, based on little else but whether you want the pink-and-brown one or the navy-and-white one.

Seriously, I couldn’t even manange to add a package of cloth diapers to the registry (I’ve heard they’re a sensible way to go for burp cloths). I searched for them on babiesrus.com, expecting to find a couple options like the plain-jane white diapers my mom used, but the search returned 66 results! And then I was faced with the decisions: did I want organic cotton? cutesy designs? prefolds? 6-ply? gauze?

I gave up and tried to move on to the infant carseats, which I figured would be a snap since I know exactly which one I want: the Graco Snugride. It’s one of the handful of seats that are compatible with our Bob stroller, it’s highly ranked by users and Consumer Reports, and it’s affordable. Of course, it wasn’t that simple. Online they show three different colors, none of which are standard (they have names like Sterling, Jewel and Brentwood) and none of which I could really see well on my screen. So much for not having to pick that one out in person. (A fun side note: when I checked out Target.com to compare prices, I saw two more options (colors: Melbourne and Broadstreet) at two more different – though lower – prices! Agh! Now I have to go to both places to check them out.)

My head was officially spinning, so I took a break and decided quit. Bravely, I logged back on tonight. I started by looking for a Pack and Play, something that I was frankly proud just to know that I needed and have a general idea about what it was. Well, apparently that’s not enough. It seems like I need a PhD in Pack and Plays to actually make a purchasing decision. Once again the price range is huge, the colors are all funky and each one seems to come with a different collection of attachments that I can’t make heads or tails of (does Baby X really need two speeds of mattress vibration and a soundtrack of five different nature sounds? Doubtful).

That’s it. Screw this online stuff. I’m going to have to suck it up, go to both stores in person and – most importantly – take along an expert (a current mom, preferably with a child still 3 or under and preferably with more than one kid) to decipher the elusive baby-gear codes. Yep, I feel accomplished just thinking about it. I think I’ll reward myself with a bowl of Cinnamon Toast Crunch and last week’s Tivo’d “Friday Night Lights.”