Thoughts on picking out baby stuff

Evidently, in addition to being another person in the house, babies in particular require a fair number of "things" for their care and curiosity. In an effort not to be burdened with more than our little apartment can handle, Jacob and I have spent many, many (too many) hours researching some of the key items we'd like to start this life off on the right foot.

There are so many things out there and we needed some ground rules in sifting through it all. Here was our philosophy in going about setting up registries and picking products:

1. It is important to us that our selections be practical, durable, and market-tested. We're planning to keep most items for more than one child and would rather splurge on just a few highly-recommended products that will last us than go through three or four or seven of each item over the course of their childhood that just aren't as good or useful. Every item we put on our registry was carefully picked after reading/hearing dozens of reviews by magazines, retailers and most importantly, actual parents. Most items one or both of us have seen, touched, folded, tried on and tested in stores to be sure it's really what we want to use.

2. We want to have, safe, natural, sustainable products wherever possible - eco-friendly materials, organic fabrics, natural bath products, chemical-free bottles, ergonomic carriers, non-plastic diapers. We realize that this sometimes comes with extra cost, but think it's a fair trade to protect our baby and the world he/she will grow up in.

2a. We're lucky that several fabulous items have already been handed down to us from friends, family and neighbors. If any more show up or we find one of our items nearly or perfectly new on Craigslist (at deep deep discount), we'll be sure to grab it, and update the registries accordingly. We're big fans of recycling, after all.

3. Keeping it local. When possible, we prefer products made in the US (or at least countries without a history of lead in the paint). We also like the idea of supporting small local shops, rather than large chains. That said, there's something to be said for convenience, so we are creating several registries at both local and national retailers, all accessible online for gift-giving ease (aren't we thoughtful).

4. Okay, so I *do* care about how things look. I don't want a house full of pastel baby animals on everything I see. Luckily there are some really great designs out there which made this part easy.

5. Lastly, we're only registering for the things for which we have a strong preference of a particular brand or style. We didn't list baby clothes, booties, burp cloths, or many toys or books because we'll be happy with anything, and figure people will have more fun picking that stuff out on their own (and we like surprises). If we end up with seventeen pairs of little booties (they *are* so adorable) and not one sweater, we'll just sort that out afterwards. I'm not too worried that our child will go nude... (I think the grandmas have already seen to that!)

Up next, links to the finished registries. Stay tuned.