Warning: This post is only for you if you seriously care about our future nursery plans. It has ended up being a good way for me to compare things that are on our official registry and their cheaper counterparts that I really want as well as a gripe against BRU. So read on if you dare!

After we found out that we are having a boy we were so excited that we decided to go to Babies R' Us to do some registering. I know that it is common to wait until a little bit later to do registering, but we wanted to do it before Christmas because I think my brother and possibly my mom will want to get us some "Baby Crap," (as my brother Andy calls it) for Christmas in lieu of presents strictly for us. Also, we need to begin looking for things and budgeting for our little bundle of joy's arrival, which should be accompanied by the arrival of some bills.

When we got there, they were ready and waiting with an eager look in their eyes. First Time parents! The look said. Easy marks. We can get them to buy whatever we tell them that they "need." We were given a scanning gun a large booklet and a list with hundreds of items that we needed to register for. Thankfully both Jim and I were wise to the fact that a retail outlet might have a conflict of interest when it came to advising new parents on necessary baby items. We also knew that this was just a preliminary trip, and as we looked at parent reviews and made other decisions we could easily alter our list online.

After we were done with what ended up being over an hour worth of scanning we came back and received, "Forget Me Not," cards cutely displaying babies and commonly forgotten items that we could scan right then and there. After our list was printed, we also got a sheet of "Missing Items" that the computer was sure we needed to put on our list, posthaste. But really, a play yard? A-- we don't have a yard. B-- the baby can't move very fast. In fact, he will be pretty stationary for perhaps even the next year (including gestation and early life) and then it will be snowing again. :( They even indicated that we needed play yard sheets. Whatever happened to an old quilt that grandma made or a sheet that isn't used on a bed anymore?

There are a few items that I am giving in and joining the crowd and registering for-- such as The Boppy. It is basically a moon-shaped pillow, but it is specifically shaped to cradle the sitting baby, help with tummy time and curve around mom's abdomen as she breast feeds. And it has washable slipcovers that are really cute. I know, I really caved. However, if someone wanted to make me a Boppy- either by cannibalizing a regular pillow or by making one, I'm sure it would cost less than the $29.99 Boppy and I'd be just as happy. We also indulged in something called a Weeblock which covers a little baby boy like a cup and prevents accidents while being changed. One even says, "Tinkle, Tinkle, Little Star." Necessary item-- of course not, but awfully funny and there is a serious lack of cute boy items in babyland.

Another thing that we noticed was the price disparity of items at BRU. Why would we pay $400 for a crib? Some of those don't even convert to a toddler bed or twin bed later on. We didn't even pay that much for our bed, which will be in use for many more years than the crib will be. How we wish IKEA had a registry, where the Hensvik is $139 and can turn into a toddler bed later on. Other deals--

Crib mattress-- $49.99-$59.99 instead of $100
Crib sheets-- $8.99 for a set of 2 instead of the same price for 1 (and on sale.)
Changing Table Pad- $8.99 for an inflatable one that can be easily taken on trips instead of $22 for a foam one that is said to scar the dresser we're thinking of setting it on.
Changing Table Pad Cover-- the Gullunge cover is $5.99 for 2 instead of $12.99 at cheapest for 1
Crib Bedding-- $14.99 for a crib duvet cover and pillowcase instead of $179.00 for a 4 piece set which includes a bumper pad, which you are not supposed to use because it increases the incidence of SIDS. Yes, we still have to buy the duvet to go inside (14.99), but at these prices we can afford to get a couple spares and change out the room when we want to. Like I also like the Barnsling Dans set, and it matches a lot of the cute stuffed animals that we like.

We also like the baby bath, Lattsam changing table baskets, and the Sniglar changing table, but I am undecided if it will be strong enough for our rambunctious baby boy. Since we are planning on having our little boy sleep in the same room with us for a while, what we may do is buy an extra dresser that matches the ones we are planning on buying in the near future for us and using the top of one for a changing table until our little boy gets his own room and needs a separate table. Mmm-- 2 or 3 Malm dressers all lined up. However, if we do that we may need more storage and I'm unsure what putting shelves into our wall will do to our deposit. We can always put some baby stuff in here and keep the crib in our room.

This whole post is proving very useful for me to really look at what we need and what we want and what we will actually need. It is tempting to turn the office (which I am currently in) into a deluxe baby room, but we really need the office space and the guest room and the truth is, a newborn baby just doesn't need an entire room of his or her own. What, is he going to have friends over to play video games? As long as he has a place to sleep, poop and eat, he should be a happy little boy. But they do make baby rooms look so cute online with all of the storage and matching switch plate covers and curtains.