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Registry Judging [Rant]

This is a yet another post on mommy wars, specifically topic #4276: registries.

With our baby shower less than a month away, J and I have been putting the finishing touches on our registries. In my studies of review sites and message boards for advice, I have come across many women who seem to have problems with others’ baby registries.

Really?

Once again I’m forced to wonder: like mommies don’t judge each other enough already!

So herein lie the registry-related debates and my thoughts on them…

1.) Is it proper etiquette to have more than one registry?
I believe so. We decided to register at two different stores because not every store carries the items we want, and certain retailers sell different items at cheaper prices. Plus, with two registries we give our friends and family the option of shopping at the retailer of their choice (whether it be due to location, sales, coupons, etc).

2.) Is it okay to have expensive items on your registry?
We have some high-priced items on our registry (I believe the most expensive item is the Medela Breast Pump at $279.99) but we have plenty of small, less than $20 items too. Do we expect our friends and family to buy us the expensive items? No. I actually expect them not to! The main reason we decided to put the more expensive items on there is for the registry completion discounts we will receive. But hey, if someone, or a group of people, decide to purchase them for us, that’s great too!

3.) Why don’t you have _____ on your registry? Don’t you know you’ll need that?
How do you know we don’t have it already?

4.) Why do you have _____ on your registry? I found it to be a complete waste of money!
Just because you found it useless doesn’t mean everyone does.

I felt like I was getting married all over again, seeing all these judgmental women bickering over things that will never affect their own lives!

Personally, I have never judged anyone for their registry — wedding or baby. I do not know why a couple wants that $100 serving platter, nor do I really care to find out. All I know is that they chose to include it on a list of items they would like, and if I can afford it, I will buy it for them.

I also don’t “get” people who are vehemently against registries either…I understand that some may see registries as products of a greedy consumeristic society, and if you choose not to have a registry for whatever reason, that’s totally fine. But if you want to gift someone for their upcoming wedding or baby, why not purchase an item off the registry? Why not get them something that you know they need or want?

I now step off my soapbox and leave the comments open for debate. What is your thought on gift registries? Have you ever found yourself judging someone based on their registry?

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