Before having my son, my biggest decisions were what outfit to wear, did I need that cute pair of shoes, and if I was drinking wine or cocktails in the weekend. I wish I could say I went into research mode and started planning, but honestly, I was working full-time and thought I had plenty of time since pregnancy lasts nine months... right? Boy was I wrong!
To be honest I didn't have a baby register list, I was just thankful that my friends could see that I was clueless, and they organised a baby shower for me. Bless them, but it was like the blind leading the blind, as most of them, were also living a glamorous childless lifestyle. So, this resulted in a non-traditional event and Elijah being generously gifted with gorgeous outfits that could grace any baby catwalk in New York, London or Paris! So fabulous... but just not practical for the really early years! 🙄 🫣
This is me excitedly unwrapping fabulous gifts (yet not necessarily practical) 🤗
Non-traditional baby shower...yeah it does look like a party. I love my friends! 😍
If I could have done it all again, gosh I would have been more strategic, and based my list on my lifestyle and values. We all know and understand how we want to live, but how does values influence what baby gear we want to buy? I wanted to create a loving, nurturing & safe environment for Elijah. Also, one that allowed me to be able to engage and educate him, in the different developmental stages of his life. When you include your values, then you can cut through the noise of numerous products and focus on the features you need a product to have. Doing this would have meant that I would've been able to adapt&survive™ my new parenting life right from the get-go!
Back then, I loved and thrived in urban and inner city living. Restaurants, cafes, art, culture and farmers markets - this was my vibe. So, I lived in apartments that allowed me to be amongst it and this was also the world that my wee man was born into. My other major love was travelling to visit family & friends at least 4 times a year. What became really apparent really quickly, is when I became a parent, my living situation and what I loved to do pre-mama days was just not going to magically work because I now had a baby. 🪄
In retrospect, the tip that I can give you and wish someone had told me is, to make a registry list based on your lifestyle pre-bubs days. Humans are creatures of habit; we like to do what we like to do, and we suffer from serious FOMO! 😮
