A Better Baby Gift Registry Idea
When I was registering for baby gifts, I was completely naive and under-researched. Living away from a “Big City,” I relied on what I had locally: Babies R Us and Target. And I’m not knocking those stores, because they certainly have quite a selection.
But that’s the thing, there’s quite a selection.
I was so utterly overwhelmed as I meandered around my local Baby Superstore — register gun in hand, ankles swelling — that I just wanted to give up. I was cranky, confused, careless. I just wanted it to be over.
And that’s why I wish I would have known about Giggle. They do all of the research on finding the best of the best products, so you don’t have the mind-numbing selection and vast variety of reviews. And considering I test baby products for a living for Babble.com’s Babble Bests and our Family Style blog, I can assure you that Giggle’s products really are the best. It’s also a great one-stop -shop for anyone looking for baby gift ideas.
Even if you don’t have a Giggle store near you, they make it easier than ever to register through them:
Giggle’s online baby registry is simple to use and so much easier than waddling around a store. They even have a well-edited Top 10 must-haves list (rather than an extensive, mostly unnecessary list at other registry spots) and a Top 25 Customer Favorites list — all of which I love (minus the Babycook if you already have a food processor). You can also search for a local store.
Has anyone had any first-hand experience registering at Giggle?
I didn’t register there but I got a lot of gifts from there. Completely adorable and sort of out of my price range, so glad it was all gifts
i registered at both giggle & buybuybaby. loved everything i registered for & got from giggle! they have the best stuff & it made it easy to choose what i wanted. although if i could do it again i may have just done one registry at amazon.
@Christine: Glad to hear you had a good experience! I agree — when I was pregnant, I tried to be very budget-conscious for my guests and I was blown away at everyone’s generosity. Now when I go to baby showers, I’d rather buy a pricier but better baby product than a bunch of not-so-good odds and ends. Giggle has the kind of gifts that you wouldn’t buy yourself but you’re so glad you were given them.
@Lindsay: I agree that Amazon is a great one-stop shop if you already know what’s good and what’s not — but that’s why Giggle is awesome for first-time moms. Everything there IS the best.
Really helpful article! I’d add that I loved how I could register for a $15 food mill at such a beautiful store. And it was reassuring to register with the confidence that giggle’s products are competitively priced! (You’d be surrpised — I did a price comparison on a bunch of basics like car seats.) Cool that giggle’s prices are actually lower on some things!
any place that makes life simpler while giving me the best bang for my buck gets my vote and giggle is definitely such a place! most important to me when buying for myself, or even gifts for family + friends, is that I’m getting the best value and the “best of the best” selection on items that are either basic/everyday use, cool/unique, healthy/eco-friendly – or, better yet, all three! giggle makes all of that so easy and they clearly know what they’re doing as experts in their field. they really live up to their logo: healthy happy baby (I think “healthy happy parent” would work just as well!)
So excited to see this store written up,.I didn’t find out about Giggle until after my daughter was born- my mother-in-law picked up some Swaddle Designs blankets for us which is the most brilliant simple item ever – it’s now one of my favorite baby shower gifts to give. We lived in Queens so we didn’t get a chance to go by the store often but whenever I’m in Soho, I have to stop by.
When my husband and I were getting ready for our daughter, we didn’t know ANYTHING about baby crap so we dove into it and man, it was overwhelming. Reading reviews drove us crazy because 5 people say they love a product and then 5 people say they hate it- who do you trust? I learned over the years that unless you try every stroller, how can you say that one is better than another? Plus what if you live in the suburbs and have an SUV and a 2 car garage and I live in a 5th floor walk-up in the city? Here’s the thing about Giggle: they take the time to find out what your needs are and they suggest the ones that would be best for you based on your lifestyle. They also do the editing so yes, there aren’t as many products as at a baby megastore but do we really need to choose from 20 highchairs? Just show me the 2 that would work best for me and we’ll pick the one that matches our kitchen!
When we were in a car accident recently (don’t worry, everyone was ok), we had to replace our two car seats. I was not thrilled with having to do the research because our kids could go up to the next size and I didn’t know the slightest thing about booster seats and toddler car seats that could rear face for higher weights since they just changed the recommendation to two years. I loved that I could just walk into Giggle and walk out with two seats that I could feel confident about because they’ve done the research for me.
Another nice thing is that the store is never mobbed like Buy Buy Baby on a weekend. It might be busy but it’s not so bad that you can’t get help.
I’ve never heard of them, but I did register at BuyBuyBaby and Babies R Us. I have to say, the customer service at BuyBuyBaby has been SPECTACULAR. They helped me a GREAT deal in picking out the right stuff. I already had a few preferences, based on a good friend, and they helped us the rest of the way. Some of them remember us each time we’re in there… which is also great! Babies R Us… not so much. You pretty much get ignored in there… I’d love to move the whole registry to BBB, but so far every gift we’ve gotten in the mail has been from BRU. I guess BBB just isn’t as prevalent. It’s a shame… I hope they grow and expand!