8 Smart Ways to Save When Shopping Your Own Baby Registry
There are plenty of reasons to purchase off of your own registry and these tips will help you save while you're at it.
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Whether you have your heart set on a pricey stroller or have strong opinions about crib mattresses, there are plenty of reasons why you might choose to purchase items off your own registry. For some parents-to-be, the peace of mind of knowing they’ll get the exact thing they want is worth buying it themselves.
Buying from your own registry doesn’t have to mean overspending; you can still score deals on those splurge-worthy, must-have items you’ve been dreaming about.
As the commerce editor at Babylist, I have years of experience hunting down deals on baby products—from clothes and diapers to strollers and car seats. If you want to reserve a few products to buy for yourself from your registry, here are my insider tips on how to save money along the way.
1. Create a Sale Category in Your Registry
The best time to buy the items you want off your registry is during a sale—but weeding through dozens of products to find the ones you’re prioritizing shouldn’t happen when the deals drop. Once you’ve decided on the items to buy for yourself, create a sale category to house everything you’ll be watching during a sales event.
2. Filter Your Registry View to “Deals & Price Drops”
When you’re logged into your registry, you can filter your view to show discounted items and products that recently had a price drop. So if the breathable mattress that’s rarely on sale gets discounted, you won’t miss the opportunity to snag it at a great price.
3. Mark Items You Want to Buy as Private
Even if you plan on buying your dream stroller yourself, you can still add it to your registry as a way to keep track of everything you’ve chosen as you prep for your baby’s arrival. But to make sure your friends and family don’t accidentally buy it, mark it as private so only you can see it, and use the price comparison tool to find the best deal.
4. Use Your 15% off Completion Discount
60 days before your expected arrival date, Babylist will send you a 15% off completion discount. You can apply it to items in the Babylist Shop, on order values up to $2000 (with some exclusions). The discount can be applied to multiple purchases until you reach the maximum of $300 in discounts. Keep in mind that the discount will expire 90 days after your expected arrival date. You can apply this discount to one big purchase (like a convertible car seat that you'll need in the near future) or distribute it across smaller purchases that'll come up in the fourth trimester (like a couple different swaddles to try out on your baby).
5. Sign Up For Price Drops And Push Notifications
Did you know that Babylist will send you an email every time one of the items you’ve registered for has a price change? When those adorable muslin swaddles are $10 cheaper, we’ll ping your inbox and you can grab them right away. Also, if you turn on the push notifications in the settings of your phone, we’ll send you helpful articles about baby products, how to save and more.
6. Bookmark Our Weekly Baby Deals Guide
Every week, I peruse the internet’s digital sales racks to find the best deals on baby products and deliver a curated list of standout savings. Babylist also partners with brands to offer exclusive discount codes on a variety of baby and parenting products (you’ll find both in our weekly deals guide). Bookmark our weekly deals page and—while you’re building up your bookmark library, add our Prime Day, Nordstrom Anniversary Sale and Black Friday pages too.
7. Get your breast pump through your health insurance
Breast pumps can cost a few hundred dollars but if you have health insurance, you can get one at no cost to you, and Babylist Health can help you navigate the process. You can choose a hands-free option that you can use on the go or a traditional plug-in pump. You can also restock breast milk bags and get pump supplies for free through your insurance (and Babylist Health can help with that, too).
8. Use Your HSA/FSA for Certain Purchases
If you have a Health Savings Account or a Flexible Spending Account (HSA or FSA), you can use those dollars towards a ton of super useful baby and postpartum products (and they’re likely already on your registry). Products like the Owlet, a variety of Frida products and nursing supplies all fall under the HSA/FSA umbrella. And since HSA/FSA accounts are funded pre-tax (meaning money is deducted from your paycheck before taxes), you’re saving even more by using those funds instead of your regular bank account.
