Emily, Chris, & Baby Parker

We chose SimpleRegistry because it allowed us the flexibility to craft a registry we were proud of. As eco-conscious individuals, we try our best to tread lightly on the planet, and everyone knows babies require a lot of stuff. Being able to buy gently used baby gear was a top priority. SimpleRegistry let us customize our registry so that our generous friends and family could help us feather our nest with quality used items, including a high chair, an infant bath tub, a swing, a nursing pillow, baby bottle supplies and more. In addition, our loved ones were able to share the cost of expensive items, such as a car seat, which we wanted to purchase new. It was a relief to be able to accommodate many different budgets and a wide variety of goods on a single registry— simple, streamlined and perfect for our needs.

Showers – whether it’s for a baby or a wedding – tend to be very traditional affairs. In fact, my mother was very resistant to creating this unique registry, which would allow people to help us buy used items. But SimpleRegistry had a clear and user-friendly feel for both my older aunties and my tech savvy friends. Case and point, here are a few actual quotes that came through our registry:

<em>"Em and Chris, This is soooo cool! Great website - great idea and am so pleased to help you get something you really want and actually need. Everyone needs wheels!"</em> <strong>Love P.</strong> (who helped us buy a new stroller as well as some unexpected items, like a used kid carrier, thanks to a general gift)

<em>"Emily and Chris and Shim, This looks fascinating and wonderful. Best wishes for healthy, hearty eating."</em> <strong>Love, S.</strong> (who helped us buy a used high chair)

I’ve been thoroughly pleased by my experience with SimpleRegistry. Not only did it enable us to create a registry we could feel good about, but our generous friends and family had good things to say about it, too. Here we are, many months after our daughter was born, and my mom has also admitted that the registry was a success!

Our most cherished item from our registry has to be the Svan high chair. Because SimpleRegistry allowed us to register for used items, a dear family friend could help us purchase the gently used chair. So a couple weeks before Parker was born, I picked it up from a local family. I met the little girl who was graduating from this handsome high chair to a regular kitchen seat. The chair was spared a dusty retirement in a basement and we were able to conserve resources by buying used. It has a lovely history, and it now we are creating new memories with it in our home. This whole transaction was made possible because Simple Registry accommodated our desire to buy used baby gear, something that is not possible when you register for new baby gear at a Big Box store or a website.

SimpleRegistry also helped us with those items we didn’t even know we needed. As it turned out, some people chose to purchase a general gift from our registry. This was a godsend when it came to filling in those missing pieces. For example, we bought a couple of child carriers from local moms, suitable for both my husband and me. They’ve been useful around the house, around town and even on adventures in the woods!

My husband and I both work at an aquarium, and we feel strongly about protecting the environment. In a recent article published by the aquarium about raising babies in an eco-friendly way, we mentioned our SimpleRegistry. We explained how it was a practical, easy way to create a registry of new and used items. SimpleRegistry was featured in the article! We hope other families can use this great resource to create registries that are helpful for families and beneficial for the environment.