How to Get People to Buy from Your Baby Registry

Worried that you’ve spent hours building a baby registry that no one will end up shopping? We get it, and you’re not alone—many parents-to-be have this exact concern. And while the solution sounds simple—just tell people about it!—lots of parents stress about adding the “right” items to their list, what to say to encourage people to stick to their registry and how to say it without coming off as rude or pushy.

Follow these tips on creating an easy-to-shop baby registry and how to keep gift-givers from going rogue.

Spread the Word

You want folks to buy from your registry, so all you need to do is tell them about it, right? Sounds simple. But worrying about how to tell people to shop from your baby registry—what or what not to say, how to be sure you sound polite—is something many parents-to-be stress over.

Before you start to spiral, the first thing to do is to reframe your thought process around gift registries. Etiquette-wise, they’re very much acceptable—and actually encouraged. (Even Martha Stewart agrees!) And while some friends and family will go off-registry no matter what, most people very much appreciate the gift guidance that a baby registry provides. Registries take the pressure off and let folks know the items you want and will use.

Once you’ve finished building your baby registry, you need to spread the word far and wide. People can’t shop your registry if they don’t know it even exists, so making sure you tell as many people about it (politely, of course!) is a great place to start. Here’s how:

• If you’re having a baby shower, include your registry information on the invitation. A quick one-liner like, “Maddie and Mike are registered at Babylist” will do the trick. (You can also order free registry insert cards to include in your shower invitations if you like.)
• If you’re using a virtual shower invite, you can link out directly to your baby registry. In either case, be sure your registry’s visibility settings are set correctly. If set to Public, your guests will be able to click “Find a Registry” on babylist.com and search for you by name. If your list is Hidden, you’ll need to provide your unique URL and a password if you’d like. This registry visibility how-to walks you through what to do.
• Tell people about your baby registry—especially the important ones. Good ol’ word of mouth for the win. Telling folks you have a baby registry and that you’d love for them to gift from it can be just as effective as including your registry information on your shower invitation. Better yet, have your pregnancy support crew do the heavy lifting—ask close friends and family about it and encourage them to spread the word. And don’t hesitate to mention how important your baby registry is to you and how hard you’ve worked on it. Saying something like, “We put so much thought into our baby registry and we’re so excited for you to see what we’ve chosen!” can serve as a gentle reminder to nudge gift-givers toward a registry purchase.

Add a Registry Greeting

There are so many ways to personalize your Babylist registry. Adding a registry greeting—a custom message for gift-givers that’s the first thing folks will see when they land on your registry page—is a good way to throw in some not-so-subtle hints that you’d really love a gift from your list.

You can take the messaging in any direction you’d like, but try to be as clear (and as kind) as possible so folks will get the hint. Here are some examples:

• “Thanks so much for visiting our baby registry. We worked so hard researching and choosing all of the items on our registry and we’re so excited to use them once our little one arrives. We appreciate your love and support!”
• “You found our baby registry! If you’re looking for a gift suggestion, please take a peek at our registry below. These are some of the items we think we’ll need as our family grows. We can’t wait to welcome our new addition and we are so thankful for all of the love and support we’ve received from friends and family!”
• “Welcome to our baby registry! We are already so grateful for all of your support during this special time in our lives. If you’d like to purchase a gift, please find some suggestions below. We can’t wait for you to meet the newest member of our family soon!”

To create a registry greeting, click on your settings and scroll down to “Registry Greeting” to write your personalized note.

Make Your Registry Easy to Shop

Want people to buy from your registry? Then make it as easy as possible for them by creating a structured, well-organized baby registry that’s easy for folks to shop.

Stay organized with categories

When building your baby registry, create categories to keep everything organized. Categories keep similar groupings of items together and make it easier for folks to find and shop the gifts you’re hoping to receive. You can choose from a long list of preset category options (think baby gear, transportation, clothing and accessories, etc.) or create your own, like must-have registry items or nursery staples.

To access categories, head over to your “View Registry” page and click on the organize button on the far right side. (If you’re using the Babylist app, simply go to the menu bar at the top left corner of your screen, select “Registry,” and scroll down to “Organize Registry,” then drag and drop from there.) You’ll be able to slot items within a category by dragging and dropping them and using the drop-down menu beside each registry item to move it to a new category. You can also mark any category as private (useful if you want to add more personal items to your registry, like postpartum or nursing supplies, but don’t want everyone to see them), remove categories altogether and rearrange entire categories by clicking on the up and down arrows at the right of each category header. Remember to click “Done Organizing” when you’re finished to save your changes.

Use must-haves

In addition to creating categories, you may also want to consider adding must-haves to your registry. Marking items as must-haves is a great way to give your friends and family a polite heads-up on the priority gifts on your list. If someone is shopping your registry but isn’t quite sure what to choose, must-haves can nudge them in the right direction and make it easy for them to choose something that they know you’ll love—and that you truly need.

To mark an item as a must-have, tap the “Mark as Must Have” heart when adding an item to your baby registry. The heart will turn pink, and once you save the item to your registry, gift-givers will be able to see it marked as a must-have on your list. You can also mark items that already are added to your list as must-haves; simply click the “Edit” button next to the item, tap the “Must-Have” heart and hit save.

Add a Wide Range of Prices—and Don’t Forget Group Gifts

One of the biggest hangups many expecting parents have (and for good reason) is feeling discomfort around asking others to spend a lot of money on a baby gift. A good way to relieve this anxiety—and increase the chance that someone will purchase from your registry—is to add some pricing variety.

Big ticket items like car seats, strollers and furniture can still have a spot on your registry. But there are lots of other useful items you can add that are much more affordable. You can find lower-priced items across almost any product category; here are some suggestions for inspiration:

• Clothing and Accessories: bodysuits, gowns, swaddles.
• Nursery: storage, plush toys, blankets, sound machine, baby safety.
• Toys and Activity: toys, books.
• Nursing and Feeding: bottle feeding and breastfeeding supplies, dishes and utensils, bibs, burp cloths, pacifiers.
• Diapering: diapers and wipes, diaper rash cream.
• Strollers: stroller and car seat toys, stroller accessories.
• Bath and Potty: bath accessories, skin and hair care, grooming and hygiene, bath toys.
• Health and Safety: first aid, thermometers.

And don’t forget to add gift cards, help and favors and cash funds to your baby registry, too. These unconventional adds are good options for gift-givers who may prefer to give cash or favors rather than a traditional baby gift but aren’t quite sure how to do it.

Want to steer people toward your more expensive picks? Try Group Gifting. This feature allows multiple gift-givers to contribute toward the cost of one Babylist Shop item. Friends and family can spend any amount they’d like, and every contribution is given in the form of a Babylist gift card. There’s even an option to customize the amount of your Group Gift funds to a specific amount. (We recommend the regular price of an item + 10% for estimated tax.) To earmark an item as a Group Gift, add it to your registry, click on the “Group Gift” red present icon then set your goal amount and save your changes.

Other Hacks and Tricks

We asked real parents how they encouraged their friends, family members and coworkers to buy off of their baby registry. Here’s what they told us.

• Even if you know the sex of your baby, consider keeping it a secret from everyone else. Lots of parents of multiple kids said they found that once people knew the baby’s sex, they were more likely to go off-registry and purchase…whatever they wanted. The second time around, they kept the sex to themselves and found that folks gravitated more toward gifts from their baby registry.
• Tell the right people. Moms, mothers-in-law and close friends were the key to encouraging folks to shop the registry, according to many parents. Be sure to tell them how hard you worked on choosing your registry picks and how much you’d appreciate any gift off of your list—then wait for them to spread the word.
• Even if you’re having a non-traditional baby shower, like a virtual shower or a sip and see, don’t forget to mention your baby registry. “I included my registry info in my virtual baby shower invite. I sent follow-up emails to those that didn’t RSVP, and reminder emails to everyone leading up to the event which included a link to my registry,” said Brittany.
• Don’t forget to give it time. Many parents keep a close watch on their baby registry and start to stress if nothing is moving as baby’s arrival date inches closer. Many people wait until baby’s due date to buy a gift, and some even may choose to send something after your little one is born. Try not to panic!