Baby Registry Cost

How Much Does a Baby Registry Cost?

Medium: Usually Free

For many new parents, registries are a key part of preparing for a baby. Traditionally, registries were offered by retail and online stores that specialize in baby products. These days, there are several alternatives that allow parents to register for cash to put towards non-traditional items such as college funds, mortgages or even cord blood and placenta banking.

Typical costs:

Traditional baby registries, such as Babies R Us, Target and Pottery Barn Kids, are free since the companies offering them benefit from the sale of the items.
Many companies now allow parents to register for cash or gift cards. Registration is free, and allows the monetary gifts to be sent directly to the recipients who can choose to use the contributions in any way they choose. However some, like Baby Wishing Well charge both gift givers and receivers a transaction or processing fee of about 1% of the total amount of gift. Others, like MyRegistry.com use PayPal to transfer gift funds to the registrant, so gift givers will have to set up a PayPal account. Recipients also pay fees on monetary gifts sent to their account, at a maximum of 2.9% plus $.30 per transaction.
Registries such as Go Gift, which turn cash gifts into MasterCard gift cards, charge fees of $.50 per transaction, deducted from the gift card's value, and gift givers are charged a 7% handling fee. Go Gift also allows recipients to request a check instead of a gift card for a $15 fee.
The latest trend is the second-hand or environmentally friendly registry. Alternative Baby allows parents to register for organic diapers, bedding, clothing and toys.
Parents who are interested in cord blood or placenta banking may also go to www.lifebankusa.com/baby_registry.php>Life Bank USA to register for funds to off-set the cost.

Additional costs:

Returns on items from baby registries can usually be made up to 60 days after the due date listed. However, you may be charged shipping fees unless the item being returned was broken or defective. In many cases, you will receive a gift card or store credit for the original purchase value of the returned item.

Discounts:

Many registries, including Babies R Us offer "registry completion" options, which may include discounts of up to 10% on unpurchased items on a registry. However, these discounts often must be used within 30 to 90 days, and may only be valid for one calendar day.

Shopping for a baby registry:

When signing up for any kind of gift registry, check the return policy. Reputable companies like BabyCenter will allow you to return gifts for a refund at any time, for any reason. Others will only offer store credit or gift cards and may charge shipping fees.
Products often listed on an online registry may not be available in the company's retail stores. This most often applies to specific colors or patterns of clothing or bedding as well as furniture.
Many registry sites offer "quick start" or "jump start" lists that allow parents to quickly create a registry by adding everything on the list to their registry. Although these lists may help save time, they may also include higher-priced items or items that some parents may not consider necessities.
If you opt for a registry listing second-hand items, be careful when requesting a previously used car seat. Car-Safety.org suggests making sure the manufacturer, model number and date of manufacture are legible. Also check the Consumer Product Safety Commission to make sure it hasn't been recalled.

Material on this page is for informational purposes only and should not be construed as medical advice. For medical decisions, always consult your physician for the right course for your infant or child.

Article updated January 2009