Baby Showers, No Storage, Oh My!

City living has its perks; walkable communities, shopping, eateries, etc. But it also has its draw backs; mainly small living spaces! With a baby on the way, so much goes through ones mind, do we need a bigger place?, should we move out of the city?, how will we afford our lifestyle while being good parents? and of course many more lurking doubts keeping us up in the wee hours of the morning.

So when things began progressing in our pregnancy, you can imagine the anxiety that blanketed me when asked about a baby shower.  It was really the last thing on my mind and the last thing I really wanted.  Why do I need people to buy me things I should be providing for my child? So what if so many others have done and continue to do it? Must I be like everyone else? Plus where would I put everything? Can't I just buy things as I need them?

Well can you imagine telling my mom and mother-in-law that yeah I understand this is the first grandchild, but I don't want a shower, ha I quickly lost that game.  In fact I had two showers. Since I gave in, I thought I might as well just let life carry me where it wants. So there I was agonizing over these showers and what to register for.  Both my hubby and I are environmentally conscience and many of the baby items we were interested in were organic and low VOCs (volatile organic compounds). After some searching we found this fabulous place on Chestnut Street called Giggle.

Why we love Giggle:

• Giggle buys and sells products based on a certain criteria and are scrutinized to meet high standards
• The employees are super knowledgable, friendly and oh so patient! Most employees are parents, so they bring a layer of their own expertise and advice, which you don't find at some other retailers
• They are local, started in Los Angeles, most products are produced by American companies
• Awesome Best Baby Checklist makes it easy to register, even if you don't buy everything from them
• You can register for gift cards, great for future use

The showers went great, everyone had a great time and the baby already has a bank account! But there were a few guests who purchased items off the registry with no gift receipt, so we found ourselves contemplating what to do with 3 bouncy seats and enough toys and clothes for twins!  So we tried our luck on craigslist and will donate everything else to friends or goodwill.  

For the items we are keeping but don't need for several months we found these awesome stackable 12 gallon flip-top storage bins from costco for only $6. They are great for any small space and fit great in our closets. I can't find it on their site, but there are plenty at 10th Street SF store.

*I also found this Martha Stewart episode helpful: Martha Stewart- Baby Must Haves

Love Lots,

MommySF