5 places to move your baby registry as Babies ‘R’ Us closes stores

Babies “R” Us stores will be closing soon (seriously, if you’ve got gift cards, run, don’t walk) and the shutdown is changing the baby registry game.

The retailer used to be the go-to for many first-time mamas because “their registry program was full of great benefits and they offered a wide variety of gear that met a lot of different price points,” says Julie McCaffrey, the founder and Chief Baby Planner at BabyNav, a maternity concierge service.

The shutdown is inconvenient for families who’ve recently created a baby registry with Babies “R” Us, but there is a silver lining: Other companies are stepping up to help customers create new registries that may turn out to be even more convenient for parents and those who want to give them gifts.

Universal Registries

“When setting up a registry now I think people should really consider using a universal registry site like Gugu Guru or Babylist,” McCaffrey explains. “Those registries allow you to place items from a variety of stores and if one store has an item go out of stock, you easily replace it with the same item from another store.”

The concept of universal registries is convenient for both parents and gift givers, and both of the services McCaffrey recommends have plans in place to help those who are recreating a Babies “R” Us registry.

Baby List

The folks at BabyList tell Motherly parents can simply transfer a Babies “R” Us registry to Babylist and keep all of the items they’d picked. The team there is finding the same or similar products found at Babies “R” Us are available at other retailers. For more information on how BabyList can help you, check out the company’s Babies “R” Us closure page.

Gugu Guru

The other service McCaffrey mentioned, Gugu Guru, is also offering to help customers looking to duplicate registries. A representative tells Motherly customers can easily find the same products they’d picked at Babies “R” Us through its service and quickly add them to a Gugu Guru registry. The team at Gugu Guru and its partner, MyRegistry, are happy to help if universal registries are new to you.

Other Retailers

buybuy Baby

According to McCaffrey, buybuy Baby offers many of the same products and similar registry benefits as Babies “R” Us did, so if you prefer an in-store experience, it may be a good fit for you.

A representative for buybuy Baby told Motherly the company understands how much work goes into making a baby registry, so they’re ready to help those who already made one with Babies “R” Us.

“All customers need to do is visit us in store with a printout of their previous registry or we can assist in pulling it up online. For those who cannot get to a local buybuy BABY store, we are happy to recreate a registry over the phone,” they explain.

Target

If your local Target seems like the most convenient brick and mortar option, it’s got some nice rewards too. In a statement to Motherly, a rep for the company suggests after registering with Target “guests can pick up a free gift at Guest Services for $50 worth of coupons & handpicked samples,” and Target offers registry-makers 15% off registry items they don’t end up getting as gifts. It also has its own universal registry feature if you want something Target doesn’t stock.

Amazon

“I used to always suggest that new parents had one registry at either a local brick and mortar or a large retailer that has brick and mortar stores around the country,” McCaffrey explains. “However, in the last few years, none of my registry clients felt like that was necessary for them, and even their older shower guests were okay purchasing gifts online.”

McCaffrey says Amazon’s registry rewards are pretty comparable to Babies “R” Us, so if you (or your grandma) is already a proud Prime shopper, an Amazon baby registry could be a good fit.

You might also like:

• Got Toys ‘R’ Us and Babies ‘R’ Us gift cards? Spend them NOW
• It’s official: Toys ‘R’ Us is closing all of their U.S. stores
• What you need to know if you’re registered at Babies ‘R’ Us