Baby Registry or Gifts from America

What have other moms-to-be done when American family ask where you are registered? 

I know registries and showers aren't big here, but what should I tell family back home?

Also, any advice about receiving packages from America?  My mom recently sent a bulky fun thing she found in the garage because she thought it was cool. It had no value. But for some reason we had to pay a huge fee to receive it. I dont want to suggest anyone sending a package if each one costs us £35!

Usually if you register on a UK website, American family and friends should be able to purchase things and they be sent to you. I have an Amazon wishlist from the UK website and my parents from the US have gone onto it and bought things. It really isn't worth the cost shipping things from the US.

I tell anyone who sends us anything to mark it a gift and no real value or a very low value.  The grandparents send my kids stuff all the time and so far its been fine.  However with the cost of shipping its usually better for me to just buy it here.  I always tell anyone its the thought that counts but not to bother cause its so expensive

We finally put our foot down and said we needed amazon gift certificates.  We just couldn't be asked dealing with all of the packages (and we have a very small flat!), let alone paying VAT. I ended up having to exchange over half of the stuff because it didn't fit in the flat or didn't fit the child. Closer family members have actually done a fun thing and volunteered to do stuff like be the "winter coat Aunt" or the "Lego Uncle" and send us gift certificates with specific things in mind.

It did annoy some people (my mother, especially, who didn't understand why we wouldn't want everyone filling our flat with things), but it has made life so much simpler.

Amazon.co.uk - set up a wish list on there. My Mom loves that we all have wish lists on there as shipping from FL to here is sooooo expensive.

We tried the wishlist thing, but our (okay, my) relatives kept insisting on buying us "something nicer" which usually meant much, much bigger. Which meant it didn't fit in the flat. It was very sweet of them, though. We do take pictures of the baby with "their" present and send them as thank you cards, everyone loves that. And they are occasionally hilarious.

We tried the wishlist thing, but our (okay, my) relatives kept insisting on buying us "something nicer" which usually meant much, much bigger. Which meant it didn't fit in the flat. It was very sweet of them, though. We do take pictures of the baby with "their" present and send them as thank you cards, everyone loves that. And they are occasionally hilarious.

I do understand what you mean by that. It seems like it is a lot easier/quicker to fill a home here as they are usually smaller! Sometimes I wish gifts could just be experiences and not things. My mother in law is very sweet and always buying us little, cheap things for the home, but we like to have fewer things that are of nice quality. It is the thought that counts though and we graciously accept it; things wait a few months in the closet, then they get donated.

I agree that the shipping usually isn't worth the hassle or fees however, I recently spoke to our courier guy here after I had to pay a massive fee and he said to tell anyone at home to ALWAYS mark gift and NEVER value over £36. Of course you run the risk of losing something in the mail that is worth more than that but he said that customs picks up on anything over that value and even if it is marked gift they will often consider it for commercial use (even thought my package was a formal gown for a ball which is obviously personal use).  Just thought I would throw that out there!

I agree that the shipping usually isn't worth the hassle or fees however, I recently spoke to our courier guy here after I had to pay a massive fee and he said to tell anyone at home to ALWAYS mark gift and NEVER value over £36. Of course you run the risk of losing something in the mail that is worth more than that but he said that customs picks up on anything over that value and even if it is marked gift they will often consider it for commercial use (even thought my package was a formal gown for a ball which is obviously personal use).  Just thought I would throw that out there!

That is so helpful...been hit with that ridiculous fee once already and don't want to pay anymore.  The postal worker who helped my mom in America encouraged her to insure all packages always for $75. How unhelpful.