Baby registeries.....most overwhelming thing EVER!
Finally got around to creating my registeries today. Two stores, six hours later, and I'm still not done. The employee at one store told me I should have about 200-300 items on my list....errr, I totalled 68 haha. I'm not sure if the process itself overwhelmed me or the reality of the baby being closer to being born, but has anyone else felt like this? I thought this was supposed to be fun 
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I'm only about 8 weeks though lol so I'm really ahead of the game for mine but I had free time so i figured why not, you can always add our change things later.
This is my second child, but I don't have any baby things left over my first is now 7 years old and we have moved across country quite a few times so things have been given away or just lost over time. With my son I didn't do any registries, so my mother and aunt pretty much told people what I needed, I got the basics, crib, car seat, stroller, clothes and the much needed large supply of diapers, and that worked for me.
With this baby I went the registry route but I kept in mind how fast babies grow so the "strongly suggested" 15+ newborn outfits were not nessary for us to have, I did throw on some non-nessity dresses (we are having a girl) and other items that are more for the parents' enjoyment then the baby's. Yes, I admit she doesn't need the onesie with the Beetles on it, nor the adorable crib shoes with the tiny little bows and sparkles, but if someone wishes to buy them for me I'm all for it.
But I did focus on the essentials that my husband and I felt we need. We opted for a jogging stroller instead of a regular one, because my husband, son and I already do alot of camping and hiking so this will make it easier for us. However we did not register for a changing table because with my son I found it easier to just change him with a changing pad on the floor or on a dresser, so we just registered for a changing pad, and water prof cover. It's a pick and choose, what you think you need or what you think you might want. Just because a basic black backpack as a diaper bag is ideal for me doesn't mean that the messenger bag style with the pink bow isn't what you need. There is a reason that baby things come in so many shapes and styles. what works for you works for you, don't let a store tell you what to buy.
Another thing to keep in mind is how many people are going to your baby shower, and how much do you think they can spend. Lets face it these are friends anc close family members, and we want them to continue to be so, lets not make them feel that they should take a bank loan out to buy us and our children to be stuff. It is a touchie subject and not one I have seen anyone talk about but lets face it ladies (and any gentleman on here) baby stuff can be expensive.
With the economy how it is, and many people out of work to have a list of 100 items and none under $50.00 is a little extreame. I have seen strollers for over $600.00!! Now if you can afford this, and your friends and family members are willing to spend that much congratulations, go for it. But if you are like the (I'm assuming, correct me if I am wrong) vast majority here it is a good idea to bargin hunt, if you see something you like at a store look around (online is probably the least stressful place) and see if any stores carry it cheaper. If you happen to really like the bouncer that is more expensive then you feel nessary but you really love it, go ahead a splurge on it, and maybe a few other items won't hurt but don't be upset if people end up buying the cheaper toys and clothing on your list and you don't end up with all the things on your list.
Alot of registries allow you to put up notes. What we ended up doing is inviting our guests to shop around. You can also note this on your invites. We specified that these are the items that we like and want, but they do not have to buy this item from this store if they can find it on sale at another store. If you want the gifts to be a surprise allow a trusted friend/family member access to your registry to deleate items off of it that people have purchased to avoid duplicates.
Gift cards are another good thing to add to your registry, especially if you don't know if you are even going to use alot of what you have listed. You can always buy diapers with a gift card if you find out that you already have everything you need.
I'm sorry if this is a bit long, but it is a subject that I have thought long and hard about. I hope this helped!