FAQ
General
How does Encore Baby Registry work?
Is using Encore Baby Registry free?
Will Encore Baby Registry sell my personal information?
Are hand-me-down and used baby items safe? What about recalls?
Can I buy baby items on the Encore Baby Registry website?
Does “Hand-Me-Down” always mean “Used”?
How can I contact Encore Baby Registry?
For Registrants
I can’t find the baby item I’m looking for.
Can I request new items on my baby registry?
Can I make my baby registry private?
Can I ask for baby items on loan?
View our Registrant FAQ for more detailed account related questions and answers
For Guests
The baby registry I’m looking for is password protected. How do I get the password?
How do I print a gift registry?
Why do I have the option of adding a description and/or picture when I give a gift?
How/where do I pay for my gift?
I changed my mind, can I “un-give” a gift?
How do I contact a registrant?
General Questions
What is Encore Baby Registry?
Encore Baby Registry is a free online gift registry service that makes it easy to register for hand-me-down, second-hand and new baby items on loan or to keep.
How does Encore Baby Registry work?
Encore Baby Registry works like a standard store gift registry…almost. Like a standard store registry, a registrant makes a free gift registry, which is then shared with friends, family, and anyone else who would like to give the registrant a gift. The registrant’s guests then use the registry to decide what to give the registrant and to record their gift.
Unlike a standard store registry, fulfilling a gift on an Encore Baby Registry does not require purchasing the gift at a specific retailer or even purchasing a gift at all. Guests can obtain their gifts from wherever they like, such as a consignment store, online retailer, or their own closets. Once a guest has chosen a gift to give, Encore Baby Registry provides a place for them to record the gift to help prevent duplicates (and triplicates and quadruplicates and…).
Is using Encore Baby Registry free?
Yes! Creating and using an Encore Baby Registry is completely free for both registrants and their guests.
Will Encore Baby Registry sell my personal information?
No! Your privacy is very important to us. Encore Baby Registry will never sell or share the email addresses or personal information of registrants or their guests. Registrants may delete their registry and/or Encore Baby Registry account at any time. See our privacy policy for more information.
Are hand-me-down and used baby items safe? What about recalls?
It is the responsibility of registrants and their guests to ensure that used baby products are in good working condition, meet current safety guidelines, include all parts and instructions, and have not been recalled. Please see our Secondhand Scoop section to read more about second-hand gift giving etiquette, general safety standards for baby products, guidelines when considering giving or receiving a second-hand car seat or crib, and information about second-hand baby mattresses.
Use our Product Recall Search page powered by WeMakeItSafer to check items for recalls, or if you wish to view government recall publications directly:
- U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission Recalls and Product Safety News
- Car seat safety is overseen by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). For information about car seat recalls, call the Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 or visit the NHTSA Website.
Can I buy baby items on the Encore Baby Registry website?
Encore Baby Registry does not sell baby products. Registrants may choose to include links to other sites where baby gifts can be purchased and can also put items from Amazon.com directly on their Encore baby registries. Guests and registrants can also click on links for our advertisers and affiliates to view and purchase their goods or services. If you obtain a baby gift through a link on our site, please remember to come back to Encore Baby Registry to account for the item on the gift registry. Although Encore Baby Registry offers purchasing options through our affiliates and advertisers, guests are welcome to get registry items, including those from Amazon.com, anywhere they like.
Does “hand-me-down” always mean “used”?
No. People often end up with baby items they have never used and want to hand-down to someone else. A new parent may have been given four diaper bags, or maybe she bought a baby sling and her friend bought her another baby carrier she decided to use instead. Maybe a parent is having his second child and someone bought him a new baby bathtub, but he is going to use the one from his first child. Some items are grown out of before a child has a chance to use them, like an adorable outfit with the tags still attached. Other items are only partially used, like a package of diapers that were grown out of before the package was finished.
How can I contact Encore Baby Registry?
The fastest way to contact us is through our “Contact Us” page. Please feel free to send us any questions, feedback, site issues, media inquiries, or whatever else is on your mind. We’d love to hear from you!
If you would prefer to communicate by phone, please use the “Contact Us” page to send us an email that includes your name, phone number, and time zone and we will do our best to call you within 24-48 hours.
For Registrants
I can’t find the baby item I’m looking for.
Start by using the Encore Baby Registry search tool to see if you can find the item. Still can’t find it? Encore Baby Registry is designed to be flexible and there are three ways to add items that are not already on the site to your baby registry. You can click on the “Add your own item” icon, located at the top left of each registry category. Add as much or as little information as you like (description, picture, size). The second option is to choose the baby item on the site that is the closest to what you are looking for and make changes to make it fit your needs. All registry items are flexible and you can change their names, descriptions and pictures to match your needs. The third option is to use our Amazon.com search feature to add any of their million-plus products directly to your registry.
Is there a baby item you think we should add to the Encore Baby Registry website? Contact us and let us know. We’d love to hear from you.
Can I request new items on my baby registry?
Yes! Encore Baby Registry is designed to provide you this choice. When adding an item to your baby registry, you have the option to request that the gift be new, used or either (if you have no preference). Your guests will see this information for each item when viewing your registry.
Encore Baby Registry also allows you to put items from Amazon.com directly on your registry. Amazon offers millions of products, both new and used. If one of your guests chooses to purchase an item on Amazon.com, they need to ensure that they input their purchase into your registry on Encore Baby Registry, which is separate from making the purchase on Amazon. Guests are welcome to get registry items, including those from Amazon.com, anywhere they like.
Can I make my baby registry private?
Encore Baby Registry provides the option for you to password protect your baby registry, ensuring that only your guests are allowed to view your baby gift requests. If you choose to password protect your registry, guests who do not have your gift registry password can send you a message requesting the password through the Encore Baby Registry website. We have instructions on how to add a password to your registry on our Registrant FAQ page.
Can I ask for baby items on loan?
Yes! We understand that hand-me-downs are sometimes given as a loan from a parent who may want items back to use with future children. Similarly, you may want to keep certain items for sentimental reasons or for another child you plan to have in the future. Other items you may only want to borrow for short term use. To make things easy for you and your guests, Encore Baby Registry is designed to support clear communication regarding you and your guest’s wishes for loaning/borrowing vs keeping a hand-me-down gift.
Encore Baby Registry also keeps track of whether each gift was permanent or a loan. This allows you to go back to your registry in 3, 6, 12 months and so on, when your baby has outgrown an item, to see if it should be going back to someone, and if so, who (to ensure this feature doesn’t ruin any surprises, gift givers can choose to remain anonymous until your baby’s due date and Encore Baby Registry will wait until that date to reveal their name).
For Guests
The baby registry I’m looking for is password protected. How do I get the password?
Use the “Search Registries” function to locate the baby registry you would like to view. Select the appropriate registry by clicking on the registry title. You may then contact the registrant to request the password using the “Send a Message” link.
How do I print a gift registry?
When looking at the main page of the registry (with all of the items as a list), scroll to the bottom of the page. On the right side there is a selection of “Share” buttons. Click on the one that is a computer printer (if the print button is not showing, run your mouse over the plus sign button and it will have more options, including print). This will bring up a screen that will allow you to view the document, select specific pages and change your printer settings before printing.
Please note that the main registry page does not include item details. Pages for specific gift registry items can also be printed using the same process described above with the “Share” buttons at the bottom right side of the page.
Why do I have the option of adding a description and/or picture when I give a gift?
A lot of baby gear has brand-specific coordinating accessories and parts. For example, a diaper pail may require specific liners, a nursing pillow cover of one brand most likely will not fit a nursing pillow made by another brand, a stroller may have separately sold parts like car seat adaptors, a rain shield, and more. Including a description or picture of your gift may help other guests give appropriate accessories and add-ons. Guests can also use gift pictures and descriptions to choose coordinating colors or styles.
How/Where do I pay for my gift?
Encore Baby Registry is built to help expectant parents share their needs with friends and to track what has been given and what is yet to be fulfilled, but we do not sell baby products. By selecting a registry item and clicking “Give Gift” you are pledging to give it, rather than actually purchasing the gift. This leaves your options open to get the gift wherever you like.
For assistance in finding a place to purchase a specific gift, most registry items have links to retailers who advertise with us on the right side of the page. Some items also have a “view on Amazon” button at the bottom of the page (Encore Baby Registry is a paid affiliate with Amazon.com). For gifts requested secondhand, we have our “Where to Find Secondhand Baby Gifts” page for suggestions.
I changed my mind, can I “un-give” a gift?
To ensure the accuracy and effectiveness of the registry and gift tracking system, Encore Baby Registry does not provide a direct way for guests to cancel their submission after completing the “Give Gift” process. However, we understand that mistakes happen and plans can change unexpectedly. If you have recorded on Encore Baby Registry that you are giving a gift and it was a mistake or you no longer plan to give that gift, please contact the registrant as soon as possible to let them know so they can adjust their gift registry accordingly.
How do I contact a registrant?
You can contact a registrant at any time when viewing a gift registry by clicking the “Send a Message” link at the top of each page.
