A baby shower list where the duplicates do not pile up
A baby shower is the one occasion where guests genuinely cannot guess. Some things you need five of. Some things you need exactly one of, and a second is a box you have to store, return, or quietly pass on.
Say how many, not just what
Quantity is the whole problem at a baby shower, and it is the thing a plain gift list never captures. Write it into the wish itself — "muslin squares, as many as anyone likes" against "one baby monitor, please only one" — and guests know instantly which is which.
For anything sized, put the size in. Newborn clothes are outgrown in weeks, and guests almost always buy too small.
The reservations do the coordinating
When someone claims the pram, everyone else sees it is taken and moves on. Nobody has to run a spreadsheet, and nobody has to be the person who asks the group chat whether the cot is spoken for.
Guests need no account for any of this. They open the link and type a first name, which matters when the invitation list spans four generations.
You are not told what is coming
Reservations are hidden from whoever owns the list. You can keep adding to it in the last few weeks without learning what is already wrapped.
How do I ask for several of the same thing?
Add it once and say so in the wish — "muslin squares, any number welcome". For things you want exactly one of, say that instead. Guests read it and act accordingly.
Can I add secondhand or borrowed things?
Yes. Write it in plain words rather than pasting a link. "Anyone finished with a Moses basket?" works exactly like a shop item.
Can somebody else run the list for me?
The list belongs to one account, so whoever holds that account manages it. Sharing the sign-in details with a partner is the usual way to run it between two people.
What happens after the baby arrives?
Nothing automatic. The list stays where it is until you remove it, which is useful — first-birthday lists tend to want half the same things.