Shawn Johnson East, Gold Medalist And Mother Of Two, Partners With Buybuy BABY

Between navigating the latest parenting guidelines, receiving recommendations from friends and family, and evaluating an endless assortment of goods, creating a baby registry can feel overwhelming for many expectant parents.

As part of the company’s new “Welcome to Parenthood” campaign and reinforced promise to make the transition to parenthood seamless, buybuy BABY, a specialty baby, and toddler products retailer in North America, is releasing its “2022 buybuy BABY Registry Trends Report,” featuring trend predictions and must-have registry items.

Gold medalist, mother of two, and bestselling author Shawn Johnson East shared this year’s top trends via Instagram Live on Thursday, January 20.

Designed to uncover insights impacting parenting purchases, the breakthrough report finds–at a high level–that more technological advancements and innovations are entering the baby and infant market to ease the stress of parenting in the ongoing pandemic environment. Additionally, societal trends, such as sustainability and a greater focus on wellness, seem to influence parents’ product choices.

The Significance Of Creating A Registry

To create the 2022 buybuy BABY Registry Trends Report, buybuy BABY commissioned multi-phased research including a search analysis of the brand’s website, Google search analysis, secondary research analysis, and in-depth interviews with its Parenting Pros, a collective group of experts within various fields, including child development, self-care, health and wellness, safety, and sleep, to help identify emerging trends within their areas of expertise.

Johnson East is the newest member of The Village, buybuy BABY’s collective of moms and dads representing a range of parenting stages. Throughout the Instagram Live event held in January, consumers had the opportunity to learn about the biggest trends for 2022. In addition, each item was discussed in detail with buybuy BABY’s Parenting Pros panel of pediatricians to educate those who tuned in as to which items they may want to add to their registry.

“When it comes to their registry efforts, they truly are the experts and make the whole process so seamless,” she said. “So when I found out that they would be pulling together their first-ever 2022 Registry Trends Report, I knew I had to get involved. Creating a baby registry for many expecting parents can be overwhelming and buybuy BABY was an incredible resource along my own parenthood journey. The trends are so relatable and real and feature many products I use with my kids.”

Johnson East has been open with her fans about suffering a miscarriage in 2017. According to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), as many as 10% of known pregnancies end in a loss. After dealing with a miscarriage or fertility issues, getting to the stage of registering for your baby can feel like a very important milestone.

“I feel like, after our miscarriage, I had a hard time letting myself celebrate our pregnancy or get attached to our baby because I always feared losing that pregnancy again,” she shared. “I was hesitant to do anything along those lines… from registering to buying nursery stuff. It all felt scary.”

“The 2022 buybuy BABY Registry Trends Report is just one of the ways we are simplifying the registry process for parents and providing guidance,” says Patty Wu, Senior Vice President and General Manager of buybuy BABY. “Our Welcome to Parenthood promise is all about helping parents by offering guidance and support at every milestone, starting with the registry. We do that by sharing the latest trends, helping them cut through the clutter of information out there, and equipping them with everything they need to navigate their parenting journey.”

Going Beyond The Shopping Experience

In addition to showcasing this year’s registry trends, buybuy BABY has expanded and improved registry experiences and created engaging content to help parents “see around the corner” and prepare for whatever comes their way – available in stores, online, and through its five-star app, including:

• Special events and classes
• In-store and virtual concierge services with a personal consultant
• Revamped interactive registry checklist to make room for a more personalized experience
• Free standard shipping rewards
• New return policies on registry gifts

When asked who of the Parenting Pros she gained the most insight from, Johnson East responded, “All of the Parenting Pros are so great because they have such diverse backgrounds to provide real guidance and everyday advice parents are looking for. The group speaks to parents constantly navigating health, wellness, sleep, baby safety, self-care, healthy parenting and child development, and more. As my babies continue to grow, the biggest thing that’s top of mind for me is safety. So it was great to talk one-on-one with Dr. Orajiaka and learn the proper safety measures for everyday items like stroller assembly and baby proofing.”

Recently, buybuy BABY offered their customers a chat function with the option for the agent to call the customer directly to talk if needed. This month (February) buybuy BABY will also be introducing video consultations so customers can book a virtual video consultation with an associate or chat and join a video conference via direct link if desired.

As they continue to roll out new ways to support their customers, Johnson East will remain involved both by driving awareness for upcoming initiatives and sharing her personal journey.

In terms of words of wisdom for expecting or new parents as they navigate what they truly need and what will be the most helpful, Johnson East suggests, “Ask for help. Don’t overthink it. And remember, every parent does it differently. You do you!”