Time Tidbits - Group Gifting Made Easy with The Dopple Registry

By Lisa Marino, Founder & CEO — The Dopple 

Picture this: The baby shower is over, and the parents-to-be are sitting among the gifts their friends and family generously bestowed upon them. Around them are boxes filled with newborn onesies, bibs, blankets, pacifiers, and pajamas. Perhaps a group of their friends or family members went in on one of the big ticket items, such as a stroller or crib. 

However incredible it may be to be “showered” with gifts to celebrate the impending birth of a little one, the needs of modern parents are changing. Unfortunately, today's baby registries have not changed with them.

Many items that mamas-to-be receive from their old school registries are long forgotten after the baby arrives. Today's mothers need access to a registry option that recognizes the invaluable benefit of one's community — a tribe of support that new parents can lean on not only right after birth but for months or years after.

What we have accomplished with The Dopple Registry addresses this need for a “village.” With today's glaring disparities in healthcare, child care, income, and post-partum care, giving mothers-to-be access to services and support through a registry brings gifting into the modern age.

A personal connection

My own experience with motherhood and lack of access to services and support has informed the creation of The Dopple Registry. When I had my first child, I was newly graduated from college and had just lost access to my college-provided health coverage. This was right around when the dot-com bubble burst in California, sending many professionals scrambling for income-producing work and healthcare coverage in a high-cost-of-living area.

At the time, our “village” was the State of California. We leaned on government assistance to bring us through the difficult period right after my child was born. State aid got us through the first year of diapers, formula, and healthcare.

I saw first-hand how critical community support and access to necessary services can be for new parents. Though the famous saying "It takes a village to raise a child" is oft-repeated, it is not often practiced in the United States.

Our idea with The Dopple Registry was to give new parents — especially new mothers — the ability to register for not only the items necessary for a new baby but also the support services or renewable delivery services that can truly make the difference between simply surviving and thriving in the first year of a baby's life. 

Group gifting reimagined

It's common for friends or family to pool resources to buy a larger gift from a baby registry. The Dopple Registry offers mothers the chance to register for professional services like doulas or lactation consultants and regular deliveries of essentials like diapers or formula. 

Not every new mom or dad begins their parenting journey on equal footing with their fellow parents. What The Dopple Registry is aiming to do is to level the playing field. 

Now, group gifters can give the gift of a month of housekeeping, three months of diapers, or a housekeeper. When new parents are in the weeds of those first few months, having someone who can come in to perform night doula services or have formula show up at one's doorstep can feel like a lifesaver. 

The registry also simplifies group gifting. Gifters can contribute towards services or regular deliveries, pooling their contributions so that new parents feel supported and cared for by their community.

The village is still needed

I may have put the hard early days of new parenthood behind me, but I am aware that disparities and inequality still exist. I was a mother who relied on my village to make it through a difficult time, and by following my heart and creating The Dopple Registry, I hope to address these persistent inequalities. 

We are thrilled to be redefining how family and friends come together to support new parents. This approach to gifting — especially group gifting — not only celebrates the joy of a new arrival but ensures that every contribution makes a notable difference in the lives of growing families, leveling the playing field one thoughtful gift at a time.