Saturday, August 29, 2009

Panic at the Baby Store

I was so excited about going to Babies R Us. I had felt like it was a place I was either not allowed to go to or that I would feel bad about going to before I was pregnant. We headed over yesterday and I ended up having a minor panic attack. There was so much stuff. So many things that you apparently have to buy or YOUR BABY IS GOING TO DIE!! I lasted about 20 minutes before we had to leave. James grabbed a catalog on our way out though.

When I got home I perused the catalog and realized that so much of the stuff I was seeing at the store is not actually stuff I'm at all interested in. There are a few big ticket items (stroller, car seat, bassinet/co-sleeper, breast pump) we'll need but I think our family will take care of them (mum already said she'd get the bed). I think I was just overwhelmed by all the choices. There were at least 20 strollers, 30 car seats, 15 breast pumps, and on and on and on. I can't seem to figure out why one car seat would cost $99 and another would cost $300. They aren't going to make a car seat that's unsafe right? So why do I need to even think about spending $300 on one if the $99 one is just as effective.

Then there were the brands. Evenflo, Eddie Bauer, Graco... There are just so many. And then there are the "child advertising" type items as well. Why does everything have to have Dora, Winnie the Pooh or Disney Princesses on it? If it doesn't have one of those brands on it then it is pink or blue. I have no plans to raise my child gender neutral but I also have no plans to have everything pink or blue. And why does a child need a Dora the Explorer potty? Does peeing with Dora make it easier? At least there was no Hannah Montana on the baby stuff.

Anyhoo, I'll have to make another trip to Babies R Us so we can make our registry. I think next time I go though I will be armed with information. I plan to do my research on strollers, breast pumps, car seats/strollers/travel systems and maybe have some sort of idea what we want.

8 comments:

  1. Seriously car seats are not created equal! I have researched LOL. I plan on getting the Chicco Keyfit (which also comes with the stroller) for Gummi which is a more expensive one but it has highest ratings and my friend who is a car seat tech rep also highly reccomended it. It also goes up to 30 pounds where most others only go up to 20 pounds ;) I plan on getting the one that is yellow,gray,white type pattern but the red is cool too! So much of the crap you soooo don't need! Bottle warmers and wipe warmers waste o' money another waste is any diaper pail you have to buy refills for!

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  2. What you need to be armed with is a smart aleck friend who has done this kind of crazy shopping before. If you were near me, I'd go with you. ~Davonia

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  3. Oh girl. I know where you have been, I was just there! First thing I want to tell you is that 1st trimester is the worst time to go shopping. I burst into tears at Ikea because I couldnt find a lightbulb. Wait till the second trimester. Secondly, babies r' us will let you make a registry online, then youre not overwhelmed with getting it done in the store. Thirdly, hold off on purchases until the word is out on the pregnancy, people with kids LOVE to give away hand me downs and I think 90% of Lyra's things are hand me downs, including all her furniture, swing, and pack n play.

    Yes, some kids need Dora as a motivator to use the potty. I dont like it, but sometimes it works. A 300$ car seat had better be one you can use for the whole 5 years, thats all I can say. And some are. I love my bottle warmer, it also warms baby food jars. Some things, like bottles and pacifiers, you dont want to buy until you need them, as each baby will prefer a different one, and you will have to buy a few and try them out on the baby.

    I did an Amazon baby gift registry and was able to really peruse, read reviews, and take my time. And then nearly no one actually bought from the registry, and gave me whatever they felt like giving me anyways.

    You can never have too many pairs of socks, footy pajamas, or cloth wipes. Dont buy burp rags, just use a cloth diaper.

    And sweetie, I love the "onesie" you bought, but its footy jammies! Not a onesie, just so youre not confused!

    You can email me any time, I would love to answer any questions you have or just listen to you moan about feeling gross.

    Love,
    Nena

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  4. Hey Lady!
    I loved reading through your whole blog, and will definitely keep following it.
    The one thing I can say is that as unfortunate as it is, kids will fall in love with a certain character, and it won't always be one that you enjoy as well. And things with this character definitely help in some ways. Ella will absolutely not pee in her panties if they have Dora on them, but if it's monkeys, strawberries, plain pink... it's a disaster. The other day she threw a tantrum (and she's not even 2!) because I bought her light-up shoes instead of the Dora ones (which I thought would give her blisters). It totally sucks, and unless you're banning all TV, all public outings, all other kid contact and all gifts, they're going to see characters or advertising things, and they're going to "NEED IT!"
    Love Ya!
    Ashley Paramor

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  5. Heya, just came over here from Married Me and read through your blog. We were ttc for two years so I know how hard it is, so happy for you. We are now 14 weeks pregnant and Babys r us scared me too! Too much stuff to take in, so overwhelming!

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  6. Nena -- there's a difference between onesies and footed pj's???? Shit I'm in trouble.

    Don't get me wrong ladies, I don't have a problem with Dora and Princesses I just don't see the need to put it on baby stuff.

    I went back to Babies R Us and had a much better time. I had a really sweet girl helping me and it was quite nice. I also got a bag full of prezzies!! Mostly stuff I won't use due to my allergies but I love prezzies all the same. xo

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  7. hey! i'm a smart aleck who's done it before! i'll go shopping with you! xo

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