Friday, January 11, 2008

Baby Bombardment

No, I'm not talking about Angelina Jolie's ten thousand children, Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban's recent baby announcement, the always changing rumors of the real father of Suri Cruise, Avril Lavigne, Jack Black or any other celebrity baby.

No, no, no.

I'm talking about my first trip to Babies 'R' Us.

It's stills a way off before my wife births our child (June 24th due date), but tonight we decided that it was time we venture into a Babies 'R' Us, superstore and see what these stores are all about.

I was sort of excited to see what this store was like, but upon going inside I was instantly struck with paralysis. Um, they have the pacifiers and bottles separated by brands! There's three different stages of strollers and car seats, some are three stages in one, while others focus on specific stages!?

I mean some of these strollers are giant! And then they have fixtures and attachments and hanging mobiles that come with all sorts of spinning things.

And do kids really like mobiles so much that everything needs to have one?

Anyways, the intention is not for this blog to turn into a daddy blog, but man, we're talking about a whole different world here, and it's hard to know what stuff is crazy ridiculousness and what stuff is going to future life essentials. All I know is that it's expensive, takes up a lot of space, and some of it's straight up scary.

20 comments:

One Wink at a Time said...

Baby crap is a multi-billion dollar industry. You buy thousands of things that totally crowd up your house, that you use for ten minutes and then have to get rid of. Best advice, anyone who offers you anything temporary (like a crib or a baby bath tub...) take them up on it and put the money you've saved in a college fund. Or towards diapers. All they really need anyway is Love. And diapers.

jasdye said...

...and milk. don't forget the milk.

o, and onesies. tons and tons of onesies.

and a baby seat. you can't be all britney spears on 'em.

and burp cloths. big ones, little ones...

anyway, babies 'r' us, didn't go personally. wife did. i think it's important to bring someone along who knows about all that baby crap, and especially someone who may be able to discern what is essential and what isn't.

and the mobiles aren't necessarily for the baby's enjoyment so much as for the baby's development.

if you wanna talk new daddy talk, i'm def here for ya.

btw, what books have you guys been offered? what are you reading, or have you been suggested to read? we found a few to be essential reading.

Anonymous said...

Congrats by the way, 2008 is going to be a year who will never forget.
I hope everything goes great for you, your wife and your baby! Wow. You are now going to officially be a *man*. Good Luck, sincerely.

RC said...

@ one wink & jasdye - i love that both your comments mention "baby crap" and you're talking about the stuff people buy, not the stuff the baby makes.

@ jasdye...what do you see as the essential reading???

@ nick...thanks for dubbing me a real man...it's an honor.

amy said...

RC,
While I don't usually find myself to be a crazy person, I have had two major breakdowns inside Babies R Us. Freakin' overwhelming!!! TONS and TONS of stuff you guys don't need.
Can't wait to meet baby RC!!

Amy

Anonymous said...

One word: Graco. They make really good baby stuff. Our church children's group pitched in to get us a Graco highchair and swing, and another couple gave us our first Graco stroller, and some of our friends gave us our second. We still use them all, years later. Really good stuff.

A Pack 'n Play is a must. Be sure to get the one with the diaper changing table.

RC said...

@ amy, i'm thinking at the Babies 'R' Us, "if i bought one thing from every aisle here i'd be poor forever & I would have no place to put the car seat."

Anonymous said...

I'm glad you get to figure all this stuff out first.

Allison and I will be taking notes.

Anonymous said...

You're right about being poor if you buy from there. We buy almost everything from Wal-Mart or Target, sometimes Kroger when they have wipes, etc. on sale. There was very little we had to get at Babies 'R Us, thankfully!

RC said...

@ stephen (or anyone else)

i don't get the appeal of the "pack and play" what's up with those? I saw them and i guess i didn't get the point.

Anonymous said...

Pack 'n Play: Portable playpen, a.k.a. baby jail. Invaluable if you need to step out to go to the bathroom or get the mail or whatever and don't want to put them in their crib. (If your baby is like ours, they associate 'crib' with 'nap', and if they're not ready for a nap, they're going to voice their objections very loudly.) It's a suggestion, not required, but I'm sure you'll see the use eventually. :)

Dad said...

I plan to build most of what our baby will need out of cardboard and duck tape. Recycled of course; trying to decrease my carbon footprint.

nate said...

I am happy for you RC! Babies 'R us is cool, but all your baby will need is you and mama!

Paula said...

Babies need Mom and Dad. They need Mom and Dad to talk to them, to hold them, to interact with them, to sing to them, to read to them, to involve them in every aspect of life.

All that other stuff is just extra. (I loved our Pack 'n Play, fyi; portable nap-time means you can go anywhere, from an afternoon with friends to a week away at someone else's house....but it's still just extra)

crackers and cheese said...

I say, borrow whatever you can from friends and family who already have kids.

I don't have any kids, but watching other people's kids, I think mobiles are essential. Like Jasdye said, they're great for the baby's development, and if the baby is really into them, it can be a lifesaver for mom and dad. I have a friend with a four-month old girl, and when she sticks her in a seat with a mobile, the little girl is absolutely fascinated. She stops crying for mom, and starts cooing and watching her "friends" on the mobile. This temporary respite is great, because now mom can go wash her hair or do some dishes without waiting for her baby to take a nap. They certainly aren't a replacement parent, but you'll be thankful that you have them.

Good luck with everything :)

One Wink at a Time said...

Wow, you're getting a great shot of "Everything You Ever Need to Know..."
Yep, Pack 'n Plays are great, 'specially if you'll be traveling, like to Grandma's if she doesn't have a crib for you.
Breast feeding is the absolute best way to go if you (er, your wife!) are willing and able in case you were wonderin'...

Anonymous said...

This post could not be more relevant to my experience. My wife and I went to the Baby Depot not long ago. My head nearly exploded. There are 15 different kinds of bottles?! And crib sheets, and crib pads, and crib pad covers, and crib pad sheet covers? Its very intimidating.

jasdye said...

re: babies r us and "baby crap": i guess we were extremely fortunate. nearly everything was given to us. soon, though, she'll outgrow her initial car seat so we'll have to get a new one. but that baby shower (and my wife's meticulous planning - with plenty of familial help) got us covered with maybe too much good stuff.

breastfeeding is hard, but cheaper. i'm not sure if it's totally the end of the world if you go either way.

re: books: the essential - for now - is What to Expect When You're Expecting (which i'm sure has been recommended if not given to you). Extremely valuable to our sanity for after the baby is born is The Happiest Baby on the Block (Karp)(although written weirdly, it's a quick and extremely valuable read), Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child (Weissbluth) (sleep is underrated. do what you can to relax and allow your baby to sleep according to her rhythms and needs) and of course, What to Expect the First Year.

A daddy or family blog, btw, isn't such a bad idea. my wife handles most of that stuff on our front:
www.familydyegest.blogspot.com.

peace to yours

Anonymous said...

Please, Please, please, DO NOT get a hand-me down carseat, crib...so many have been dropped(the seat, not the bed) and then there is no guarentee of the safety. Carseat expire after 6 years, FYI and we want little RC to be safe. Some grandparents will buy it all if that is what it takes!!! HA HA
m

Anna said...

Congrats on the baby news! I just went over to your wife's blog to spread a little sunshine and tell her stunning she looks pregnant!

Glad to see the glow in full force!