Playmats and Wipe Warmers and Bouncy Seats, OH MY!

 

The minute you find out you’re going to become a mommy, the onslaught of “stuff” begins. Friends, family members, blogs, email newsletters… they all bombard you with advice.  You can’t live without THIS expensive gadget, and you certainly can’t function without THAT cheap but gargantuan contraption. Your baby will NEED a dozen of these little knick knacks and will WANT at least one of those huge eyesores… for every room of the house, that is.  And since you don’t know where the hell to even begin when it comes to providing for a baby, you wade through it all, fending off panic attacks and wondering how in the world such an itty bitty thing could possibly need SO. MUCH. STUFF.

From the start, Brian and I decided we weren’t going to do it. I’ve mentioned it before: we are “do-ers,” not “have-ers.” We are constantly paring down our bookshelves and closets, removing what we don’t want, need or use and hauling it off to Goodwill. The tree-hugging, second-hand store-ing hippie that I am, I was terrified at the thought of a house full of baby gear in every color of virgin plastic imaginable. Not only that, we wanted to go, see and do with our little girl… to inspire her to appreciate people and nature and music and creativity instead of expecting to be entertained by stuff. So, we set out on the task of preparing for our little bundle with a minimalist, eco-friendly mind set. 

In the beginning, it was easy. I was adamant about not having a wipe warmer or a diaper genie or a stockpile of anything, since babies grow so quickly. We started with the basics: a crib from mom and dad’s basement, a travel system that would grow with us and tiny little onesies from yard sales and thrift stores. We bought things second-hand when we found them and organic when we could afford it. We successfully avoided the “nursery in a box” route and thoughtfully pieced our baby’s room together one item at a time, from the homemade mobile to the flower decals on the wall to the rockasan (i.e. papasan rocker.) 

But as I entered the third trimester and became more anxious about her arrival, I started to cave. There were so many freebies out there for expectant mamas I just couldn’t resist, like the cute nursing cover that would never manage to make it out of Emery’s room. (Sigh.) And then there were all the GREAT deals on Craigslist, like the $90 bouncy seat that I was able to procure for a mere $30. Turns out that wonderful purchase would be the key to getting to shower and get dressed and brush my teeth every single day.  (I may have it gilded once she outgrows it.)  On top of all that, the gifts and hand-me-downs were impossible to refuse… like the pack ‘n’ play I would have never bought but ended up being so happy we had during those first few weeks. 

We ended up finding a pretty good balance. We got a sustainably-made bathtub, but no giant plastic frog to store tub toys in. We got glass bottles, but no bottle warmer or special sterilizer. We got a wooden play gym and a few creativity-inspiring toys, but no screaming/flashing/beeping plastic-y items. Our apartment was baby-ready, but it didn’t look like the Babies R Us truck had unloaded at our door. Not yet, at least.

The real test would be when it was finally time to meet this baby and bring her home. As it turned out, we had just about everything we needed, and we didn’t have much of anything that we didn’t use. (Go us!) But a tiny, sleeping baby doesn’t stay tiny and sleeping forever. By the end of the first month, Emery was awake for most of the day and eager to get to know this new world of hers. Unfortunately, all she could do was lie there. Luckily, she had us there to hold her and carry her and rock her and sway her all day long. Yeah. About that.

As much fun as a new baby is, and as much as you want to snuggle with her constantly, you also NEED 5 minutes to yourself occasionally... to do a load of laundry or dishes… to go to the bathroom… to kiss your husband… to just remember how it felt not to have a baby attached to you at all times. I felt guilty, but I would have given my left arm for a few minutes of freedom. And all those dreams of getting out and seeing the world kind of subside when it's so hot out the baby immediately breaks out into a rash, you may not have showered for days and you are whipping out the boob every two hours for a feeding. So, for my sanity’s sake, I reconsidered my idealist, minimalist philosophy and decided I might be willing to compromise just a little. 

One reluctant trip to the consignment store later, the magical baby swinging device joined our living room furniture. Sixty of the best dollars I ever spent. Seriously. It didn’t take long for the guilt to melt away when I saw how much she enjoyed the back and forth, back and forth. She was happy. I had those elusive five minutes I needed. We bought used and would re-consign when we were done. Ahhhhh.

Since that fateful day, we have continued to find balance amidst all the stuff. When we needed to entice her to spend time on her tummy, we rolled up a blanket and threw down some toys for an instant tummy time mat. When she started wanting to sit upright, I made another trip to Once Upon A Child, and the Bumbo seat came into our lives. When her homemade mobile fell out of the sky, we bought a wonderful new one from Ross that moves and makes music. It securely attaches to the crib, and we can change it up regularly so she doesn’t lose interest. And now that she is bored with most everything, we took the plunge and bought her a huge, plastic exersaucer for Christmas. Everything about it is music-related, and it’s truly awesome. Sure, it won't take the place of going, seeing and doing, but the older she gets, the more of that she gets too. 

Since we won’t be in town for Christmas, and she is dying for some new stimulation, we went ahead and gave it to her. Just as I suspected, it rocks her world, and I’ll happily find a way to offset the virgin plastic to see those big, brown eyes light up as she discovers and experiences it all.