Despite the fact that I'm only 3 months into this whole parenting thing, I consider myself to be a fairly capable and devoted father, until I walk into either the Carters or Babys 'R Us stores.
These stores are traps for parents. I have a closet full of clothes for my daughter, enough to last her until she's 2 years old. But that's not enough. Oh no. One walk into a Carters store and your debit or credit card will bend under the heat generated from so many transactions. Sure, their stuff looks great, and it's probably super duper quality in comparison to the 5-pack onesies I prefer. But you know what? Kids grow so fast that they rarely wear the stuff often enough to justify the purchase. They never wear it much because there's no chance you'll pass a full sizing period without heading right back into the store for more. It's like a drug, except you don't feel all that loopy and you probably won't eat a while bag of Funyuns afterwards.
Babys 'R Us is even worse because they offer a smorgasbord of offerings for your child. It's like a wonderland of kiddie extravagance. I don't mind going into the store jsut to watch the bliss filled moms drag along the exhausted baby-dady for just one more glance at that semi-functional, really expensive, totally necessary stroller that's made of titanium and organic mammoth hide. This place makes you feel like a bad parent if your kid doesn't have every possible "safety" gizmo out there. Of course you need the portable, wi-fi, HD, full color with night vision monitor. How did people make it for so long by just simply listening for a peep or a cry? Infant mortality rates must surely have fallen dramatically.
Here's what I say. Get comfy with things like amazon.com, craigslist.com, and TJ Maxx (or any similar store). Use the high price places to check things out and see what you like, and then go search for it elsewhere. You can find anything from those places much cheaper and with little wear (if used) or unrecognizable flaws (factory seconds), or just cheaper (everywhere else is cheaper). Get online and read reviews about that completely necessary item that didn't exist for parents a decade ago.
As long as your kid is clean, fed, and you show it some love, it likely won't turn out to be a serial killer. If he/she does, then chalk it up to societal deviations, or the fact that you bypassed the opportunity to buy your home organic baby food factory and just bought the little jars instead. Bad parent.
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