Before giving birth to my first child last fall, I was confident that my husband and I could pull off this whole parenting thing without becoming un-chic. We’ve always cared about the appearance of our apartment and filled it with nice things. Sure, we aren’t magazine-quality over here, but we believe in pretty furniture, special things hanging on the walls, and a generalized sense of order.
While expecting our daughter, I registered for items that seemed simple and were good-looking enough. My list contained about ten things. That’s when my mom-friends started calling left and right to tell me what I really needed, and I cringed with each overly colorful, noise-making item that was suggested. Wouldn’t you know that within two weeks of our daughter’s birth, my husband and I had each made about 10 trips to the baby store to pick up various items we’d always sworn we wouldn’t need?
Now that my baby is nearly a year old, the stockpiles just keep on growing. Sure, I clean up when she gives me a moment’s break. And I swear that somewhere under the play mat or behind the jumper or nuzzled between the stacks of hooded towels are the remnants of our old, design-conscious life. Being the mom of a baby, however, means that these 13 baby items are totally taking over our lives…
1. Light-up, musical toys. They’re hideous and annoying, but no car ride, doctor’s visit, or babysitter handover is successful without them. We can never have enough, apparently.
2. Frozen teethers and breastmilk. Our freezer used to contain a bottle of vodka and some fancy ice cubes for cocktail parties; now, it’s prepped for a different type of happy hour.
3. Wipes. Diaper changes, meal times, boogers, dropped pacifiers…we have different types for different occasions and stacks of them in every crevice.
4. Socks. They don’t stay on her feet, and they rarely match, but for some reason we have too many to count.
5. Books. Sooooo many books. I love them, but for now, I spend more time wrestling the pages out of her mouth than I do reading to her.
6. Pictures. Every outfit, smile, and moment demands a snap. I’m constantly deleting apps on my phone to accommodate more. My kid is just too cute for my storage plan to handle.
7. Toy parts. Puzzle pieces, blocks, and rubber animals that have lost their way.
8. Plastic bins waiting to receive organized piles of clothing (they’ll be waiting a while).
9. Monograms! Somehow they’ve moved from collared shirts and bloomers to bath towels, picture frames, and so much more. I guess we’re just really into her name.
10. Pacifiers — they lurk everywhere. I even found one in the dog’s bed earlier this week.
11. Bottles, sippy cups, and snack vessels. Sometimes it feels like all this child ever does is eat and drink.
12. Bibs. Thanks to eating and teething, we can’t keep a shirt clean and dry for longer than ten minutes without one.
13. Large, stationary objects intended to keep her occupied long enough for me to wash a spoon or take a sip of hot coffee. They don’t always do the trick, but we have four, just in case.
What baby items are taking over your life?
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