We Will Never Be "Those" Parents
Update: We are amped up to be joining Big City Mom's in NYC's Biggest Baby Shower Ever. Come find us and say hi! Mention this blog post and get 20% off of your order!
Those Parents
You know, the ones that have baby stuff everywhere...
Drying racks and bottles all over their counter tops...
Stuffed animals and play toys spilling around from the living room to the hallway... More apparatuses for baby to sit in then a person can even imagine...!
I always vowed that I would NEVER be that parent. I explained to friends that the baby has such a nice room. It was plenty large enough to house all of his toys, gadgets and gizmos. There was no reason to have all of that "stuff" sprawled out across our house. What would people think? Who can't manage to keep that all in order?
I am TOTALLY THAT parent...
Through lessons of trial and error I tried so hard to keep everything contained in the baby's room.
At the beginning of each day I would set up activity mats, teethers and stuffed animals from his bedroom in the living room to keep my little man occupied throughout the day. I would juggle it all down the stairs, while trying not to trip on one of the many cats roaming our house. The living room became home base during the day. At the end of each day, I would clean it all up and store it back away in his room. Schleping it back up the stairs and placing everything perfectly in their spots. After a full day, the munchkin would whisk away to dream land and I would completely and utterly exhausted.
I found that this was turning out to be more burdensome than I had bargained for. I explained to my husband that I can't keep carrying on like this. It felt like I was stuck in the movie Ground Hog's Day. We went ahead and purchased second sets of some key items. These items were to be kept downstairs in the living room. We even sprang for this adorable toy chest to store things in when the day was over and we wanted to have some "adult space" back.
So what are some key items that we keep in the living room to keep our sanity?
4Moms Breeze Playard - It is advertised for its easy open and closing but we do not move it. It has become an essential piece for keeping baby contained for naps as well as if I have to make a quick bathroom trip and want to keep him in a safe spot.
Next would be our Evenflo Exersaucer. Our little man is in LOVE with this simple jumperoo. This is another place that baby can be left for a quick bathroom run. Even better, you can hear him play with all of the toys to know that he is safe!
Kickin' it old school is this bouncy seat by Fisher Price. This was a great hand me down that we got from my sister. She used this with my niece and nephew and for good reason. Our little guy loves to just hang out and do very light bounces. This has also served a great purpose for when he is winding down and need to be a little more chill.
For us, it was something as simple as this toy chest from 3 Sprouts. It is cute, flexible and extremely light weight. It holds all of the fun things that our guy likes to play with. But is also down played in color to not draw too much attention to it in our living room.
In the end, all that really matters is the happy, Easy Baby.
