buying for baby

'Babies R Us' have over 50 soothers to choose from' the catalogue says... like it's a good thing. 18 varieties of baby monitors... 43 pages of strollers... nine baths... four bath supports... a multitude of nappies (disposable or reusable?)... baby wipes (regular, sensitive, extracare, fragrance free, biodegradable)... etc. etc... and this is just one store. you have your high street stores, online stores, eco-friendly stores, department stores and each with their own collections, selections, ideas and 'must haves'.

the choice is overwhelming, especially when you are dealing with products you've had no real contact with before. like there are lots of varieties of cars around, but you see them everyday and get a feeling of what you like and what might suit your lifestyle. the range of baby products present a whole new world of consumerism.

the first thing to do is to filter out the unnecessary money spinners (like the £330 breastfeeding chair with optional £110 stool) and the fear factor products (e.g. the fetal heart monitoring system - although this picture does make it look like fun for the whole family). then you have to consider products that may be useful even though the idea of them may be somewhat terrifying. another thing is not to get sucked in by the very cute child they have chosen to model the product or the other classic guaranteed to tempt a pregnant woman: the caring dad with baby shot.

even baring in mind all these guidelines there are plenty of lovely things to buy. it feels a bit like christmas has come early at our place as the parcels and packages are piling up. while we have a lot more still to get i guess the most important rule to remember is that the baby won't be arriving expecting everything to have been bought for it on the day its born... at least i hope not!