Monday, June 24, 2013

Baby Materialism

Well, we did it. We plunged. Even the name of the store - Buy, Buy, Baby - implies spending a lot of money to feel better about the way you are raising your child. A bit bizarre. But, we did it anyhow. We let our GPS lead us South to a the giant department store that looks just like Toys R Us but seems to somehow carry the more expensive version of everything Toys R Us carries. Strollers? Yep. Cribs? Yep. And everything else you didn't know you needed and now feel panicked about not having.

Why did we dot this? Well, remember I told you about our friends with the $1200 stroller? It's a Bugaboo Cameleon 3 Special Edition something, something, something. And somehow they have two. Yes, two (it's a long story). And they want to sell one for "cheap." As in, cheaper than you would normally spend on a Bugaboo but more than any normal person would spend on a stroller. So, what do you think we did? We considered it.

Of course, if B. had his way, he would have just said, "Hey great, a stroller! And it does nifty things! And it's top of the line and it gets good reviews AND I like it! Let's get this one!" And we could have skipped the Buy, Buy, Baby extravaganza. But, me being me, I said, "No, we need to consider every single other stroller option before we settle for this ridiculously expensive option."

We looked at strollers for hours today. It felt more stressful than being a car. I realized (well, actually I already knew this) that I am not good at gadgetry or pressing this fancy button or origamiing this object into a folded position. And I realized, I like the damn Bugaboo stroller.

But then all of my guilt about privilege and luxury and wasting money just leapt up at me. How in the hell can you buy a stroller that would pay someone's rent for a month??? Well, ok, not in Los Angeles, but maybe in like, North Dakota. But, I argued with myself, We're getting such a good deal because it's so much cheaper than buying it retail! Yeah right. It's still more than most people spend on their strollers. My eyes kept going to the small little umbrella strollers that my clients buy and thinking, So what makes me better than that?

You can see the lunacy here. B. was fed up with me. He kept arguing logically about the merits of the stroller and the fact that we've worked our asses off to get where we are and so if we want to get our a baby a nice stroller, we can. Why oh why can't I have his decisiveness? With a side of guilt-free confidence?

So, what did we do? Well, nothing so far. But I still really like the Bugaboo stroller.

Instead, we bought a couple of things because I was caught up in the moment of consumerism and just wanted to buy something. So we bought these:


Which is actually really exciting because these two articles of clothing are the first things I have bought for our baby. As in, actually walked into a store and shopped for my son. Of course, I HAD to buy overalls. Who wouldn't?

Oh, and we bought this Teddy Bear. But mostly so he could wear these little t-shirt we bought in Mexico at the airport. A really random, last minute purchase after our crazy, crazy adventure.


Oh, and while we're on the subject of purchases, I guess I'm going to sneak this little review in here. Right around 18 weeks I started to get really uncomfortable sleeping. I was surprised, because I didn't expect that to happen until much later. But suddenly, but body just seemed to have changed just enough that my typical sleep positioning (which is, by the way, on my side) didn't feel comfortable anymore. My stomach ached, my hips hurt, my chest felt like it was collapsing, and I just was...well, uncomfortable. So, I did some research and decided to buy a pregnancy pillow. I think if you read on forums and what not, people recommend the Snoogie. But I was sure that I wanted a pillow that went down both sides, was soft, and cozy. After reading comparison reviews, I got this one:

It's called the Comfort U Pillow (how cheesy) and I am in love. B. and I call it the Giant White Vagina and I crawl into every night as if I"m returning to the womb. It's pure heaven. But please, don't buy it unless you have an enormous king size bed to accommodate it. It takes up as much space as another person in the bed. Sometimes I reach for B's hand and can't even find him from the other side of the pillow mountain. But that's ok. "Cus I'm comfortable again.

So there you have it. A random post about Buying Things. But really, just an excuse to pour out my guilt about the fact that we may be succumbing to stereotypes of upper-middle-class-suburban-parents to buy a Bugaboo stroller. For real? Is this me??

No, it's not me....it's Kourtney Kardashian.

19 comments:

  1. It must be something to do with our similar due dates: we went shopping Saturday and spent £ on the baby for the first time in the pregnsncy! Guess what we bought? A bugaboo chameleon3 haha! Plus the car seat, cot and mattress. Deciding on a mattress seemed a particularly arduous task. Exciting times for us November ladies!!!!

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    1. Haha!! I can't believe you did that on the same weekend as me! Must be an internal clock. And the SAME stroller. Makes me feel better about my decision. What color did you get?

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    2. We went for all black. Little irked by the fact I've only just realised it's £800 here and $800 in the US - aargh! Looking forward to seeing what you decidd to do!

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    3. We decided to get it!! (of course, right?) The stroller we are getting from them is a limited edition, all black frame with denim fabric. Not what I would have picked. It costs more for the all black frame here and I actually like the silver, but oh well. Then, because we're getting such a good deal on it, I rationalized that I could spend another $100 on the fabric color I liked (I know, crazy, right?). So I'm also purchasing it in the bright yellow to replace the denim. The neat thing is now we'll have two color options.

      Here's the yellow, it has black and white stripes inside. So cute!

      http://shop.bugaboo.com/INTERSHOP/web/WFS/Bugaboo-Bugaboo_US-Site/en_US/-/USD/ViewProduct-Start?SKU=800510LI01&CategoryDomainName=Bugaboo-Specials&CategoryName=Products

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  2. Oh I so hear you about the guilt that comes from being privileged. In some ways I think it's a good thing, because it keeps me in check. Although I still spend money, go places and do things that my clients will likely never be able to afford, at least I know how lucky I am to be doing them. At least I'm not like those people who say nasty things about less privileged people (like how it is entirely their fault that they are in the situation they are in) I think the awareness of how lucky I am keeps me grounded.

    Anyway, those overalls are ADORABLE!!! And if you do get that stroller (which I think you should) you can make yourself feel better by saying that it's kind of second hand.

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    1. Yep...comes back to awareness, doesn't it? That's why I make myself feel it instead of ignoring my guilt. And yes, exactly, it's "kind of secondhand" so that feels better ;)

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  3. The overalls are ADORABLE! And it sounds like you're getting a great deal on the Bugaboo - I'd get it!! :)

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    1. They ARE adorable! And it IS a good deal! :)

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  4. Love the little outfits! Too cute!

    I'm a sucker for a deal so, if you really do love the Bugaboo and it's cheaper than retail AND being sold by someone you trust, I say go for it!

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  5. Get the bugaboo. We are getting an expensive-ish stroller because we need a double stroller and we want it to last. Plus, it's like recycling since you are buying it used. :)
    I got the snoogie and I don't love it. It's actually back at home while I am in Michigan and I don't miss it. I have been lining up extra pillows along my body and that seems to work. Yours looks way more comfy. I found myself wrestling with the snoogie every time I need to switch positions. And since it was so expensive I can't bring my self to buy a different one.

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    1. I love your decisiveness: "Get the Bugaboo." I respond well to that. Ha.

      That's exactly why I didn't get the Snoogie. I didn't want it to be hard to switch positions. The other good thing about the one i got is that, if you get sick of using it as a head pillow, you can flip it around so it's a U shape by your feet and use a regular pillow for your head.

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  6. Don't know anything about strollers...we are just excited that our neighbors gave us two of their old strollers. WOO HOO to free stuff!

    I just bought the snoogie and while it's not the end-all-be-all it makes me feel more secure that I am not going to turn onto my back in the middle of the night. Last night I found that my left arm didn't fall asleep either.

    Oh and I LOVE the monkey tee. Adorable.

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    1. I was having the same problem with arms falling asleep. So weird how things get all messed up. Congrats on the two free strollers! That's amazing!

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  7. Oh! My! Gosh! I am SO IN LOVE with the overalls!
    And I am SO! JEALOUS! I want to crawl into your giant white vagina. (yep, I just said that). I'm going to go buy one of my own this weekend.

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    1. Hahahah I totally laughed out loud at work when I read your comment. Buy the vagina. It's worth it.

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  8. I had a pillow similar to that when I was pregnant with F - only it wasn't soft looking like that, and I had to put a pillow in "U" to keep my neck from getting all kinked up. But otherwise it was great...I really wish I'd found that giant white vagina when I was looking then!

    Now F sleeps with me half the time - I think he'd get pushed off the bed if I got one now.

    It's tempting, though!

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    1. Yes, twice now I've gotten sick of using it as a neck pillow, so I flipped the whole pillow around and used a regular pillow. But mostly, it works. But no, I can't imagine fitting a child AND the pillow in bed!

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  9. Cannot believe I missed this when I wrote about baby capitalism recently - the consumerism and marketing attached to pregnancy is totally bananas (but of course, it works it's magic on all of us!). The Giant White Vagina is amazing - in name and function - and man, that stroller is pretty fantastic. We haven't made any moves on big purchases so far but we're definitely getting there. Currently I have my eye on some sleek jogging strollers...will it motivate me to lose baby weight? Ha.

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