There is a whole new entity to Christmas this year, you know, with the baby and all. She is too little to really "get" Christmas and Santa and such. Even next year that will all be something of a vague, fuzzy idea that is kind of exciting and fun but confusing to her, I imagine. But what happens when you have kids is that there are gifts. And some of the gifts are practical (yay!!) - thanks for the diapers (Mom) and the savings bond (Babcie) and the $$ (Uncle Bob and Aunt Barbara). Definitely big fan of that kind of thing...the child needs a clean bottom and the means to go to college. Some are cute - stuffed monkeys and little girlie outfits are great. Some are sweet but duplicates - how many My First Christmas ornaments does one child need? Some are wonderful and will stimulate learning - yay for blocks, a xylophone and stacking rings. But others are just....noisy and loud and plastic and annoying. Now, truth be told, some of these bothersome presents came straight from Santa, i.e. HER FATHER. So, it's not like I'm blaming anyone in particular.
See, we have a small house. And it is already full of crap. We have an entertainment center that is as big as a climbing wall. We have a tv that would barely fit in the back of a pick up truck. And yet two people cannot really comfortably make a meal together in our kitchen due to lack of space. So it gave me a mini panic attack when I saw the growing pile of baby items (and presents for mama and daddy) as Christmas day drew to a close. Don't get me wrong - i love presents! And many of the items were much needed. However, our dining room table is currently stacked to the ceiling. And the pile makes noise. It sings and laughs and beeps and honks. Little colorful plastic edges poke out and if you touch something, it plays a song at you. Loudly. Last night there was some hidden stuffed critter emitting an unidentifiable animal noise late into the night. We never found it - we think it's battery died. Praise the Lord.
I've gotten past my vision of my baby quietly and contentedly playing with only handcrafted, organic, non-toxic, paint-free, fruit extract-dyed, wooden blocks. Believe me, that plastic monstrosity that is our Exersaucer has bought me enough time to clean the kitchen once or twice! But why does everyone think that beeping, blinking, honking, ringing, spinning junk is the only way to go? Maybe because the other stuff is expensive? Maybe it seems boring? Maybe they know that the loud, moving stuff gets the most oohs and ahhs - like how at a baby shower, cute outfits beat out wipes and laundry detergent every time?
With the exception of the Exersaucer, Cassidy's favorite toy so far as been this contraption a friend sent us that consists of stretchy cord, wooden beads and sticks. It's sort of like a ball made out of a web of those cords and wood (see photo below. )It makes no noise and it doesn't move unless she moves it. She loves it so much that she gets so excited while playing with it, she usually hits herself in the eye at some point.
To be clear, I think some of that plastic, beeping stuff is ok. I'm all for a balanced approach. And I get it that some of these toys prompt the little one to do something, teaching them cause and effect. HOWEVER...I think that is part of what bothers me. It's mostly a scam. Two words: Baby Eintein. Talk about false advertising, sheesh. Slap the word "educational" on there and people go crazy for it. There is big money in this stuff. The people at PlaySchool or Fisher Price do not care about my baby. They care about their bottom line. And they've figured out that babies are interested in stuff that makes noise and moves and entertains them. They like it. Guess what? I also really like lasagne, chicken fingers and ice cream but if I decided to subsist on those exclusively, I would also start investing in some seat belt extenders and Lipitor.
I think the bottom line is: just because they like it doesn't mean it's good for them. It also doesn't mean it's necessarily "bad" for them. You won't hear even the strictest of diet gurus tell you to never have a cookie again in your life. But maybe a little more balance? Moderation? I guess the way this is going to work is that most people are going to buy her loud, beepy, honky stuff. And I'll give her my mixing bowls to play with. And my mom will, thankfully, buy diapers.
