Babies R Us

This place is overpriced and has less options than Buy Buy Baby. When I ask customer service for help on products, they run to their computers to look it up on google.

Oh man, this is exactly what a first time mom needs to do:
1. Grab a girlfriend who’s had kids or has read up extensively on the matter ’cause there’ll be a lot of questions that come up.
2. Charge up that smartphone ’cause you’ll be doing a lot of Googling.
3. Write down questions you’ll have for your doctor or lactation consultant later possibly.
4. Wear some really comfortable shoes and hydrate ’cause this is gonna take awhile if this is your first time.
5. Listen to the advice of the experienced mothers who are in the same aisle as you. For instance, did you know that some playards netting come off for easier cleaning and sanitation? Do YOU want pureed carrots ground up and crushed in your child’s playpen? Listen to those moms!
6. Don’t sign up for a registry till you KNOW what you want/​need.
7. Make sure things line up and match up, especially when it comes to breast pumps. Those things can get expensive and annoying if you don’t do it right. Think of all the plastic tupperware type containers you’ve got laying around that don’t match up. Annoying, right?
8. Think of buying a stroller as test driving a new car. You want to turn that thing with one hand, test out where you’ll put your purse, your cellphone, your bottle of water etc. and how will you close it all with that huge basket on the bottom that looked so convenient but now hinders your one handed close method?
I think stores devoted to crap like this are a godsend. Reviews online are good but nothing beats walking up and down the aisles, touching the fabric of a bouncy chair thingy with your own hands, getting helpful advice from moms and grandmas about the pros and cons of one baby carrier over another and having your heart broken when that Bugaboo stroller thingy is too damn heavy to lift with a bad back. Lesson learned!
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