3 Ways to Clear Out Space for the Baby

Madeline Holler — Sat, 03 May 2008 20:32:00 GMT

So, we've established that your stuff won't make you happy. Especially if you stop appreciating it. And no matter what you said in your post-baby shower thank you notes, I know you don't appreciate alllllll that crap that seems to have come along with a baby (no, not the emotional crap, the plastic, over-priced, single-use baby crap).

But what are you going to do about it?

This guy, who admits he has a wildly emotional attachment to accumulating stuff, has some ideas. You can follow his struggle to clear out a home office to make room for his pretty new baby, who, thanks to his fortitude, no longer has to sleep atop USB cable. (The indulgence!)

He's reading a book on it, but his website is enough to give you a nudge. Here are 3 tips:

Never organize what you can discard. (I love this one. In other words, quit buying containers, storage space, etc.)

Establish a dump zone -- throw anything in there that you might consider getting rid of (you can edit it later for the stuff you really can't live without).

Just freaking start getting rid of stuff.

Please add your own tips in feedback. Clutter is kind of an American shame so, you know, any extra tips would be appreciated. I'll start: throw out last month's magazine when you get this months. Also, get rid of your CDs (that's what computers are for) and all those shelves/towers/boxes you store them in.

Photo: livingthewellorderedlife.com

[via coochicoos.com]

Parent Trap, Baby Crap

Madeline Holler — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 18:33:00 GMT

Remember the mile-long checklist of stuff your area mega-store recommended for your baby registry? Stuff your mom had never heard of, like breast pads, and stuff you had never heard of, like, um, everything else? Of course you know now, but did you even know back then there were so many baby shampoos to choose from?

This was your entry to Parenting, Inc., what one author calls the modern way parents' every fear, hope and dream are exploited to get them to buy things like a souped up baby blanket (the Miracle Blanket) and $800 Bugaboos.

Salon interviewed Pamela Paul, author of the new book "Parenting, Inc." which looks at the new ka-jillion dollar market of all things baby/kid/parent.

Personally, I think we parents know we're being taken for a ride, but swaddling a kid isn't a natural skill all of us develop, hence, the Miracle Blanket. And just try to pry the Bugaboo out of the hands of actual city dwellers. Turns out, they're worth every penny for people who actually haul their kids longer distances than from the SUV to the mall entrance. These are conveniences for parents, not enhancements for the baby. I am very much in favor of convenience for me.

Still, I get the author's point. Other products in the crosshairs: baby signing classes, Baby Einstein videos (I think we all agree on that one), infant sleep positioners, and Time's Up/Time Out Teddy Bear (yes, that's stupid).

What totally unnecessary baby thing do you think, in hindsight, was probably a load of baby crap? For us, quite literally, it was the Diaper Genie.

Strollerderby : unnecessary baby stuff

3 Ways to Clear Out Space for the Baby

Parent Trap, Baby Crap