Toys

Having a kid is expensive.  You'd be surprised at how much stuff they need. and beyond the necessities, there are all those things that people have invented to make parenting "easier".  I'm not sure what baby needs knee pads for crawling- carpet isn't THAT hard that it'll hurt. Then there are all the toys.  I've always wondered why toys are so expensive.  Toy makers must be rolling in the dough.  I guess part of it is all the testing that they have to do to make sure the are safe for kids, but I still think it's kinda crazy how much things cost.  I guess there are parents out there that are willing/able to pay whatever the toy manufacturers ask.  Not me.  Especially since I've had Alaina.  We have an excersaucer (that we got second hand for free, but the original price was over $100).  We have stuffed animals, we have books of all shapes and sizes.  We have several toys.  And her favorite?...

Wait for it....

Can Koozies.  Yup, that's right- the squishy can holders you can put on your drink to keep your hand from freezing and falling off.  She LOVES those things.  We got them for free.  She holds one in each hand and crawls around the house.  She claps them together as if they were cymbals.  She chews on them and uses them like teethers.  The next favorite?  Costume jewelry that we got in New Orleans.  Marshall's aunt bought them 3 for a dollar and gave them to Alaina. (Again, cost to us= free) These are great cause they are shiny, and Alaina is definitely a girl.  She wears them around the house, chews on them, etc.  Third?  The nasal aspirator. The one we got in the hospital.  Again, cost to us= free.  Then there is her fascination with tissues.  I think one of the best presents we could give her is a box of tissues that she could just pull them out as she wanted.

So maybe I'm a bad parent because I haven't bought all of the learning toys that are supposed to help them learn and grow and develop.  But I console myself with the thought that I turned out ok.  And my favorite toy growing up was a wooden box with two black circles on top- it was my oven.  And I loved it.  There is time later for all the high tech gadgets out there.  Maybe.  If she asks me nicely enough...