When I went to use the bathroom in the dead of last night, I stubbed my toe on the infant swing that has taken up residence in the washroom. Instead of cursing out loud—the last thing I want to do is wake six-month-old Hannah—I snickered to myself about how every room of our house has been taken over by some sort of plastic baby gear.
My snicker smacked of irony, because I remember telling my sister, back when I was deeply single and light years away from having children, that when the time came for me to have kids, I would NEVER have plastic, midi music making toys cluttering up my house, taking away from the adult décor. Back then I thought pots and pans could round out a baby’s simple toy selection, but if my husband found Hannah banging away at his (and I say “his” because he’s the head chef in this household) pots and pans, I’d probably find myself with one on my head and my husband beating it with a wooden spoon.
But now, the infant swing sits in the bathroom, there’s a baby gym in the home office, an exersaucer travels between the living room and the kitchen and the living room itself has been taken over by a Bumbo chair in a shade of blue not found in nature, a bassinet and a multicoloured foam play mat littered with toys of all shapes, sounds and sizes.
My sister raised a surprised eyebrow and clucked, “my, how things have changed!” when I excitedly showed her Hannah’s Christmas gift from my mother—a dizzying, noise-making, light flashing, over 50 midi musical tunes playing activity station which I tell my husband in jest that he’ll probably start a support group over (but I’m kind of serious).
You see, this “gear” is all part of what I’ve come to learn from other wise moms to be “baby rotation”—where you move baby from station to station during the day to keep them stimulated but to also gain yourself a good 15 minutes of “hands free” time. These days, I’m blown away by what I can accomplish in 15 minutes!
But really, the stimulation is the best part. There’s nothing quite like watching your baby learn new skills every day as they play with toys— whether they’re simple toys made of wood or the colourful plastic annoying musical variety.
Yes, things have definitely changed. Toys of all types are now part of my home décor. I can proudly say that our house has been fully “babyfied” and the gear I once swore I’d never own is now as welcome an addition to my home as is our sweet baby girl.
Guest Author Bio
Lara Perzoff
As a new Mom to five month old Hannah and fairly new wife of Glen, Lara is finding her legs at balancing between motherhood and family. Her family is her true love, inspiring her to write down the many words in her head, preferably when she has two free hands to type. Lara has a background in public relations and broadcast journalism and has always been passionate about creative writing. Besides family time, Lara loves hiking, running, photography, adventure travel, a good cup of coffee with friends and yoga.
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This made me smile, I once remarked, how I could not understand why my sister in law ( with 3 young girls ) had so much laundry!! I would never be like that!!…. Well I’m a Grandmother now…. much older and wiser……
I’ve always known your ability to write, Lara, and am enjoying your articles so much, and I also know that this will lead to more and more.