Several years ago, I was an expert on baby showers because I gave and attended so many. I could belt out an awesome brunch menu, find the cutest invitations and tell you about the must-have jogging stroller.
As time passed and I wasn't having any of these celebrations of my own, I would make excuses as to why I couldn't attend them. You know, ones like: I had to wash my hair; the Queen had invited me over for tea; and that I might disrupt a party by stabbing the mom-to-be in the rear end with a fork (I promise I'm not a violent person, but all of the baby birthing was really getting to me at one point).
Anyway, I know showers feel more like monsoons to infertiles, and I totally think it's acceptable not to go, good excuse or not.
However, a younger friend of mine who seems to be attending bridal and baby showers every other weekend told me that she printed off a baby registry recently which included nipple/breast pads and nipple cream for a breastfeeding mom. Really?!?! Is that normal? She told me she thought that was like having condoms on a wedding registry. I don't ever recall seeing those items on a gift list, nor would I ever buy them for someone.
Actually, she played a trick on her husband by circling those and a few more items from the list she printed out and asked him to go pick up the gifts for her. He stopped dead in his tracks when he saw the breastfeeding paraphenalia.
I think those are just things the waiting mom should get on her own. Ever see any inappropriate things on a gift registry?
I registered for them because you get a completion coupon after your EDD passes for anything not purchased off your registry. And I know I'll be getting gift cards to the store I registered for as well so why not get 20% off the breast feeding items I need while spending the gift cards?
ReplyDeleteBut I do have to say that circling the items and handing them to your husband to buy - that is priceless. Women should add that sort of stuff for that reason alone. Watch them squirm.
i think that really expensive baby stuff doesn't belong on a registry either..for that matter, why not just let people pick out their own gift? i think registries are kind of presumptuous. my sister in laws wedding registry was a joke..she wanted all this horribly expensive stuff, and she and my brother in law had lived together for 2 years already. pff.
ReplyDeleteI've seen those on a lot of registries lately and at first I had the same reaction, but then I thought well, it is just breastfeeding. I have no problem seeing women nurse in public either and have never understood the debate over it. BUT then again, the breast pads/cream/etc is for MOM, not for baby. So I guess in that sense, it's kind of like her registering for super-uber diaper-style pads and hemmie cream.
ReplyDeleteOMG. Brilliance. Now I know what gift I'm bringing to the next baby shower. If we have to go and squirm, might as well make all the rest of 'em squirm too!
I personally would feel a bit awkward about putting it on my registry. Hilarious trick. I could only imagine his face.
ReplyDeleteI actually never seen a registry without those items and I've never been to a shower when someone didn't give the mom-to-be some kind of "favorite" cream. Apparently that shit's painful if my girlfriends who have called me crying are any indication. Not sure why they call me. I think women use the registry lists as their own reminder lists so they can send their husbands to the store to buy that junk at 3am then they're writing in pain and the kid needs to feed. Just a thought.
ReplyDeleteLOL! I never thought about it, but I guess I can see that asking for nipple cream is like asking for condoms on a wedding registry! that's tooooo funny! Thanks for the giggle!
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