When I was pregnant, I became obsessed with the notion that I needed some kind of rocking chair or glider for nursing. Now of course that is a totally laughable concept. I’m sure a very good glider chair might be nice to have while nursing but it’s by no means a necessity.
It was among a lot of other things I was so *sure* I would need, like a crib (did not need one, wish I had never bought one) or a pump (got a hand one, used it like three times, Freya has still never drank out of a baby bottle) or a bunch of organic clothing (ha ha ha ha! yeah a $5 Carter’s onesie will do just fine). Oh and the wipe warmer. Lol. And cotton, reusable wipes. Ha ha ha no.
So, I almost spent like nine hundred bucks on a really super nice glider chair. Seriously I came thisclose to ordering it. But the price tag thankfully stopped me. I wisely instead spent ten dollars on a regular oak rocking chair, and then found an inexpensive cushion for it. I had these visions of how I would sit there in the rocking chair feeding my baby and maybe even reading a book. Lol.
I never sat in that thing with Freya. We nursed on the couch, or on the bed, and still do. Occasionally, sitting on the floor. I’m trying to picture why I would need to rock her back and forth while she was trying to eat. I guess I could have held her there on my lap while getting her to sleep, but I’ve always been fine standing up to rock her or dance with her if it comes to that.
Anyway, I just sold the chair and cushion on craigslist for $30. Sasha got more use out of that chair than anyone. And before he died, Simon sat underneath it a lot because I think he felt safe enclosed by its legs. Poor old guy.
The funny thing is that while I was pregnant I was all adamantly opposed to a baby monitor and a changing table. And now I find that those two things are indispensable. I don’t know what I’d do without either of them.
It’s proof that before you have a baby in your house you really do have no idea what it’s going to be like. And it’s totally different for everyone. I’m sure plenty of you might have found a wipe warmer to be something you totally needed and liked using, or even used a glider chair to nurse your little one. I sure am glad I only spent $10 instead of $900 to find out if I needed one or not.
With Chrissy (way back when) we were totally broke so I didn’t acquire all that much stuff, but the stuff I did acquire, I found I hardly used. Instead of the changing table (why carry baby all the way up the stairs to the nursery she never slept in?) I used a cheap Ikea changing pad wherever she and I happened to be at the time, for example.
With Lula, I think I bought a funny Ikea bouncy chair. That’s it. Oh, the stuff they make us think we need!
Nice post.
We did a lot of chair jockeying! I have the rocking chair my parent’s bought when they had me. I borrowed a glider and can’t stand it for anything baby related. I did really enjoy nursing in a recliner my parent’s have, and they ended up buying me one.
Haven’t once used a baby monitor or wipe warmer. I do like my cotton wipes! Our indispensable items are probably the mobys/wraps and the darn yoga ball I bought for pregnancy. It’s perfect for bouncing him to sleep when he needs that extra push…
I’ve been reading your site for about four years now and this is one of my favorite posts thus far. I remember thinking while reading about your prep while pregnant, “this girl has no idea what she actually needs.” And I’m a dad; that’s almost the definition of someone who has no idea what he is taking about. I have been reticent to post here, mostly because I don’t know you, but I liked this post quite a bit.
Now, to be honest, I don’t agree with everything you write, which is one of the reasons I like reading, but this statement could not be more true: “It’s proof that before you have a baby in your house you really do have no idea what it’s going to be like.”
In our house, the rocking chair is a great item, because me and my two daughters sit on it every night to read stories. Alas, “it’s totally different for everyone.”
Keep writing, and good luck with your book.
Thank you for reading my blog. 🙂
For now we read to Freya in bed, but who knows how this will evolve over time. Having a baby teaches a person a lot about that. The kid just keeps changing and growing and our job is to try to keep up.
Having a baby has also really taught me about being understanding about other parents’ choices, and how to be more compassionate. I’ve noticed a lot of people without kids sure do have a lot of opinions about kids, and I probably used to be one of those people.