much ado about nothing important

Warning: This probably isn't going to be the most exciting post ever. It might actually be the least exciting. If you aren't interested in my deep inner turmoil regarding baby gear, you probably wanna move on. If you choose to stick around...I will reward you at the end with a picture of Camilla. Win-win!

So as you've probably gathered, I didn't do a whole lot of research, pro-con lists, and comparison shopping for 90% of Camilla's stuff. A whole bunch of her stuff is hand-me-downs. The great thing about hand-me-downs is that a) they are free, b) sometimes they are on LOAN- which means you can give them back and don't have to figure out how and where to store them when you're done with them, and c) they eliminate the need to make a decision about that particular product. Could I have researched car seats to death and driven myself insane wondering whether I was picking the absolutely most perfect one on earth? Sure. But when my friend offered to give me hers (in great condition, not expired, blah blah blah) for free...well, that was a much easier decision. Yes, thank you. And thank you for saving me from hours of frantic debate and inner turmoil.

(As a side note, I think that I'm a much different mother now than I would have been if we'd gotten pregnant when we first started trying. I used to be WAY more controlling and Type A about everything. Probably because I thought I was the Master and Commander of my own destiny! The Boss of (my) Life!! I COULD CONTROL EVERYTHING!! And so I used to be a serious over-researcher. I would have spent at least two months debating car seats, guarantee it. And equally long on every single other little thing, too, down to the pacifiers. How exhausting.)

(Instead, I spent a few years researching, debating, and trying various methods of family building. I guess that wasn't really any less exhausting. I suppose I've just maxed out my personal ability to care Google extensively anymore. Ha.)

So my laissez-faire approach to baby gear meant that if I could find it as a hand-me-down, I'd take it. If I had to purchase (or register) for it, I'd pretty much just ask a trusted friend or two what they recommended, search my heart to see if it had any strong opinions about color or style, and make a decision. It took me about five minutes, on average. If I ever needed a tie-breaking vote, I'd consult the Amazon reviews and pick the item that got better ratings. Such an easy-breezy democracy I had going on!! (Then again, most people are picking out baby gear while they're sitting around marinating a fetus. I had a precious baby already in my arms, and I'd much rather spend my time squeezing her cheeks than scouring message boards for the inside scoop on crib sheets.)

This was all well and good and worked fabulously. I've nearly broken my arm giving myself pats on the back for my relaxed attitude about the whole thing. Way to not work yourself up into a tizzy over bottles, Erika! You go, girl! The only time I regret my gear-choosing-method is when other new moms or moms-to-be ask "so why did you pick the _____?" and I have to be like...ummmm....because it was blue?/because I found it at a yard sale?/because my friend said it was good and so I believed her? Then I feel lame. But otherwise it's great.

ANYWAY. All that is to say that now it's time to decide what high chair to get. My mom is going to get it for Millie for Christmas, but we need to pick out what we want. And all of a sudden, my don't-care attitude has LEFT THE PREMISES. The one I picked out a few months ago and registered for? Ehhhhh...I just don't know if that's really the right one now. So I've been researching. Comparing. Debating. And it's kind of annoying me how much I suddenly care. I mean, it's a high chair. She'll sit in it, get food all over it, and hopefully not plummet to the floor. In other words, it's nothing so important that I need to be devoting hours of my free time to researching the situation (well, besides the not-plummeting-to-the-floor-ness of it. That part is important.). AND YET I AM.

So now I'm bringing you into this incredibly important and fascinating debate. Please tell me you have a strong opinion about high chairs and you know exactly which one I should get. Bonus points if your high chair recommendation can also prevent food allergies, pickiness, and self-clean.

Here we go.

For the longest time, I thought I wanted a high chair like this:

Source

I like this kind because it looks like furniture and not plastic baby junk. I'm sorry. I'm superficial like that. It's going to sit in my dining room, and incidentally, my dining room is not decorated in neon pink plastic, sooo...I felt that something like this would look better. And like...it's a high chair. There are straps and a tray and so surely it would get the high chair job done...and not offend my eyes too badly. So this is what I always thought I wanted.

But now I'm not so sure. I started reading reviews, and it seems like maybe this isn't the easiest kind to clean. And it's not as adjustable as (hideous) plastic ones. And a lot of people complained about it. Oh, and it doesn't have straps to go over the shoulder, so smaller/younger kids weren't nearly as secure in it. And so despite its good looks, now I'm just not sure it's the right thing. Easy on the eyes? Yes. But is it as practical as other kinds?

So then I decided on this one*:

source*

It's definitely more in the plastic-kid-crap genre, but at least it's not bright colors. It's kinda simple and streamlined, and I thought that maybe the ease of cleaning and five-point harness would make up for the diminished visual appeal. But then I read some of the one- and two-star reviews (I know, I know...probably a mistake, but I always have to check and see what people are complaining about!) and (shockingly) now I'm just not sure about this one. The tray may not be as easily cleanable as other brands, and it has a huge footprint. Oh, and someone said it looked like an elevated toilet seat, and now that's all I can see. I can't put my baby on an elevated toilet seat!!!!

Ugh. Moving on. Then I debated whether I even need a standalone high chair. Could I just use something like this one*?

source*

Ha, it looks really funny and squatty now that I've been staring at the other two long-legged ones. This is the kind that sits on top of one of your regular dining room chairs. I can see the huge advantages there- mainly, NO HUGE CONTRAPTION HOGGING YOUR FLOOR SPACE. We have 6 chairs at our table, and since it's just Matt and me sitting there, we could certainly spare one for Millie. You can also remove the tray and just pull the child up to the table- I like that idea. What I don't like is the thought of having gross food stuck all over my nice chairs. They aren't hard to clean (fake leather seats, no fabric or anything), but still. Ew. And our seats don't roll, unlike most high chairs, so I couldn't easily move her around once she was sitting there. And obviously, if ever the situation arose where we DID have lots of guests over and needed that chair...then we'd be out of luck. Either Millie or a guest would have to sit on the counter to eat, and that's just not classy. OH- and also, this option is like 50 times cheaper than the standalone high chairs. So that's a bonus.

Okay and now I'm really running the risk of putting everyone to sleep, including myself. So I won't go on and on, but know that these are merely three of about a ZILLION high chairs I have debated and considered over the last few days. So please- if you have any experience or opinions about these, help a sister out. I feel lame asking for help, but then again...at least we're already set on her car seat, crib, swing, stroller, baby carriers, glider, and...practically everything else. So rest easy knowing there aren't that many things left that I can beg for help choosing. (Except convertible car seat. That's next and it'll probably be a doozy. Sorry!) 

And remember who you're helping here:

Only the world's cutest baby in Santa jammies!!!! Don't worry, I've had no problem choosing festive holiday jammies for her. My sister and I went to a consignment store on Saturday and pretty much wiped them out. But seriously- these red ones have a button-up BUTT FLAP on the back and it is the most adorable thing ever. Also, totally useless. BUT ADORABLE.

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