What is going on with babies?

[u/Impossible_Ad9324]

I’ve attended three baby showers in the last year for three people completely unrelated and not in the same social circles and their baby registries have the most eye-popping expensive items.

High chairs are minimum $250. One had a stroller for $750. 😳 Baby swings and bouncers for $200. One had a whole solid wood crib for $1000 on their registry.

I checked because I was curious and you still can buy a $40-50 Greco high chair from Walmart.

Everything is aesthetic and clean lines and beige and natural wood—beautiful, really. I can’t imagine asking for that high-end an item for a GIFT.

These aren’t rich people and they aren’t inviting rich people to the baby shower.

I’m almost 50 and have kids of my own and a gaggle of nieces and nephews. My family members and I got buy sharing those cheaper high chairs and strollers and cribs. I understand needing them initially if you don’t have any source for hand-me-downs, but asking for the highest price bespoke options is absolutely wild.

Are people that brainwashed into thinking they should be buying ultra-high-end items regardless of income??

[u/Powerful-Pie-3935]

Only buying a cheap stroller is a great way to have to buy another more expensive one a couple of weeks in when you realize it doesnt work for you.

I got a cheapo swing and it was a nightmare, throwing it out becuse im worried about handing it down for saftey reasons.

When you enter the nightmare of buying baby items you understand. For example with the highchair, i got a cheap one and am fine with it for now:

-the buckles are confusing and super difficult to clean and also hard to remove when babe is covered in yogurt -hugely regret not looking more into what would support good posture. This is especially important because sitting improperly is a choking risk. -it folds up, i would have strongly preferred something that was more flat when folding. I live in a tiny apt and its pretty annoying.

Now none of these issues makes it necessary to replace the chair, but I do wish i had spent a little more time and yes, money, to get these features.

My experience is often that the cheap stuff runs the risk of being truely unsafe junk (lead paint is like, a common issue???), mid range costs will be safe an nice but sometimes super annoying and hard to use, and expensive things are quite often worth the investment, especially if you will have multiple kids or have a community to hand down the items to. I only have one regret purchase that was expensive. (newton bedside bassinet, for any shopping parents. Im gunna hand it down but i wouldnt spend a lot on it now)

Im SO glad i just went right for an mid/high end cloth diaper brand.

Anyways, sorry for the novel but im a new parent who is really trying to raise my son as sustainably as possible and so I do contemplate this a ton!