The One Thing They Never Told Me

On my out and abouts and errand running yesterday, I found myself in the Getting Place looking for a birthday present and picking up some things that we needed around the house. I was walking past the endcaps in the baby section and I saw these.

Adorable. Right?

Yes. They are too cute. Robes. For those little bitty babies with their little bitty toes and precious little smiles and coos. Robes.

Don’t do it, people.

I can just about guarantee you that every Mama to be with that clicky gun thing in their hands, creating their gift registry for that very first baby shower–she’s clicking on THAT. Yes, she has to have that little robe.

Oh me.

I remember (over twenty years ago) when Aub was a little bitty 3 week old baby. We went and stayed with my folks for a few days. One afternoon while we were there, Daddy noticed that she was still wearing the same thing I’d put on her after her bath the night before. (One of those rare days when a wardrobe change was not necessary every three or four hours. Ahem.) He teased me and pointed out I used to change my baby dolls more often than I changed my live one.

Yessir. And there’s a reason for that.

All those precious toes? And fingers? And hands and arms and feet and legs?
They wiggle.

All. The. Time.

They make changing clothes and getting dressed after baths a very difficult undertaking. It’s the epitome of “take two steps forward and twenty-five back…..” or something like that.

So why for the love of everything little and wiggly–why on earth would you want to add in one more change between bath and pajamas?

Trust me on this. If you are a parent to be, go ahead and click the little clicky gun on the bathrobe. Open the wrapped present, because people WILL buy it for you and not tell you the truth of it all, and oooh and ahh over it. Wash it and hang it up in your little bathroom. But please. Do not pressure yourself to use it. You will be functioning on little sleep, you will be so tired that bathing your little one and keeping that slippery little love above water will take all you have within you. So use the hooded towel, the cute one with the duck face or name embroidered on it–use that to wrap up your little bundle of joy–no arms or legs tucked anywhere required. Then go straight from A to Z. Diaper and pajama that wee one and move on to the next thing. Trust me. The robe is cute, but making the effort to get it on–and then off again–and then into pajamas?

Ain’t nobody got time for that.

I share this only because I care. And I wish someone had told me that.

Before the cute little yellow ducky robe that I just had to have.

Learn from my mistakes. Pick your battles. And trying to get your little wiggle worm dressed is only the beginning of those. Don’t make it harder than it has to be.