Thirty years later there are superstores dedicated to babies. I recently went to one of these baby centers looking for a shower gift for my daughter. I found myself in the center aisle, tongue lagging and almost comatose as I tried to navigate my way in the warehouse filled with aisles and aisles of paraphernalia dedicated to the needs of an 8-pound baby. As much as I hated to admit, I was in a foreign land.
“Where are the strollers?” I asked a young man with the blue polo shirt embossed with the store emblem.
“What type of stroller?” he asked with a warm smile.
“Just a regular stroller,” I said, feeling a defensive indignation rise like a balloon in my chest.
The store employee looked at me with a condescending smile making me feel like I’d just showed up to a pool party in a three-piece suit.
“You probably want a travel system,” he said pointing towards the opposite side of the store. Not wishing to look any more disoriented than I was, I smiled back at him and willed confidence in my gait.
I was grateful for my sensible shoes as I navigated my way across the store to the stroller section. There were no umbrella strollers. Instead I felt like I was looking at the latest lunar rovers. Swallowing my pride, I asked the obviously pregnant woman beside me how these strollers work. I was given a tutorial. Strollers now come with adaptations. Initially, an infant car seat snaps right into a frame, and as the baby grows out of the infant car seat, there is the ability to sit or recline in various degrees. The handle accommodates a strap for a tote bag. There’s a place for a beverage and smartphone holder as well as a hook for a dog leash so you don’t have to multitask with your hands. Truly, you could pack for a weekend getaway with this travel system and be fully equipped. Just don’t forget the baby.
With my confusion and sensory overload in check, I left the store with receipt for a travel system in hand. I smiled thinking about my new little grandchild snuggled in for shopping trips with her mom and accompanying her dad as he engages on a five-mile run, dog in tow. For this little one, the world awaits. I’m not worried about keeping up with the new world of baby things. I have my open arms waiting. I think that’s all this little one and I will need.
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