Baby Paraphernalia

You know for a human that is only a little over two feet tall they sure take up a lot of space! As I look around the settee area of our little boat I see baby stuff everywhere. Lets see, sippy cups around the sink, baby books in one corner, a hanging basket full of baby toys and figurines. Then on the back shelf behind the settee across from me we have a plastic baby computer, a change pad, a box of wipes, and a basket full of diapers ready to go. My only magazine rack on the boat? – Full of baby books! Hanging in the windows are baby plush toys, one hanging Homer (Simpson) and 2 bibs (drying – ready for the next meal.) Behind me, 1 of 3 cupboards full of baby food, baby cups, baby spoons, a baby toothbrush (with edible toothpaste) and more sippy cups. Of the two drawers that we have available to us in the settee area – one is full of toys. He takes up more space than A. and I put together!

I think the key to keeping a baby on board while staying sane as parents is to purge. A good regular purge of accumulating toys, allows you to move freely again for a day or two and also gives you a chance to move some new (and hopefully more interesting) toys in for the boy. This usually only lasts for a couple of days – but those days of free movement around the boat are wonderful.

Finally, the baby paraphernalia issue is a learning process for everyone. We, as parents, still sometimes buy things for the boy without thinking about where we are going to store it. Trying to keep the rest of our family (grandparents, aunts and uncles) under control is another thing. My ma and pa, for little L’s first birthday got him a great present! I would have loved to have it when I was a kid. It was a farm. A nice, big (opens up even bigger) plastic farm complete with little farm figures and a full range of sound effects. L. loves it – so it is here to stay for awhile. But where, oh where, are we to keep it? It has moved around. Currently it sits under a flip up kitchen counter extension that is permanently flipped. It has been stored in various places included in the cockpit area, in a corner of one of the settees and on the toilet. (The last spot was not practical for anyone – especially in the middle of the night.)

But the boy is here to stay – so I guess the paraphernalia is here to stay too.