The MomSpeak

Admit it, we’ve all shelled out perfectly wonderful dollars on completely useless junk. Much of it baby- and child-related. Most of the useless stuff we’ve ended up with was bought in a fit of paranoia, (i.e. the baby won’t ever sleep a single MINUTE unless we buy a white noise machine, a top-of-the-line rocking chair AND at least three or four battery-operated baby containment devices with both rocking AND vibrating functionality), while the rest of it was bought in a fit of OMG LOOK AT THE CUTE.

At the top of that particular list? The pee-pee teepee.

There’s no denying that pee-pee teepees are cute. They’re adorable! Tiny little teepees for the tiny pee-pees and the little wee-wees and oh, it’s all so precious I could die or puke or both. And they (and all the other assorted pee-blocking devices out on the market) SEEM like a good idea, as anyone who has ever changed a baby boy’s diaper knows, baby boys are packing a loaded weapon in their pants. A weapon that tends to go off every time it’s exposed to air or sunlight or look! Mama’s mouth is hanging open in a sleep-deprived stupor! ReadyAimFIRE!

And so, the pee-pee teepee has become a HUGELY popular shower gift as well as a knee-jerk purchase by first-time parents who have just confirmed the presence of a penis on the ultrasound screen.

I used to think babies were expensive, with all of their baby toys, exersaucers, developmental playthings, and of course the Baby Einstein DVDs. And then my oldest grew into a preschooler, and I realized the entertainment only gets more expensive as they grow older. The newest electronic toys, that Dora DVD, and let’s not forget her begging to go to the local children’s science museum or the zoo constantly. It all adds up. 

Here are a few ways to save on entertainment so your little one can be happily occupied without draining your bank account: