BRU
For those who haven't yet experienced shopping at Babies R Us let me begin by setting the scene - IT's A TRAP!

Babies R Us (BRU for those of us who are too lazy to type the entire name of the store) provides the new gaping mouthed, wide, horrified eyed parent with anything and everything one could ever imagine for the latest 'isn't he/she the cutest' recipient. From a grand assortment of formula bottles (each with it's own distinctive can't live without feature), passifiers in every shape and size (these are referred to as 'binkies' to some however I just can't bring myself to call something a 'binknie' and feel adult enough to run with scissors later), to strollers, playthings and furniture. Each 300% marked up item providing the casual baby shocked new parent with it's unique way of suggesting you would be a horrible parent and that your X month old is never going to get into a good college if you don't just back up a UHaul truck to the front door, hand over your wallet to the cashier and say 'filler up'.

Yes, I'm certain I've commented on BRU before however, having just again returned from escaping the evil diaper empire here are some serious thoughts.

Don't.

Don't go if you don't have to.
If you have to go, Don't go without doing your research before buying larger items like high chairs, cribs, strollers and the like.

We, and when I say 'we' I mean my diligent wife Anya, did our research ahead of time on high chairs and 'booster' child car seats. We (again, Anya) looked at the Consumer Reports listings and talked to friends who had recently had an occasion to make such purchases and determined which manufacture/model of each we were after.

Oddly enough, when arriving at BRU (which, coincidentally, sounds like a fine, imported malted beverage required after escaping the store with your wallet only marginally dented) we found that quite a number of other gaping mouthed parents were also in need of such items as their little bundles of joy had out grown their current car seats and methods of being propped up while eating. We talked to a few of these couples who had done the same research, come to the same conclusion - the most expensive was the Consumer Reports selection of the month and which (I know this is hard to believe) was sold out at the moment! Oh No! What to do?! None of the parents (wisely) wanting to make a second trip back to this money pit of postnatal pampering were now franticly pouring over the multitude of alternate selections. In our case it was the new 20-40lb rear facing car seat - upping the tonnage to 100lbs when turned 180 degrees to be a front facing car seat so that the potential nighttime oncoming headlights dont' interfear with the latest Gameboy super-duper-mondo advanced hand held parental piece of mind entertainment gadget - either that or it has something to do with safety. It's pretty much a toss up.

Nothing that the car seat that we (again, Anya) had researched and targeted for a quick purchase was not in stock, we exchanged opinions and quick factoids with other parents about the alternate selections.

'Well this is the same as that, except for the leather option.'
'This one reclines easier that that one over there.'
'This one seems to be the same as that except for the color.'
'This one has a side cup holder where that one does not.'

For a moment I thought we were shopping for a car, not a car seat.

After some additional short conversations of car seats and some ooh-ahhing over the other couple's youngsters (difficult to do with a straight face when you know your child is much, much cuter then theirs is. I'm sure they had the same problem.) we made the decision to select the one with the optional cup holder and fake leather sides - the one recently referred to as 'snooty' by some other new mother. I'm sure she must have made her way to the Evil Diaper Empire by way of horse drawn carriage as she selected the same model without the optional cup holder - Geeze, where's the kid going to put his morning Tully's?

We packed up our selections threw as many Franklins at the less then pleasant cashier stormtrooper and made our escape.

I can't wait until Aidan needs new furniture.