Don't you want the best for your baby?

We completed the registry a couple of weeks ago.

For anyone interested, you can go to www.babiesrus.com and search for the registry using 'Alise Brann' as registrant, or 'Jeremy Crossland' as co-registrant. While there, please take a moment to examine some of the more ingenious, and some of the utterly crazy things that you can now buy for baby.

Of course, babies are a multi-billion dollar industry these days. In days of old children needed just smaller clothes and possibly diapers (cloth, of course), and slept wherever they were put. We both know people who spent a night or two in a drawer, and they seemed to make it through infancy without too many problems. Now of course whenever you go into a store you are bombarded with 'You need this!', 'You're not seriously thinking about going without this are you??' and of course 'Don't you want the best for your child? Then get this!'. It's a little silly, really; and we've tried to stick to things that we actually think we might like.

Some of the things available now actually do seem kind of clever, but in hindsight might not give great value. There is a little bath thing (on our list), that has a little hand operated shower so that you can bathe the baby in a full sized bath and give them a little shower. It's something that I saw and thought 'OMG! THAT'S SO KEWL!', but in all honesty my parents home made version (called 'a mug') was probably just as effective. However. I liked it, so it's on the list.

Some of the things really do seem to have a good purpose. They now sell a pacifier that also doubles as a thermometer. This is a great idea, and it went onto our list.

Some of the things are so funny that they had to be included. They now sell a breast milk testing kit, to test your milk for alcohol levels. perfect for those 'Oh my god, how much did we drink at the casino last night? Fuck knows! Better test the milk, to be on the safe side' moments. I had no idea that these existed, and despite the fact that Alise hardly drinks at all; I stuck it on the list as a gag gift.

Some of the things available now, I thank the lord for. There are now many different types of thermometers available, 'rectal' isn't the only option. Thank you lord, thank you.

If you're having a baby, go easy in there. Some of the things that you buy will be totally useless, some will save your sanity. We have no idea what kind of boy he will be and what he will like, but at least we know that we'll be able to take his temperature in a slightly less intrusive way than when I was a child.