Money well spent

So any of us who have kids have learned that there are some things you just can't do without. With Austin, it was the Graco swing. With Olivia, it was the Fisher Price play gym. With Ashley, it's her Fisher Price Infant to Toddler Rocker.

About a month and a half ago, Olivia broke the FP Take Along Swing, and I wasn't sure what to get to replace it. There are so many different baby items out there, but you gotta have something. This is the age where you need something to put them in- but they're not big enough to sit up, so it can't be a saucer or a proper swing. I didn't love the Take Along Swing anyway. For some reason Olivia never liked it and Ashley didn't (so far) either. So I guess Olivia did me a favor by breaking it!

Well I went to Target to look for something along those lines... bouncy seat, swing or whatever. I was first dismayed by the prices... very expensive for a bunch of bright plastic toys made by children in China. What to do? I had no choice. Most of the bouncy seats were over $100. Yes, $100. What's with that? I won't even go into the price of baby gear in this country. Nevertheless, I came upon this bright blue one, which was the worst (aesthetically) of the lot, by far. The others had nice pastel colors or pretty gingham but they didn't have good toys and they only went up to like 20 lbs. I took a closer look. This little seat converts to a child's rocking chair that we can use for years. Ok, that is a good thing. It was $79 (on sale), regularly like $99 or something ridiculous like that. Still, cheaper than the others and seemingly better potential. Alright, that was the clincher. Sold. (It costs $34.99 in the States by the way. Of course I checked)

Well I put it all together and tried it out at home. Ashley loves it. It says she is supposed to be a bit older to use it, but it's perfect. She loves to see what's going on around her and it somehow sort of 'cages' Ashley in so Olivia can't attack her. Always a good thing. Lastly, she LOVES the toys. She is just reaching that stage where she is actually grabbing at things and playing with toys. It's really cute. She kicks her legs and gets all excited when I put her in it. I can't believe sometimes how long she happily plays in there (I should feel guilty about it, really) Like in the morning when I am making breakfast, packing lunch, getting kids dressed, etc. she will stay in there for a good 40 minutes. What a sweet girl.

So, even though I had to pay $79 for this thing, it was definitely money well spent. If only I had known, I wouldn't have lamented at the time of purchase. Thanks Fisher Price.