Ease of entry and exit is the main reason we have baby dL behind the passenger seat.

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That a lot of stuff for a 9 month old. I recently attended a birthday party for my 1 year old niece and she received a SUV load of presents, on top of the room full of shit that she already has. it struck me as a waste: she is liable to lose interest in/outgrow (developmentally) half of the stuff she got before she even gets to it. I don't know, the whole thing struck me as excessing.

Then again, maybe the thought of that much shit in my narrow house scares the shit out of me, and I'm just projecting...

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I see the amount of stuff kids have these days and it's astounding. Perhaps it's generally greater wealth, or my peer group compared to my parents', but it's frightening.

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Greater wealth is definitely part of it, but another thing is how cheap kids stuff is today as compared to 25 years ago. Many things (e.g. legos) are approximately the same price in nominal dollars. Other things are nominally cheaper, at least when they are on sale--we've purchased board games at Target for less than $4 that I am absolutely certain were more than $5 when I was a kid. It's all about Chinese manufacturing.

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I'm told that the metal Tonka trucks I had as a kid are collectors' items, given the cheap plastic imitations that are now sold. Next thing you know, cars won't have chrome bumpers any more and they'll be using plastic there, too.

ETA: Cletus, you need an avatar:

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi.../dd/Cletus.gif

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Maybe it is Fisher Price. Those are details, man. Whatever gets her to stop playing with my Canon (dropped repeatedly in and around the Grand Canyon this summer, to my horror).

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Almost any toy that has most examples of it basically destroyed by the kids playing with them become collectors' items. They have re-introduced some metal into the Tonka trucks recently, but they still basically suck compared to when we were kids.

Done. Thanks.

And BnB--I wan't picking on the details--actually curious if there were two toddler friendly cameras on the market. The FP camera is cool and our son digs it, but it doesn't completely stop him from wanting to see our cameras too. One reason is that the LCD is pretty poor compared to "real" digital cameras.

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Good grief. I got both. I use the tools more often than the kitchen stuff (grown up versions, both), but I know my way around both. And, ftr, I always did both the researching *and* the putting-together (and the wrapping, and the decorating...everything but the cooking). Which may explain a few things.

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Just wait a couple of years. Except for the baby toys, most of the rest will not be throw-away-able, and it just grows, even if you are restrained in the acquisition.

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Yeah, tell me about it. She also makes me go to work and everything. It's archaic.

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Parents have only minimal control over acquisition once all the various other gift givers, from grandparents right on down, are factored in. Might as well throw in the towel and participate in the frenzy.

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Yeah, my kids are the only grandkids on my husband's side, and we'll be with them for Christmas. From us, each kid will get one main gift and one Santa gift, plus stocking stuffers. But we're not exactly the types to make them wait until Christmas before getting something.

tm

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And I thought I was restraining myself at a total of less than $150 spent and 2/3 of it appropriate to be passed down to other future Chickadees!! Certainly restrained when compared with my peers. The wagon is literally size appropriate to be pushed by a one year old and everything else (except for the learning table which is maybe an 18 inch cube of space assembled) fits in it. And I am putting away the swing and bouncy seat to make room for it so the amont of crap is static. Of course, Grandma and Grandpa Chick live on a farrm 2 hours away and have a giant (room for 6-8 cars) garage/storage shed so that I have a place for the outgrown crap.



http://ec1.images-amazon.com/images/...V38648976_.jpg

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GGG is right, though - when the chicklet is a bit older and having birthday parties, most plans for quality, durable, classic toys that require imagination will be heavily supplemented by crap you never wanted in your house but are too guilty just to toss. That said, if those scarves you mention are good quality, they'll last forever - I bought a set of rainbow silk scarves when nolette1 was 2 that provide all kinds of dress-up options (they're big enough to be skirts, capes, dresses, accessories for interpretive dance... you name it). Unfortunately, they're also jammed into a gaudy "dress up" trunk that also contains a dozen+ varieties of princess dresses, many of which have Disney characters on them. I guess it's nice they have the ability to dress up like any manner of ballerina or princess at will, but I remember wearing my recital leotard/tutu ensemble for years and cherishing it for the very fact of its significance and uniqueness.

It is if I'm the judge.