Storytime: I once cried because there were too many strollers

Hey Mama!

During a casual scroll on Twitter (because I refuse to call it “X”), I stumbled upon a tweet asking what was the most random reason you cried during your pregnancy. It was hard for me to narrow it down to one reason because I cried the entire time. In fact, if I wasn’t crying, I was cursing and then started crying again because I was cursing. 

Some of my most memorable crying moments included: Not having enough eyeliner to line my other eye. Not knowing what to eat from one day to the next. And my personal favorite, wondering how I was going to go up and down the stairs while holding a baby. But the most random crybaby moment of my entire pregnancy would have to be when I cried because there were too many strollers.

After a little over a month of postponing it, one Saturday afternoon in February, my lover, bonus daughter, and I set out to create our baby registry. Leading up to it, I watched countless YouTube videos on must-have newborn items and began creating a list so that I would be well-prepared when walking into the store. But I wasn’t as prepared as I thought, because what I didn’t expect to see was wall-to-wall baby stuff. 

My lover asked where I wanted to start, and after glancing at my list, I suggested we go look at strollers and car seats. Because finding one shouldn’t be too hard, right? As we got closer, not only were the strollers spread out across the entire back half of the store, but there were rows and rows and rows of car seat options. 

There were wagon strollers, jogging strollers, travel systems. We had newborn car seats, strollers that converted into car seats, and car seats that converted into booster seats. And don’t please don’t get me started on colors. There was black and beige and army green. Navy blue, purple, gray, turquoise. And I think I may have seen a pink Minnie Mouse one somewhere. Not to mention, each option came with its own set of features that I can’t remember to save my life.

Now, when it comes to shopping for babies and kids, I typically bypass going into baby stores and baby sections. I ask the people what they want their babies to have and either order it online or buy a gift card so they can get whatever they want. So imagine how overwhelming it was to walk into a baby store, see what felt like a million options for one thing, and have to decide which one would be the best for my child.

While perusing the section and looking at the various offerings, I found a travel system that I really liked. But then, my chronic indecisiveness kicked in, and I found another one that was equally as nice. And another. And another. It got to a point where I didn’t know which one to choose, and after a brief back and forth with my lover about making a decision, I made a mad dash for the ladies’ room and cried my eyes out. Tears, snot, and all.

After finally getting myself together, I came out of the ladies’ room looking for a sales associate. As a soon-to-be first time mom, I didn’t know what I didn't know, so I needed someone to hold my hand through this process. Luckily, the assistant manager was available. And to make things even better, she was also a preschool teacher, making her more than knowledgeable about all things baby. 

As we all walked the store together, I became a little more confident in selecting the items to add to my registry. And by the time we left, my registry was not only more than halfway complete, but I found a travel system that couldn’t have been more perfect, a car seat for Sweet Pea to use as she gets older, and a wagon stroller that will come in handy for picnics, festivals, and other outdoor activities.

Looking back, breaking down crying about too many strollers is something that I will more than likely laugh about for years and years to come. But, if it hadn’t been for that experience, I probably wouldn’t have gotten the help that I needed to pick the right option that serves all of my and my baby’s needs.

With Love,

Racquel