If you thought that the wedding industry was a complete racket, you can't imagine the number of ways that the baby industry can separate you from your hard-earned money. Every day I learn about a new item that I didn't know existed, but would fail miserably as a parent and human being if I didn't own two of them. Babies - the new hot accessory.
For example, they have baby wipe warmers. When I was a baby I don't think they had baby wipes, now they have warmers for the wipes. There are devices to help your child learn to walk, head and back sleep positioners (even though newborns can't actually roll over), bottle sterilizers (does it matter if the bottle is sterile if the baby is putting any and everything in their mouths?), pee pee tee pees for baby boys. The list goes on an on.
Our first trip to Babies R Us was an eye opening experience. There is an entire wall dedicated to baby slings, fancy stroller displays that resembled a new car showroom floor and every sort of gadget that I've never heard of.
Have I found the strength to fight against this? Heck no, I don't want to be a failure as a Dad, so I've got to have my baby pimped out in Adidas shoes and Tony Hawk style kneepads to protect his knees while crawling across the floor. And yes, I have already paid more for a t-shirt that the kid will probably wear once before outgrowing than I did for my last pair of shoes. So that's how it's become a $7 billion dollar a year industry!
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