Babies R Us Parking Really Grinds My Gears

I rarely go to Babies R Us for supplies. I order pretty much everything I need from Amazon, and get M's food from Whole Foods, so there is rarely a time that I need to go to Babies R Us for anything. There just happens to be one a mile from my house, so when I was unable to find Boogie Wipes from M's crazy runny nose at CVS and the grocery store, I ended up at BrUS. And as soon as I pulled up to it I remembered one reason why I hate it so much....

The first four parking spots, at the beginning of every row (4 rows), on both sides of each row are dedicated to "Parking for Expectant Mother's Only." This really grinds my gears. When I was pregnant I was more than happy to walk! A woman that is 4 months pregnant gets to park closer to the store than a woman that has just had a baby? This makes absolutely no sense to me at all. Why is it not "Mother with infant/child" parking like they have at the grocery store? I get so fired up every time I think about this...

This morning it was raining, it was only 10 AM and already the parking lot had a bunch of cars in the normal spots. I have a sick child in tow, and I just needed to run in for one thing...Boogie Wipes. I was not about to park about 10 spots away, when I didn't have a jacket for M (it started to rain after we left the house, and I know I should have brought one anyhoo, but). So I decided to do what I have always wanted to do and didn't have the balls to do - I parked in the "Expectant Mother" parking (which by the way was all empty - not one spot taken!!). 

You would have thought I was about to rob a bank I was so nervous getting out of the car. What if an employee sees me? What if they ask when I am due? Ok, I can say that I just found out, and it is early and I have yet to go to the doctor...yeah that is a good story. 

I actually stuck out my stomach and did the "pregnant woman who touches her belly all the time" routine as I was walking into the store. It was pathetic. I spotted two employees outside of the store when I was walking back to my car so I even went to the extreme of asking M "do you want a baby sister or brother?" I am insane. 

But I am seriously thinking about writing a note to Babies R Us corporate about this. Yes, it is fine to have a 2-3 spots for expectant mothers, but 16 spots? There needs to be parking for mothers with infants/toddlers close to the store, as it is hard enough to find a spot in the parking lot on most days. 

That is all I have to say about that. 

Where to Register?

Babies R Us: The Babies R Us super-mega-store seems to be the most popular place for new moms to register. They have some version of everything you will need, and with so many locations, and a user-friendly website, they will be a popular go-to for most present givers. They don’t, however, carry high end strollers, such as the Bugaboo Chameleon, Uppa, Quinny, and Orbit, so if you want to register for one of those fancy pants strollers (we aren’t judging, as we all have one), you will also have to register elsewhere (like Magic Beans).

Pottery Barn: While we would all love to have our nursery look like a page out of Pottery Barn, there aren’t many people in our lives who will drop the big bucks on a piece of furniture for your baby. That said, they do have a nice selection of bedding, and will also offer you a discount on items that no one purchases on your registry after your baby is born. Do some research before you decide to go Pottery Barn, as you can find cribs for half the price at Babies R Us (or discount furniture stores) that look identical to what you see on the PB pages.

Magic Beans: We call Magic Beans the Fancy Pants store. That doesn’t mean we don’t want everything in it, just that we can’t justify paying some of their prices. This is a good place to register if you are looking for someone to buy you a high-end stroller, nicer baby clothes, and fun development toys. They also carry the highly recommended Ergo baby carrier here, unlike Babies R Us.

Target: The general consensus is that Babies R Us carries everything and much more than Target, so don’t waste your time registering here.