I found the link to Open Box at babyearth on Babble, and breezing through it, there are some really good deals here, even for those of us who can't afford a Quinny Buzz 3 stroller even after a 30% discount. ($519.99 on sale? Puh-leese. The extra $320 worth of design and branding above a quality economical stroller is all about the parents and has nothing to do with the kid.)
Yet, for the discerning parent (and that would be just about all of them!) there are great finds to be had. I'm considering this sale on a name-brand organic cotton baby sling at a price $20 lower than I've seen anywhere else -- the discount is deeper than shipping costs, so even with postage you still come out ahead. The catch? It's a product return after a customer purchased it and discovered it was the wrong size. Therefore, you have to get it before it's gone as there's only one in stock.
Definitely a site to keep an eye on! =)
Speaking of Products-For-The-Parents In Babies-R-Us the other day, I was simultaneously overcome with cuteness, sickened by cuteness, and sickened by the gross economical impracticality of many of the products.
Take for example: The Girl's Pink Satin First Birthday Hat. OK, this isn't exactly the same hat at Babies R Us, but it's an excellent example. The one at Babies R Us, emblazoned with the words "FIRST BIRTHDAY", costs $10 (more for fancier or personalized versions) for one day's use. You might treasure it in a keepsake box, but in all honesty, your kid is only going to pull it out and look at it all of 2 or 3 times in her whole childhood, and probably chuck it as an adult to make room for her little girl's party-hat-keepsake-box. More value will be taken from the adorable photographs of the child in the hat than in the object itself.
So here's my take on it. The kid is one. Get a piece of colorful heavy-weight paper. Cut a triangle out of it large enough to make a hat-sized cone. If you're feeling really crafty, glue some fabric to it. Cone-it-up, use a hole punch and a little string to add a tie, and glue a 5-cent pom-pom or some feathers to the top. Yes, you too can have a cutesy fully customized, personalized party hat for your baby, using items you already had floating around the house! And the pictures will be just as treasured as if you'd spent $22 (plus shipping) on an embroidered hat via mail-order.
I, personally, LOVE the pictures of my special first birthday customized surprise: A beautiful 3D Big Bird birthday cake, lovingly made by hand by Mom. She could have gone to the Heidleberg and paid wedding-cake prices for it, but instead she Metroed to the Virginia Square Giant and got the makings on the cheap. Honestly I have no idea how she got Big Bird's beak to stand up like that without toppling over, it's really creative. It was an awesome cake, and I love my pictures of it! =D
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