My Infant Is Getting Wrapped Hand-Me-Downs For Christmas

Spending money on presents for a child who has no idea what day it is, what Christmas is, or what a present is is silly when you are on a very tight budget. So this year, my infant is getting wrapped hand-me-downs – from my son’s closet.

The idea came to me yesterday when I was in Target buying wrapping paper. I walked by the baby toys section and thought, Shit. I haven’t bought a single thing for my daughter. I started shuffling through the toys, and kept being drawn to the ones that my son already has. He has two giant toy chests filled with old toys he doesn’t play with. Fisher Price phone? Check. Stacking rings? Check. Fabric books? Check. Blocks? Check. I got home and immediately started pillaging his stuff.

He came into his room and gave me the side-eye. It’s like he knew I was taking his stuff. All of a sudden, baby toys that he hadn’t touched in years captured his attention like I couldn’t believe. They may as well have been touched by a magical fairy and brought to life – he was that excited about playing with them. What the heck?

So I did what any other sane parent would do – snuck into his bedroom last night while he slept and stole them all. Out of sight, out of mind, right? It worked. He woke up this morning, grabbed his Yo Gabba Gabba boombox and went into the living room to color.

I’m thinking he’s probably going to be a little pissed when we unwrap them and hand them to his sister, but I’m hoping he’ll be distracted by all of the gifts my family is bringing him. My infant will love her crappy, old, hand-me-downs. Since they’re all made of plastic, I’m sort of saving the earth by not buying anything new. Okay, that’s a little much. But really, why buy more stuff? There’s already so much stuff in this house.

So, if you have a new baby and she or he is your second – pro tip; wrap the old toys and call it a day. Your older kid might be pissed, but your wallet and the planet will thank you for it.

(photo: Getty Images)