Because kids love furniture, and parents love putting them on it.

Attention!

I have contributed to the blog for Design Public, a company that sells hip furniture that mostly I can't afford. But I still like to look at the furniture, and drool all over the keyboard and short out my computer.

I was given the task of writing about babies and design, and here's what I came up with. Other bloggers, including someone named Mrs. Kennedy, will be offering up their thoughts in the coming days.

Comments

[alicea]

Hey!
I'm called Alice too! And both my brother and stepfather are called Henry! This is exciting for me.

I've been reading for awhile now, and just wanted to say I love reading Finslippy and eagerly await each new installment.

[sweetney]

dude, that's so rad. and also: why can't we be independently wealthy so we can afford to buy all the well-designed items we desire? i've tired of target and ikea... why can't Design Within Reach *truly be* within reach, dammit?

fucking capitalism.

[Bren]

See, I have the same problem with various unexplained toys crowding my "style," except I don't have kids. It's way more embarrassing that way. Be thankful you have a working uterus. (Maybe I should get a dog? Think my friends will buy the "No no, the two foot talking R2D2 is totally the dog's, not mine. Totally! Pff!")

[Julie]

I posted a comment at Baby Blogapalooza, but also had to comment here. Knowing that you live in Brooklyn, I imagine you run into the same problem that we did when we lived in NYC - the toys migrate all over the apartment despite your best efforts, and the saddest part is that there's really no place else for them to go. You are forced to live among brightly colored plastic contraptions and plush animals.

[kelly]

Excellent, and true.

[Amalah]

For some crazy unknown reason DesignPublic asked me to participate. I believe they may think I'm actually someone else (i.e. someone with talent), and I didn't have the heart to tell them otherwise.

(Suckers!)

But now that I have read your entry I am going to email them and beg them to not post the crap I wrote, and maybe cry a little, because you're funnier than me.

[Ada]

I remember watching a design show while early in my maternity leave where a fantasically dressed and trim designer looked at her gaygaygay co-host and then at the toy-strewn living room she was about to overhaul and said in unison: "Toys should NEVER be seen the in the living room"

She then rolled her eyes and let out a big sigh.

I sighed with her. Because at the time I had two breast pumps, a bassinette, a vibrating boucy chair, five different puked on recieving blankets with clashing designs and a head of cabbage in MY living room.

- never mind the baby.

[supa]

the scariest part really is the not caring; I am beginning to find tiny, baby-sized teeth marks on the furniture, and next thing you know i'm trying to buff it out with his drool.

[Anon]

In the interest of disclosure, I'd appreciate knowing if any of the guest bloggers are being compensated in any fashion.

[Mrs. Kennedy]

Oh my god, you actually wrote something about design? I sent them an old post about a David Bowie concert.

[Susan]

We briefly banished all our three and five-year-old sons' toys to their rooms, which seemed like a good idea (kid and toy free living spaces!) until they started closing the bedroom doors and announcing, 'We're fine! Go away! DON'T COME IN!!!' Afer a few days of loitering in the hall with a fire extinguisher and a first-aid kid, I relented. The house looks like crap again, but at least I know what they are up to.

[Michele]

When my kids were little, we redid our living room to have an "adult space," also spending thousands on a family room where we banished the toys. This, unfortunately, did not work. Instead our BEDROOM became the new family room, making me wish desperately for that earlier, sweeter, time when we contained the mess to only one room instead of to three.

Now, my girls are 17 and 13 and I have to be sappy and say that I kind of miss those days. At least my clothes and jewelry were mine to wear and believe me, I'd rather fight about toys than about curfews. Plus, they're fighting methods get a lot more sophisticated as they get older and they start to have an opinon about everything, including your decorating. So enjoy the toys while you can. Before Henry starts telling you that your taste sucks.

[kristine]

Mine's 14. No more Thomas The Train. It's now posters of Jessica Simpson in a pair of Daisy Dukes.

Could be worse. Could be Willy Nelson in a pair of Daisy Dukes.

[twindad]

We have 17 month old twins and this has been a huge problem for us as well. Our answer to the clutter was a black leather ottoman that looks great, but more importantly, opens from the top and becomes a toy chest for anything that is designed with any of the four primary colors.

It also helps with our insurance due to the reduction in toy related mishaps.

[alice]

Sure, anon--

I was offered the ability to purchase furniture at a discount, if I so chose. And...that's it.

[Teresa]

You will never live down the disappearance of "[insert name of toy he hadn’t played with in six months here]" because they never forget. NEVER. We got rid of a kid's basketball net 3 years ago and my 7 year old still has yet to let me forget the torture that is his life.

[Drew]

To everyone: save [insert name of toy he hadn't played with in six months here] please, whatever you do. For my brother's 30th last week, our mom presented him with a giant box -- confused, he opened it to find all of his childhood toys from age 0 thru 10. A Millenium Falcon, throwing stars, legos -- it was the best gift I think he's ever received.

Alice -- thanks so much for the post. You are hilarious. Now get your thugs off my site, please. Thanks.

[lis]

Do they sell Baby in a Bubble? Because I don't know any baby that would see that stuff and not get sick on it in a millisecond. You'd need the bubble to keep it hospital corner clean.

[lis]

PS: I meant that they'd get sick because it's pretty. In case you were thinking the other thing.

[clickmom]

We felt out of control in the toy dept. while living in a 900 square foot apt in Brooklyn, moved to the burbs, tripled our space, and TRIPLED THE TOYS, (and tripled the amount of kids too, actually)

As for the not-my-style baby gifts- we totally know your problem, except ours were all hand knit, so my poor kids had to wear sweaters with tiny little head crushing neck holes, or gorilla arms that had to be folded over four times and therefore really fat like a giant bangle bracelets. (We got the photos tho!)

[Molly]

Your article was great - your writing always makes me grin (in a good way).

[DM]

I have a real hard time convincing Eddy that his toys belong in the corner behind the chair. But, no, he insists on dragging everything out and then won't put it back. And he's at least 7! Okay, he's also a cat but still, could he pick up after himself just once?

And my scrapbooking stuff has taken over my room. I would lose a child if I had one.

[mainja]

oh my, so very curious about why you're closing comments...

[Annie]

Comments are closed above, and since I'm persistent (it sounds so much nicer than insufferable, I think), I moved mine down here.

You're a much better person than me. I'd probably have let him get that sucker truly filthy in hopes that he would just give it up. Granted, my husband tells me that until I can stop talking about "Crate training the kids like we do with the puppy," he'd rather that we not have children. So basically, I have no idea what I'm talking about, and you're a much better mother than I will probably ever be. Keep washing those suckers! Errr... umm... or something like that.

[FlippyO]

Thanks for the article, because through it, I found these - http://www.designpublic.com/shop/vessel/2206

I think they're cool.

[marian]

moving my comment down here too--hope this isn't a permanent situation ala heather and maggie.

i used to sweep up the floor at the end of the day and each day throw out assorted little plastic bits that came from the action figure du jour or some little lego wand or whatever. my child who was hugely observant, never even noticed!

i love that idea though of presenting him with his old toys (still plenty left) when he's 30--brilliant!

[marian]

oh and the sucker thing--mine never really had sugar til he started school and then there was so much sugar IN SCHOOL! teachers give kids CANDY these days? what the?

every halloween and easter he'd throw up for 24 hours because he couldn't tolerate all the sugar (maybe you can control the intake but i never could). never deterred him.

in my experience, denying a child something turns it into an obsession. so you have to pick and choose which obsessions you can live with.

[haus]

See, this is why blogging is so great... it's like I can drop by for coffee and advice without having to go to NY or wherever.

We ended up with a crib from Room & Board, big chair from Ikea, hand-me-down dresser repainted fire-engine red, and a changing table from the baby center store. You have to shop around, but mod stuff is out there. Our house is more traditional than I'd like, but the really cool things cost $$$. Modernseed has lots of fun stuff, too.

The toys, well, so far they mostly fit in a wicker basket by the fireplace. I'm sure this will change by Christmas, if not sooner.

Thanks, finslippy! Great article!

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