Enough with the "Aesthetic" Playrooms

Being a mom to one or many littles is messy. The more littles in your home the messier it can be and that’s okay.

I’ve seen so many “playrooms” on social media full of muted colors and wooden toys that are spotless, not a single sock, dirty burp cloth, or cracker crumb in sight. That is just not real life.

When I was pregnant, I dreamed of having a play area with cute wooden stacking toys and neutral-colored everything. When my peanut was born that’s how it started out too, then I quickly learned that it was not realistic. Here’s why I think that:

For one, those Montessori toys are costly! Most millennial moms, like myself, are paying off our student loans, our high mortgages, and hustling for that raise; we don’t have that type of cash to spend on picture-perfect toys for our littles with perfect rattan baskets all labeled and organized.

Also, babies and young children are drawn to bright colors and noise. There is a reason the Fisher Price Paino mat and the noisy crawling crab from Amazon went viral on social media. It’s because babies love the lights, colors, and noise. You see, when babies are little, their eyes are still adjusting to the big world around them, which in turn means they don’t have the vision we do, so the high contrast and bright colors are easier for them to see.

I will say my peanut gravitates towards anything made by Fisher Price (not sponsored, but Fisher Price hit me up!)

The colors Fisher Price picks tend to be a big hit with the littles, plus their toys usually have songs that are a bop and educational aspects to them. I’ve seen lots of different companies do a great job with their toys as well, like Little Einstein.

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How do you know what toys your little one will gravitate towards? Well, there are a few things you can do to figure that out.

1. Just go crazy with the shopping, if you can afford it.

   1. Buy toys from different brands and see which one your peanut likes best.

2. Buy second-hand!

   1. Look for consignment shops that sell baby items or even thrift stores! Run the toys through a nice wash in either the washer or dishwasher (if you have one) to get them like new again.

3. Join Facebook mom groups.

   1. I personally have joined a few groups since I was pregnant to get to know moms in my community, and a lot of these groups are also a place for moms to give things away when no longer in use or even trade items!

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As a millennial mom, we need to say enough is enough at some point when it comes to the pressures to be perfect. We can be influenced without feeling as though we are less than if we do not do as other moms.

When it comes to the playtime and area our little ones play in, we have to stop catering them to others and cater them to the ones that will be interacting with it, our babies.

Mamas pick out the absurdly colored piano mat, the loud rattle, or even bright flashing lights. It’s your money, it’s your time, and it’s your peanut that will be affected by the choice. If the aesthetic playroom works for you and you're able to entertain your peanut, then that’s amazing! If not, don’t beat yourself up over it; after all, it’s just toys.