Swanky Living

Baby feet. They're just so darn cute, aren't they? Add to that their little coos and goofy facial expressions and absolutely viral laughter, and it's impossible to deny they're absolutely adorable.

Here's the thing about babies, though: the spit up, and they have nasty, awful dirty diapers, they throw their pureed peas all over the kitchen and then smear it through their hair until it's crusty...all the time. It's just so easy to forgive them because of all the aforementioned cute things.

A couple years ago, I did a research project for my child psychology class in which I investigated the cost of having and raising a baby for the first year of its life--the final number alone should be a great reason for teens to not even want to sit next to someone of the opposite sex, let me tell you. Looking back, some of the items I included were a little unnecessary, but not nearly as silly as what I found in the collection of pictures of celebrity baby nurseries.

Check out what Jennifer Lopez did for her twins

The sweeping drapes, fuzzy fabrics, and irresistibly cute crib bumpers, bows, and blankets are all very nice for the adult eye, but in reality, they're huge suffocation hazards, and those bows? Choking hazards. Congratulations, you've built a very adorable, very deadly nursery.

Look at the photo to the left. Are you kidding me? Can you imagine getting the less-than adorable pureed pea spit-up out of those fabrics? No. That chandelier is beautiful, but it will be less so when Baby throws a ball and it comes crashing down.

Granted, I'm sure JLo has at least one or two maids to clean up that mess, but still. I know I don't have a baby, but Baby wouldn't know the difference between a possibly less cuddly room that is entirely practical. A mattress in the crib minus the bumper, pillows, and stuffed animals is practical and safe, albeit less "awww!" worthy from Grandma.

I'm urging you, please keep this in mind when you have kids. Remember, a happy, breathing baby is always better than a beautiful satin bow around the crib rails.