My daughter, Brandi, was a precocious child. She was communicating in complete sentences by the age of ten months.

“Mommy, watch me. Mommy, I want… Mommy, come see. Mommy, mommy, mommy.” Once she learned to speak, she never let up. I must say that she impressed strangers everywhere we went. Because Brandi was such a bright child, learning new tasks was exciting and comparatively easy for her. The hard part fell to me, the mommy, to provide new learning experiences every day. My little hyper overachiever had a voracious appetite for new experiences. I was a very proud, if not exhausted, new mom.

Ever curious and always underfoot, Brandi would follow me to the bathroom basically every time I went. This was actually for the best, since she couldn’t be trusted on her own for even 30 seconds. “What you doing, mommy?” I would explain that mommy was peeing in the potty or whatever the case may have been. “Bambi pee in the potty?” She was three before she could say her name correctly.

Brandi continued to ask if she could pee in the potty. She was eighteen months old, and I did not feel she was ready for potty training. My mother suggested I buy a potty and make it available without pressure or great expectations. She offered to go with me to pick out a cute potty for her granddaughter. Saturday came and we loaded up my car for a “town trip” with Brandi.

Wal-Mart always had a good selection of potties, so the three of us wandered the aisles on the lookout for the potty section. Brandi was excited. There were potties of every style and color. My mother and I were discussing the merits of a particular potty we were both fond of when we heard people gasping, giggling, and saying things such as, “Where is her mother?”

“Brandi!” I called out in a panic. No answer. I pushed my way through the crowd to find my bare-butted angel standing in front of a potty proudly proclaiming, “Mommy, I poop in de potty.” She had removed her pamper and christened her potty of choice with a mound of poop.

“I see. Good girl.” What else could I say? As I cleaned my daughter, my mother took the potty to the ladies restroom for a cleaning. Brandi continued to praise herself to the laughing crowd. My only thought was, “Hurry mama, please hurry.”

We bought the potty and had it in place before Brandi’s daddy returned from work. I explained to my angel about going to the potty only in the potty room. When her daddy walked in the door, Brandi proudly told him of her latest accomplishment. Of course, he thought it was quite funny. Actually, once my mother and I had left the store, we laughed all the way home.

I didn’t return to Wal-Mart for a few weeks, however.

Let your baby make the ultimate statement

Are you a mom with a unique style who can’t bear to see her precious newborn become another advertisement for mass consumerism? Do you hate all the stuffy, traditional pinks and blues for your new bundle of joy? Where can you go to find baby clothing that will help your child learn to walk to the beat of their own drum? We’ve scoured the Internet and have found several unique places to find baby clothing that is definitely not out of the big box or the famous mall boutiques.

Threadless.com

For moms who identify with the artsy crowd, this is the site for you. They offer unique, alternative art on one-of-a-kind baby clothing. Some of the art is quite abstract and some is just plain silly and fun. New designs are released every Friday, so you can visit often and never get bored. Kids’ T-shirts are $17 and onesies are $20. This company is very hip with the campus crowd across America and offers a message board to post comments and discussions. Spend some time browsing the comments posted by the artists. It will give you some insight into the designs you purchase. This site was a bit difficult to navigate, but the designs won’t be found anywhere else, so it’s worth the extra trouble to figure it out.

Cafepress.com

If quick, affordable and witty is your cup of tea, then you’ll want to check out Cafepress.com, which offers more than a million designs to choose from. You’ll find the traditional “I’m the big brother/sister,” and other cutesy sayings; political statements, pop culture icons, and tons of family-related quotations. If you don’t see what you want here, the site lets you can create a design yourself. Two minutes and 5 or 6 clicks of the mouse and you can have your own designer item featuring your child’s picture or artwork. Any jpg or png files can be used for your design. Available items for baby clothing are bodysuits, bibs, and tees. Most items are under $15. Caution: This site can be addictive and time consuming!

Babywit.com

At Babywit.com their tag line is: You may not be cool, but your baby can be. This site features hip, irreverent designs, from punk and alternative themes to classic rock, pirate, cowboy and outlaw pop-culture items. Their designer section features hand-sewn appliqués, which are priced as higher-end products. They have a larger choice of baby clothing items than most other sites, including shoes and slippers (the cowboy boot slippers are awesome!), diaper bags, and diaper covers. Most items start at around $21 and go up from there. This site even has a gift registry, so expecting moms and dads can choose their favorites and keep track of their gifts.

Crazybabyclothing.com

Just want something plain in basic black? You’ll find find the solid black onesies and tees that you need to coordinate with baby’s other fashions. They also offer green or pink camo designs and the ever popular pirate skull choices. Their line of cool pacifiers offers something out of the ordinary, and are sure to draw comments from your baby’s adoring public.

Sandboxcouture.com

This site caters to the fashionista and celebrity watcher crowd, with a collection of designer baby clothing for the preschool set. See designs worn by children of the stars, like Madonna and Jennie Garth, featuring Sweet Potatoes, Kate Mack, Roxy Girls, Quicksilver, No Fear and Flowers by Zoe, among others.

Babyrockapparel.com

Finally, for those hardcore rockers who just can’t turn off the tunes now that baby has arrived , this site has baby-friendly versions of your favorite hard rock songs. Preview the music while you shop for your little rocker. Rock On!

Hipbabyclothes.net

The name of this site is actually Tot Rocket: Where cool babies can wear what they think! So you get the idea. The site offers funny tees and onesies, with sayings like, “I only cry when ugly people hold me,” “Breastfed baby - enjoy the show,” “My mom’s too lazy to make a bottle,” “Hung like a five year old,” “Topic of conversation,” and “Been there - broke that.” Some of the bibs with cute sayings: “Being Republican means never having to say you’re sorry,” “Bill Clinton for First Lady,” and “My whole life is being blogged.” They have baby clothing with rock star sayings, tattoo-like graphics, skulls, and sports and punk logos. All the logos are available on tees, onesies, and bibs, and they even have the ever-popular hoodies for babies. They have a great selection of items for only $10.99. Your baby will definitely get a second look sporting one of these products!

Pokkadots.com

This site has a great selection of really cute boutique-style baby clothing, not as hardcore as Tot Rocket’s. They carry sizes from 0-5t for girls, and from 0-8 for boys. They even have cool shoes, cozy pajamas, books, toys, furniture, decor, organic clothing, and items for mom and dad. Their baby clothes are scaled-down replicas of what trendy teens are wearing - all the latest styles in little kids’ sizes! I especially like the layered-look shirts, the pirate cap, the rain gear, the leggings, and the Paul James blazer. The clothes were adorable, and I found the prices to be very reasonable.

Retrobaby.com

For cute, tongue-in-cheek baby clothing, visit Retro Baby. They offer hoodies, tees, dresses, bibs, onesies, and accessories in infant and toddler sizes. Their logos include sayings like “I’m kind of a big deal,” “It’s okay, I’m with the band,” “For good luck, rub my tummy,” and my favorite, “Does this diaper make my butt look big?” The latest craze for teens is a tee displaying an old rock band’s picture and logo, and Retro Baby has them for little kids. They have Led Zeppelin, the Ramones, Jimmy Hendrix, Bob Marley, Iron Maiden, Guns ’n Roses, and the Red Hot Chili Peppers. I also loved the rubber duckies in the form of Mr. T, Gene Simmons of Kiss, Alice in Wonderland, and Buddha. Very cool. Many items were under $20.

Uncommonlycute.com

These baby clothing articles really are uncommonly cute, and they come in toddler sizes, too. Uncommonly Cute specializes in onesies and short- and long-sleeve tees. Some of their tee shirt sayings are “freshly baked,” “brand new,” “miso cute,” “king of the little people,” and “Elmo is my homeboy.” They even have shirts with peace signs. They also have baby clothing for twins that says things like “perfect pair.” I love the twin shirts that say “copy” on one and “paste” on the other! The onesies and short-sleeve tees are $22, and the long-sleeve tees are $24.
Do a little “window shopping” for some hip baby clothing. If you just buy department store clothes for your child, she’s going to look just like all the other little tykes. Dare to be different! Even if your baby can’t talk, he can still make a statement by sporting a trendy outfit.