Stuff List To Buy | Baby

"Do we really need a wipe warmer?" Mark asked, holding up a sleek plastic box that promised to keep moist towelettes at a balmy ninety-eight degrees.

The night they brought Leo home, the house was silent. They looked at the mountain of gear. Leo was wearing a simple, five-dollar cotton sleeper and was fast asleep in a plain wooden bassinet.

Then came the "essentials" that felt like a foreign language:

"Coffee," he said, rubbing his eyes. "We forgot to buy more coffee."

"The internet says cold wipes make babies cry like they’ve been touched by an icicle," Sarah replied, checking it off.

The boxes started arriving three months before the "Big Day," turning the guest room into a cardboard labyrinth. Sarah and Mark sat on the floor, armed with a highlighter and a list they’d found online that was forty-seven items deep.

A stainless steel tower designed to contain scents that could arguably peel paint.