Same Store, Different Name

Has anyone else every noticed the similarities between Babies R Us and PetSmart? I know there will be some readers out there that will be upset over the comparison of pets and babies but even though pets will never hold a place in your heart like your child does, you have to admit the stores share some similarities.

When you first bring your little one home you have to make a stop and pick up all the essentials of having a new baby in the house. At PetSmart it happens to be bowls, leashes and collars and at Babies R Us it is cribs, strollers and bottles. The style of each defines what kind of parenting personality you will have. Are you going to crate train (for the dog of course) or will you need that $300 breast pump (I REALLY hope only for the infant)? Since having a new baby in the house can get expensive, maybe PetSmart will start a registry system like Babies R Us to help out the new parents get all the “essentials.”

I know my dogs love going to PetSmart, I don’t think my son even realizes where he is yet. That didn’t stop my husband from trolling the aisles looking for a toy that would capture my son’s attention – just like we do at PetSmart with our dogs. How many balls have made there way into our PetSmart cart because the dog got so excited? I blame the placement of the tennis balls near the ground. Maybe in a year we won’t be able to leave Babies R Us without a new book or loud battery operated toy (hope it is the book).

It feels wrong to go to either store with out your little one – either to show off how cute they are or highlight their good behavior. Once you are there you quickly realize that the whole trip would have been faster and easier if you had left them at home.

Both stores also have stations for any accidents that may happen. Granted the Babies R Us station is in the mother’s room, but like the wet clean up areas of PetSmart you can breath a sigh of relief knowing they are there – just in case.

I guess since our dogs were our babies before our human son arrived it makes sense for there to be these parallels. We want the best for all our little ones and if it means buying toys that will turn them into the next Einstein I find myself getting it, even though I know my son would be just as happy with a measuring cup and my puppy with an old tennis ball found at the park.