This past week, Grandma has been putting together a list of items to get my son for Christmas. It goes like this:

Shoe laces. Buckets. Brooms. Magnets. Tupperware containers.

Brightly colored toys are right up at the top of her list of items not to get him. We bought him rainbow colored blocks, bright animal magnets, and a giant blue ball, but he’s hardly interested. Why on earth would he want the colorful toys when he could dig through the cabinets for pots and pans? It makes me thankful that we’ve never spent money on fancy toys he has no interest in because the hardware drawer in the kitchen is far more fascinating.

At least he’s easily entertained. Really, I’ve been blessed with a child whose brain works as fast as his little feet when he spots me opening the fridge door, and his whirlwind of activity ensures there is never a dull moment in our house.

There are a lot of expectant mothers who follow my blog, and I have a piece of advice for you. You’ve probably heard it before but disregarded it because after all, you want the best for your baby, don’t you? My advice is this:

Don’t bother with all the fancy-shmancy baby stuff.

That stuff isn’t for the baby, anyway; it’s for you. Of course, there’s nothing wrong with getting all the fancy gadgets and toys or one of those sweet new bassinets that mimics the sound and movement of your car–we have some of that snazzy stuff, too.

But I promise you, your baby won’t know the difference. My son is completely satisfied banging on a tupperware container with a wooden spoon, and the colorful wooden animal magnets all over the fridge? They were fun for about 74 seconds after we first opened the box.

Friends, you want to invest in your children–no, you need to invest in your children. You need to teach them responsibility and discipline, how to calm their emotions when they’re upset and how to defend those who can’t defend themselves. You need to invest in raising them up in the Lord and teaching them kindness and compassion and most of all you need to invest in loving them and showing them God’s love.

But there will be plenty of time to invest in them financially later. College, my friends? Be prepared to invest your life savings plus your mother’s left ovary plus the family cow to pay for the first three months of their freshman year, and it only goes downhill from there. Once your kids are old enough to know the clothes your aunt passed down from when she was a kid are no longer in style, you’ll get your chance to invest. 

I promise you though–your baby doesn’t care. If it makes noise and he can bang it or chew on it, it’s golden. I love buying my son exciting new toys and adorable outfits from Target and every once in awhile I do because my toddler is worth that, but I’ve learned that there are better ways to invest in my child than to spend lots of money on fancy things. I’ve also learned that besides wanting to love on my son, the main reason I want to get him nice things are so I look like a good mom because in today’s social media saturated world, good moms don’t buy their kids secondhand clothes and give them kitchen utensils to play with instead of real toys.

Only the swanky Carter’s outfit that is literally a miniature version the outfit Chris Pratt was seen wearing on a date with his lady for my son, please.

Yeah, it’s impressive, but if you’re going to invest financially during your child’s younger years (as if diapers aren’t enough of an investment on their own,) invest in quality food, chemical free cleaning and self care products, and you.

That’s right, mama–I said you.

After all, a happy mama means a happy baby. And a happy husband. And really just a happy existence in general. For me, investing in myself means that I buy yummy teas, because tea is important to me. It means that I buy clothes that compliment my still post-baby body, it means that we are going to start paying for a regular babysitter so my husband and I can get child free time, and it means that I use only the most natural makeup and skin care products (check out Young Living Essential Oils and their fantastic beauty and wellness products) because those are the things that are important to me.

I positively adore my son, and I wish that I could shower him in everything his little heart (and my heart) desires, but that would spoil him and it’s impractical, so I’m choosing my priorities.

This year for Christmas, Grandma has learned that my son’s sweet little self doesn’t need fancy anything because his imagination can turn the dullest spatula shoved in the back of a cabinet into a scepter for him to reign on his buckled-down highchair throne. A white cleaning bucket used to transport nail polish and foot scrub for a girl’s spa day becomes a boat to sail around the kitchen floor.

That $39.99 I was considering throwing down on a blue and red plastic “sensory activity center” or a mini electric guitar? Yep, those things would have been fun for 3 minutes, but instead I’ll invest in copious amounts the high quality organic dried mango my son and I love to snack on or the gorgeous new I Do Believe You’re Blushing by Savvy Minerals blush.

So get what your baby what he really wants–stop at a garage sale and pick up a wicker basket and some old tennis shoes he can drag through the house by the laces.

Choose instead to invest your finances in yourself because you are worth it, choose to invest in chemical-free living because your family is worth it, choose to invest in quality foods because your body is worth it, choose to invest in adventuring and kid-free time because your marriage is worth it, and choose to pour out all the rest into loving that sweet child of yours. Teach them when to be tough and when to be tender and how to protect their little siblings and that rudeness won’t get them anywhere.

Teach them to stand their ground on what they believe in a world where we’re told that anything goes and progressive ideas are the only ones that stand. Most of all teach them to love Jesus.

Invest in your children in the ways that matter. 

And maybe get that snazzy tea for yourself, while you’re at it.