play gym... yes or no?

I love stuff. 

There.  I said it.

But I am kind of on a stuff diet.  No, it's not a diet.  It's a lifestyle change. Tee hee.

I keep coming up with new things that Baby Maximus needs.  I have tried to keep it minimum but somehow I still finding myself walking around the Bumbo (free), pushing aside the portable Bobby swing (craigslist), and moving the folding chair/highchair/miracle chair (it's dumb, I bought it on a whim and it took up half a suitcase.  Lame.  I probably should have packed the play gym that my sweet sister in law offered me, instead) whenever I need to vacuum.   And while I am confessing... I somehow have an extra vacuum, an extra car seat, a set of dishes, a blender, a coffee maker (huh?  We don't even drink coffee), a set of knives, and a bunch of other stuff that I don't need.  I could already have a mini garage sale and I have been here just six weeks.  I haven't given up on the less waste thing.  I am just a slow learner.  Skinny people don't need diets.  

But as my baby lays there playing with nothing but his left foot (again.  The left one is his favorite) I can't help but wonder if I am not helping him living up to his potential.  It's the same feeling I get when Samuel does flips into the pool and I wonder if he needs to be in gymnastics or some other class.  What if he could be a genius if only he had toys dangling above his head? 

I kind of think it would be fun to make one.  Or, rather, have Karl make one.  But, woodworking tools didn't make the cut when we were packing for Kauai.  

It's all so silly.  I saw the movie Babies. I saw that the moms didn't need giant plastic toys to have healthy smart happy babies.  But they didn't need an Ergo, or a baby blanket, or diapers, or a floor either.  Those things are on my need list.  

So, do I add a play gym to the "need" list?

What are your thoughts?  Did your babies use them enough for it to be worth the money, space in your house, and eventually landfill space?

Is there something you thought your baby needed but didn't end up using?  

What about something you used more than you thought you would?