A shortened version of this originally ran on Scary Mommy. Here is the link.

Supposedly, 3D printing is The Next Big Thing and has the potential to change the world. Without getting too technical, 3D printing is a process by which you design an object in a software program, send the data to what is essentially a robot in a box, and watch in awe as the robot builds your object layer by layer using various materials, such as liquid, paper, powder or metal.

At this point, most of what I have read focuses on how 3D printing promises to revolutionize the shipping industry. For example, a captain piloting a giant ocean cargo liner across the Atlantic today is SOL if an important part in the engine fails, but once he has a 3D printer on board, he can print an exact replica and be back up and running in 12 to 24 hours. In the medical field, researchers are trying to figure out how to print internal organs and body parts using a patient’s own cells, and aerospace engineers are hoping 3D printing can lower some of their manufacturing costs.

That’s great, but has anyone given any thought to how 3D printing could help all the Moms out there? I mean, collectively, we are an enormous group–there are probably more Moms in New Jersey than there are shipping captains, thoracic surgeons and aerospace engineers in the whole world. If I were trying to sell 3D printers, the first group I would target would be Moms for sure.

Seriously, think of the possibilities. Off the top of my head, here are 10 things I could make with a 3D printer:

1. all the missing Legos
2. clean soccer uniforms
3. a gift for the birthday party that starts in 10 minutes
4. wine (duh)
5. coffee
6. AA Batteries
7. the missing TV remote
8. the sock monkey we lost on vacation in 2012
9. Super Nanny
10. dinner for five

Years ago, when my children were babies, I would have set the 3D printer on fire by using it so much. Here are 10 things I wish I could have printed back then:

1. a clean binky
2. diapers (duh)
3. the rubber thing that attaches to the underside of the sippy cup lid so it won’t leak
4. socks that stay on chubby infant feet
5. a nursing bra that fits properly and provides support
6. ear plugs
7. scratch-proof DVDs
8. a reliable birth control method
9. a refrigerator lock my kids can’t beat
10. amoxicillin

How great would it be if Moms could have all the above at the touch of a button? I can’t wait until the technology improves even more so that I can print a few other things I desperately need, like:

1. eight hours of uninterrupted sleep
2. some patience
3. a clue
4. a life
5. focus
6. motivation as it pertains particularly to folding laundry
7. energy
8. perspective
9. some fashion sense
10. a moment of silence