I need to talk about an experience I had recently.

It's not an easy topic for me to discuss, but I feel it needs to be done. I'm talking about a discount baby sale.

For any of you moms out there who have been to such an event, you know the horror of what I am about to describe.

You, too, may have witnessed the wild look in another mother's eye as you both spot the perfect Little Tykes play kitchen at the same moment.

You, too, may have run like an animal in a wave of mothers all pushing toward the entrance. Like I did, you may have picked up armfuls of clothes that you don't need and your child will likely never wear just because they are only $1.50 apiece.

The truth is, nothing can send a mom into a tizzy faster than a baby consignment sale.

This weekend, I lined up with other moms an hour before the doors opened to be one of the first into the sale. Other moms who had "exclusive" pre-sale shopping hours walked past us with their treasures and you could feel the women in line hating them. It was intense.

And when the doors opened, it was shop or be trampled. I didn't know pregnant women could move that fast. I even saw one woman running like a crazy person with her credit card waving in her hand. Another woman lay in the fetal position in a corner clutching a Tonka trunk. (OK, I was both of those women. I don't want to talk about it.)

So here's what I learned from this experience, which I guarantee will rouse me from my sleep for months in a cold sweat yelling things like, "These are taken! TAKEN!"

First, just grab it all. Don't think about what size the clothes are or whether it's a boy's church suit and you only have daughters. Just grab it. You can sort it out later and put stuff back.

Secondly, don't even think about touching the merchandise that is clearly set aside in a pile. Seriously. You will lose an appendage.

Finally, and this is critical, you can't afford to be nice. I learned this from watching other mothers who pushed, shoved and bullied their way toward big-ticket items like bicycles and upscale strollers.

When it comes to bargain shopping for your little darlings, mommies can be downright mean. So check your social niceties at the doors ladies — anything goes at a baby consignment sale.

So, no, consignment sales are not for the faint of heart. You have to get in, get out with your loot and never look back. But it's worth the trauma and the terrifying moments spent hurdling over strollers and other mothers.

I suffered no permanent injuries, and every time my daughter makes me a Play-doh pancake in her $15 play kitchen, I relive my consignment sale triumph once again.

Erin Stewart's blog, Just4Mom, can be found Tuesdays and Thursdays at deseretnews.com.

e-mail: estewart@desnews.com