I went to a baby store the other day.
To wander.
To look around.
To see what type of magical creations were available for new babies.
To make it easier on Mom’s, Dad’s and…..Grandparents.
Holy crap!
There are monitors with video screens
App’s that link baby monitors to your smart phone.
Monitors that record temperature, heart rate and breathing.
Pads that sit underneath the mattress to alarm you if the baby quits breathing.
Seriously……
They have these things.
Personally I think they are less reassuring and more terrifying.
New parents are worried enough without adding another layer to the sleepless nights worrying if an alarm will go off and when it does…..
Hopping out of bed
Panicked
Heart racing
Throwing open the door and seeing that everything is just fine…..it was just a loose sensor.
Is this how it works nowadays?
We can helicopter parent from the other room?
I had to ask the lady at the counter, “Are more babies dying from SIDS then when my children were little?”
She responded, “These products are designed to alleviate stress for new parents”.
So I say, “Yes, I can see that. But honestly…..is there an epidemic that I should be aware of? I mean….I am going to be a grandma in a few months and I need a refresher on infants”.
She says, “Well….don’t you agree that parents should do everything possible to keep their children safe?”
Gah! “But…..is there a reason that I need to purchase an uber expensive monitor that reports heart rate, urine output and breathing for my perfectly healthy, full term grandchild? Do I need one, I mean…..do I?”
Am I wrong? Do we need to live in a state of constant fear that something is going to happen?
Oh yeah…..now I remember… when my children first came home from hospital, I DID live in a constant fear that something was going to happen. Hmmmmm….maybe I DO need a fancy monitor after all…..
Every ten years an expert advises how we should position infants in their crib for sleeping.
Place them on their back.
Place them on their front.
Place them on their left side.
Place them on their right side.
Practice co-sleeping……..
Please, please advise what is acceptable for 2015!
Note: I’ll bet those video monitors are really cool for seeing what your dogs are doing while you are at work 🙂
Don’t get me wrong….there are some pretty genius creations on the market designed to help new parents (and grandparents).
Here are some that I have found:
Brilliant!
Kind of gross…..
And this…..well…..I might need to get one of these. I wonder if they come in adult sizes? Looks like fun!
JUDY KUCHARUK 