Have I mentioned to you that the BossLady and I are serious gadget geeks? I'm talking Nerd Central. Some people might call us "early adopters" but we have no problem admitting that we really are total geeks. Prior to the birth of the Peanut, we spent an irresponsibly and disproportionately large share of our income on gadgets. Our apartment is filled with cellphones, PDAs, digital cameras, portable DVD players, electronic board games, DJ headphones, USB devices and tons of other crap. I don't know how but we've already gone through about 4 ipods. It's like a fucking disease, people!
The pending arrival of the Peanut gave us a whole new area in which to express our total geekiness. So after learning that BossLady was pregnant, we didn't waste any time getting started. We've literally got ALL the baby crap that you could possibly envision...diaper genies, bottle warmers, automatic wipe warmers, bottle sterilizers, Sharper Image air filters, self-rolling rocking chairs, humidifiers, Graco Pack-and-Plays, space heaters, baby monitors, motion detectors, etc. We've even got 3 different strollers...one's a car seat adaptor, another's for travelling on the subway, and the third is for terkking on urban terrain or on the slopes.
In a very nominal way, I guess each of these gadgets does make our life incrementally easier. The bottle sterilizer sure beats having to boil water all the time (besides, I melted 2 bottles and ruined 2 cooking pots because I fell asleep while sterilizing.) The baby monitors are great because we can have cocktails at our neighbor's apartment and still keep tabs on the Peanut (plus, you can also use them as one-way walkie talkies.) And the Fisher Price Aquarium Rocker is worth it's weight in gold. It's the only thing that soothes the Peanut to sleep.
So on the one hand, I feel like we're taking advantage of technology and its ability to assist us in caring for our newborn daughter. Anything that makes our life even a little easier is worth it. After all, how much would you pay for an extra hour of sleep every day of the week?
On the other hand, I sometimes feel like a total sucker. I feel like a byproduct of our consumerist culture. Millions of babies have been raised just fine without any of these gadgets. Therefore, their net value must be negligible, right? It's strange because, in a perverted way, you really can justify all the purchases by thinking that they're for the benefit of your baby. You can make yourself believe that these gadgets will make your child happier, smarter or healthier. Of course, that's mostly a crock of shit. But hey, we need to rationalize it somehow, don't we?
Obviously, there's no right or wrong. There are a few baby gadgets that have proven invaluable. There are several more that have proven to be useless. Trial and error will determine which ones work best for you.
I just think it's funny that, despite the technological advances of our time, I still have to hold my baby's butt right up to my nose and take a big old whiff in order to tell if she's pooped her diaper.
I hear you. I had the additional pleasure of shopping for gadgets and "necessities" up the age of one because we will be in Japan. Yes, I know those very same things are available there and if they're not then I could order them but I wanted them, I mean Eli needs them, NOW. My only regret is that those very purchases will most likely be out-of-date by the time he needs them. And will I have the restraint to not get the next best version? Probably not, sadly...
Posted by: Meredith | January 24, 2005 at 10:31 AM
Wait until your second child, MetroDad!!! You won't be buying any of those gadgets. Probably the only things you'll have on hand are a bunch of clean diapers, some baby powder and a couple of wipes. Sterilizing will mean wiping stuff on your sleeve. Warming the bottle will mean 30 seconds in the microwave. While you're right that you eventually learn what works best for you, it's also true that you just aren't as anal when it comes to the second child. For better or worse!
p.s. I love your blog! Found it from someone else's blogroll and now i'm hooked!
Posted by: Melissa | January 24, 2005 at 10:50 AM
Who sterilizes bottles? My kids are now 8 months old and a run through the dishwasher is the best they get. We have NEVER sterilized a damn thing.
THREE strollers? Damn.
Posted by: Linda | January 24, 2005 at 11:09 AM
The gadgets aren't really for the baby, they are for YOU. And since your happiness and comfort counts too, it's all the justification you need. I mean, where would your sanity be if you couldn't go have those cocktails at the neighbors?
Posted by: Carrie | January 24, 2005 at 11:43 AM
You mean the baby swing/rocker isn't a necessity? Huh. It afforded us an extra hour or two of cryless time AND left us with a free hand to hold the Jack and Coke with. Since I'm counting my bottle of Jack Daniels as a VIP in the baby gear arena, I'm voting the swing deserves Sainthood, or at least a baby necessity spot.... Seriously, 4 IPODS? I'm impressed.
Posted by: Amy | January 24, 2005 at 12:34 PM
Where do you keep all that stuff? Being a minimalistic animal, i'm still in shock to see how much space a little one can take. Raising an urban child means to live up to your nose in "stuff". I used to think our apartment was big, until she started crawling (sigh)...
Posted by: Sal | January 24, 2005 at 02:27 PM
MetroDad, you're famous! I was reading the San Francisco Chronicle's blog feature this morning, when I spotted mention of MetroDad. Very cool.
By the way, I found your blog a couple months ago from Laid-off Dad and became hooked. Love your writing, love your style.
Posted by: jen | January 24, 2005 at 06:51 PM
three words. Right Start Catalogue. you know it don't you? I ordered all kind of crap from them, because I too an a gadget junkie. Consumerism at it's finest.
Posted by: Suzanne | January 24, 2005 at 08:41 PM
Actually, the Pampers in Japan have a yellow stripe running from front to back that turns blue when the diaper gets, to use diaper industry-speak, insulted. That way, you can tell at a glance if and how extensive the need is.
Of course, if the people at Pampers Japan had any sense, it'd be a BLUE stripe that turned YELLOW, but hey. They also drive on the wrong side of the road.
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