Parenting: Keep It Simple
March 18, 2007 by Amy Spangler | one question or comment
Alexander
Maybe I’m old-fashioned, but I thought parenting was supposed to be an adventure - an unpredictable journey of twists and turns and ups and downs. But parents today seem to rely increasingly on gadgets and gizmos in an effort to minimize mistakes and maximize results.
Babble Soft recently announced the launch of its Baby Manager Web and Mobile software. Now parents seeking software solutions can track breastfeedings, breast pumpings, diaper changes, medicine doses, and more!
According to Babble Soft, Baby Manager was designed “to help you figure out your baby’s patterns and cues to ensure his health and happiness.” If you purchase Baby Manager now, you can “breathe a sigh of relief because help is on the way.”
Baby Manager comes on the heels of Milkscreen, a miniature chemistry set in the form of dip-sticks. “In only two minutes, Milkscreen analyzes breastmilk for the presence of alcohol…providing fast, accurate results.”
Each box of six strips, priced at $19.95 plus shipping, comes with a product warning, “Any decision based on the results of this test will be the sole responsibility of the user.”
There seems to be no end to the list of items now considered essential for parenting. But consider these suggestions for gadget-free parenting:
If they’re hungry, feed them.
If they’re wet or dirty, change them.
And most of all, take every opportunity to love them!
Wow, it’s amazing any of us made it to where we are considering our own mothers didn’t have these *tools* of the trade.
I’ve noticed that the more I try to schedule things around my 12 month old, the more he changes his patterns–sometimes I think he does it just to keep me on my toes. After a couple of weeks of using the baby monitor (with infared camera–it was a gift) when he was 3 months old I put it away. I would stare at that little screen so much that I couldn’t enjoy the free time I had to myself. If I had graphs and charts to look at or print out, or even new software to learn (who has time for that?) it would be just the same, or perhaps worse. I don’t think the software can tell me that my son wants to nurse more because his father’s on a business trip, he misses him and he needs extra cuddle time–but I am always able to figure it out.
So what have I found out by not relying on gadgets or gizmos or Brainy-baby DVDs? That I am tuned in to my son, that my mother’s instinct works, that I spend more time playing with my son and less time worrying about him, and that his best and worst moments are what make my life meaningful.