Belkin’s WeMo Baby Monitor Helps New Moms Stay In A Constant State of Paranoia
Before I had my baby, no one ever fully clued me in on how terrifying Motherhood is. I don’t think it hits you until the first time you are home alone with a newborn that you are now responsible for keeping this little being not only happy and fed – but alive. It is pretty terrifying. Which is why I am so glad that Belkin’s WeMo Baby Monitor wasn’t on the market when my child was born.
Infants make strange sounds constantly. People often refer to these sounds as “cooing” to make them sound relaxing and cute. No sound an infant child makes in his sleep is relaxing and cute to a nervous mother. I’m sure I’m not the only new mom that was constantly standing over her baby’s bassinet. No, I wasn’t lovingly staring at the amazing being I created – I was looking for the rise and fall of his chest. So maybe you can understand why I didn’t need a device to make me more paranoid than I already was.
The monitor relays high-quality audio from your baby’s room to your iPad, iPhone, or iPod touch. By reassuring you that your baby is resting peacefully, WeMo Baby allows you to use your free time more productively. You’ll be able to tend to household tasks, catch up with friends, or enjoy a quiet moment to yourself while your baby is resting.
Um, no. It won’t do that at all. Part of learning how to relax in your parenting skills is being able to step away from your baby for five minutes – to take a deep breath, make a phone call, or take a shower. Trust me, any moment alone when you are a new mom is few and far between.
Can you imagine being transfixed by the sounds of your baby – every moment of every day? Maybe I’m being a little dramatic here, but just think about it. We are already unnaturally attached to our phones. How many times a day do you find yourself almost unconsciously picking up your phone and checking twitter or your email? Can you imagine how exaggerated this almost subconscious motion would be, if the sounds of your baby were at your fingertips 24 hours a day? The horror!
With an optional upgrade through Evoz, you can receive text and call notifications when your baby is crying. The upgrade also provides you with useful advice by analyzing sleeping and crying patterns, helping you better plan your baby’s nap schedule.
Great. So even on the rare occasion when I do have a babysitter, I get to recieve a text notification every time my baby cries – thus making me feel like a horrible mother who is abandoning her upset child. I’d rather be blissfully ignorant to how well the babysitter is at soothing. I really would. And what is this about a “nap schedule?” This device is giving me an inferiority complex and I don’t even own it.
Clearly I understand that it is comforting for new parents to have tools such as these at their disposal. But knowing how obsessive one can already be as a new parent, I see it more as a mobile torture device than something that would provide actual relief from the stresses of parenting.
(photo: OKSun)
