Things I Hate: Itzbeen Timer
By Glinda 
From the purposely misspelled name to the concept, I hate the Itzbeen Baby Care Timer. Well, maybe hate is a strong word, how about deeply dislike?
To me, this timer is a sign of the paranoia of modern parenting as we know it. Why in the world would you need to buy a timer to tell you that your child needs a diaper change? The signs are usually pretty obvious, and I can’t imagine that it would help you in any way to know that your child got his last diaper changed ten minutes ago, because when they poop again ten minutes later, it’s not like the timer is going to signal it for you.
In the information age, this product seems to cater to the data-obsessed, and not in a good way. I could see a dad clipping this onto his belt a la a Blackberry, worriedly checking the minutes that have elapsed since his little angel went to sleep. If there is one thing a parent needs, it is to relax while the infant is sleeping, not constantly checking a glowing screen to reassure themselves of… well, I’m not sure.
The only helpful thing I see about the timer is the breastfeeding button, which lets mom know which side she last fed on. But guess what? You can buy a little bracelet that you can switch from side to side, which costs a lot less money and is a little more environmentally friendly. The medication button could also be handy, but how many infants take medication on a regular basis?
Yes, I realize that being a first-time parent is stressful. There is also a period of time, although brief, in which you are fairly sleep-deprived. However, millennia have passed in which parents have successfully raised children without the assistance of an battery-operated device.
So my advice to the modern parent is to go with your instincts a bit more, rather than frantically checking to see exactly how many minutes your little one just slept, and then inputting a wake-up time. If you feel they are getting enough sleep, they probably are. If you feel they aren’t, then you’re probably right about that, too.
Because really, the newborn part is technically the easiest. And there won’t be any electronic thingamajig to help you deal with your screaming toddler.
Now that would be something I might consider buying.
December 15th, 2009 at 10:31 pm
I have an iPhone app that tracks those things, and it’s been fairly helpful. Charting naps was useful for discerning if there was any sort of pattern to them. Tracking poopy diapers was good when I was worried if he was eating enough, as was tracking feedings.
I’m not wedded to the numbers, but it’s nice to see that my instincts are matching the data.
December 16th, 2009 at 12:18 am
I love it when the doc asks me how much my baby is eating and how often. I can get the how much thanks to him being bottle feed but how often is a mystery to me since I feed him when he is hungry and don’t really bother looking at a clock. When I have a baby at home I tend to slip into a fog where I don’t worry so much about time and let things happen when they happen.
December 16th, 2009 at 11:25 am
I use a calendar and a pencil to mark down when Sam eats (and how much) and when he naps. (Not because I don’t think he’s eating enough, but just to see if I can figure out any sort of pattern.) The calendar was a free promotional one, and I think the pencil was free too.
December 17th, 2009 at 11:49 am
The ItzBeen was super-helpful to me and my husband during those first several months. We did a lot of trading off as we were both working and it was nice to be able to check in with each other with the few minutes we had to chat, rather than trade baby stats. Plus, it was a gift from my sister! And when the ItzBeen died after 6 months, the company replaced it free of charge. I’m hanging on to it for my next baby!
December 18th, 2009 at 4:57 pm
Woah, this is just the thing I was looking for 6-8 weeks ago and didn’t know existed! I understand your dislike of it, but I think it all depends on how one’s brain works; I have a hard time keeping track of the clock, and this would be *really helpful* for me in figuring out both how long she’s napping for, and reminding me of when she woke up so I can get her back to bed in Weissbluth’s recommended 90-120 minute timeframe. It’s not a stress thing for me to be looking at numbers, quite the reverse.
February 8th, 2010 at 3:49 am
During the first month with my newborn, I kept a notebook to track what time he last fed and changed. Afterwards I didn’t need it much — instinct kicked in a lot more. Having the diary in the beginning was a huge help to ease me into mommyhood. A couple of friends advised me to get this digital timer! I didn’t want it though because I didn’t want to be tied down to a gadget.