Itzbeen Baby Care Timer

(Welcome again to Carrie, one of the finalists for an editor position at AT:The Nursery. Comment away.)

While some parents may roll their eyes and see the ITZBEEN Baby Care Timer as a tad obsessive, others will find it a sanity-saver for keeping baby’s basic needs on track once sleep deprivation sets in and your minds are, well, a bit muddled.

Invented by new parents, ITZBEEN offers a simple, clear method for tracking baby functions. When was the diaper changed last? “ITZBEEN two hours.” Get it?

Four timers – changing, feeding, sleep/awake and one that you can assign to anything you choose (medication, for example) – count up when pressed so you’ll always know how long it’s been since the last activity.

A handy switch helps mothers remember which side to nurse from next. The screen can be backlit for easy night viewing and even includes a nightlight for safe nocturnal navigation. For parents who want to take it to the next level, timers can be set to beep when it’s time to perform the next baby task.

In this age of tag-team care giving, the ITZBEEN can be an especially valuable tool for quick and clear handoffs to spouses, grandparents and babysitters. It sells for around $30 which, for many of us, is well-worth the price of sanity.

-Carrie

Comments (13)

Actually, I think this is one of the most insane products I have ever seen. Sad. Watch the baby, not the clock, and things will come out just fine.

lb,

Either you don't have a baby or you're a robot. Some of these things are a great barometer of you baby's health and more than anything, brings piece of mind to new parents. I think it's a great idea!

I have a baby and I'm not a robot. I just find that the greatest measure of sanity for *me* comes from syncing up with my baby, not with a timer.

I think this makes sense for twins. It's hard to keep track of who was changed/fed when if you are feeding/changing/sleeping two babies 'on demand'. For one baby, I did keep track of eating for the first couple of weeks because we had issues, but once we got settled into a groove it was fine.

wow! revolutionary for the early months if it syncs with your computer to print a spreadsheet you can bring to well baby doctor visits keep on file. reminds me, i meticulously kept records in the early months of how many diapers, which kind when/how long breastfed.

i breastfed for 2 1/2 yrs on demand round the clock, so remembering which breast i used last, was hard. you can put a paperclip on your bra strap move it accordingly, but i didn't bother.

oh, i see it's a timer, well that would help you remember how long it's been like an alarm clock, but a better product would be like i described above(i think i just invented a new product, so dibs, no copying my idea)

I totally don't get this product. Not a robot and do have a baby. I changed his diaper when he was wet/dirty. Fed him when he was hungry. Put him to sleep when he was tired. Let him wake up when he woke up. I knew which breast to nurse with - that would be the one that feels more engorged. If neither felt engorged, either breast would do. What terrible thing will happen if the baby nurses from the same price twice in a row? I just can't imagine what additional information or peace of mind this product would offer me

Why did I type "price" when I meant "breast"? Dr Freud?

Why did I type "price" when I meant "breast"? Dr Freud?

Heh!

Every once in a while I find a stray slip of paper with a list marked of when was the last feeding, the last diaper change and what kind, how long my baby slept between feedings, etc. I made these lists because during the early months I honestly couldn't remember in the morning when any of that had happened in the last 8 hours, and I hoped baby was developing some sort of routine that I could then be ready for-eating every four or five hours at a time, sleeping more than 4 hours at a time.

It's great that so many people see no need for this, you all must have had children that slept through the night as soon as you brought them home. Maybe it was all the sleep deprivation, but a timer like this would have been gold to me and my husband.

I was reading through the product description wondering why you would need to keep track of the last time you entered something - the only use I could think of for the pencil.

It's a bottle!

Lol! Obviously we didn't use those around here. Perhaps a boob wasn't PC enough to sell?

NDC - too funny.

Pelicolina - Nope, my son did not sleep through the night and I didn't expect him to. He slept when he slept, and I slept when he slept. I was fortunate to be in law school at the time, rather than working, so I skipped class when I needed to. I was a single mom, which maybe made it easier in this sense since I didn't have to share the info with anyone. Like you, I couldn't remember when any of those things happened, but I didn't feel that I needed to. Different strokes for different folks, I guess. I still don't get it though.

I'm nursing my 3rd infant right now. I wish I'd had this for the first 2. No matter what your parenting style this is a sanity keeper. I'm very type B so this is my little type A friend. It is so helpful to be able to click a button and know how long I've been nursing. 2 of my 3 kids would not end a feeding on their own. They just love to nurse...forever. It is really, really helpful to have this little time keeper letting me know how long "itzbeen" :-) Especially when I wake in the middle of the night with a baby in my bed not sure if I've been nursing for 10 minute or 2 hours (yes, people it happens) Then in my sleepy stupor I can either put babykins back to sleep in her basinet or keep feeding for a nice full tummy. When I have time I can relax and give her a nice long feeding, but when my other 2 kiddos need me this little guy helps me know if I can cut her off or if I should keep nursing. I know a clock would do just the same thing. But I can never remember when I started nursing. And when nursing 6-9 times a day they all just blend together. I LURV! my Itzbeen.