Wednesday, June 03, 2009

Strange Baby Gear Marketing

This baby gear company, Stokke, looks quite trendy and modern. I came across it by following one of those sponsored links in Gmail...

This product is advertised as being "just like Mommy's tummy."
?????
Yeah, if my tummy were open-air and surrounded by bars, perhaps. Maybe some infants are oblivious, but I am pretty sure mine would have noticed the difference, ha ha.

Now, if I was into strollers, I would want this one (well, if I could afford it... I don't even know what they cost!). As they point out, it does bring the child much closer to the parent, and they reference the studies on babies in away-facing strollers being more stressed than those facing their parent. So, not as much of a stretch with the advertising on this one, although my sponsored link in Gmail did say that this stroller "Brings Baby Closer for Best Bonding & Exploring." I would argue against that "best bonding" wording... unless they mean it creates the best bonding of any stroller on the market. I am a big proponent of the baby sling as a way of promoting best bonding.... that's not to say I don't own a stroller; I do - but it is more for use in the toddler years and as a makeshift shopping cart on a mall shopping spree (oh wait, I don't do that any more! hee hee... well, I did on occasion when Caroline was a baby). I wish the study that compared babies in strollers in away-facing vs. parent-facing positions had added baby carriers into the mix - that would have been interesting!

Then this one kind of makes me giggle... "bonding while changing." As if this particular changing table creates a better bonding experience than any other changing table, ha ha. I do think it is kinda icky that one picture shows a baby drinking from a bottle while having its diaper changed... ewww. And then the poor kids using it once it is converted into a desk... "Mom used to change my diapers here, and now I do my homework where my stinking bum once lay."

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

The stroller is a thousand bucks!!! And as for the ($800) crib, here's where that crazy tagline comes from (according to mbeans.com): "The Sleepi Crib is oval-shaped. Not only is this an elegant, modern design, but one that echoes the womb, thus creating a calming and familiar environment for your baby." The OVAL SHAPE is what makes it just like Mommy's tummy??? I can just see it. You put your baby down in the Sleepi. He's frightened for a minute that he doesn't smell Mommy anymore. Then he looks at his surroundings. They're oval-shaped. Ah, this must still be Mommy's tummy. He relaxes and goes right to sleep.

Thanks for the laugh, Erin, these products are hilarious!!

Erin said...

A THOUSAND DOLLARS???? Oh goodness, I was thinking maybe 4 or 500 bucks... wow.

Maybe they should make a "Sleepi - Second Generation" crib that is even *more* like the womb... you know, the mattress is all wet, there's a rope tied to the bars that you hook up to the baby's belly button, the built-in speakers play "womb noises" - and if you put the baby in there naked, then it is even more like the womb!

Carrie said...

ha ha ha ha!!!!!!!!!! These are hilarious! I love the idea of that stroller, but WOW! I would never spend that kind of money on a stroller!