NURSERY SPY DEVICES SUBDUING NATURAL PARENTING INSTINCTS
THE overload of baby spying gadgets is killing natural mothering instincts and heightening parental anxiety, experts warn.
The crackling, audio-only nursery monitor has been replaced with 24-hour live video streams, red alert gadgets for temperatures and blanket slips and even a sensor to count the number of times an infant swallows during breastfeeding.
Veteran midwife and spokeswoman for Midwives Australia, Liz Wilkes fears parents feel they have to be hyper vigilant every minute of the day making them exhausted and stressed.
“I worry that vulnerable new parents are being sent the message that it’s not okay to go with the flow and trust their natural instincts. Every baby is different and there is no such thing as normal. Mothers know their babies,” Ms Wilkes said.
As health data and sleep patterns are wired straight from the cot to smart phones, parents are always on alert.
“Companies are playing on the vulnerability of new parents and making them feel they must have all this technology to keep their babies safe,” Ms Wilkes said.
Gold Coast mum Kate Martyn used a video stream monitor that she was given for her son Tallow.
“It was great when we first put him to bed and we were in the kitchen. It was nice to have dinner and relax,” Ms Martyn said. “The problem started when I went to bed at night. I was watching the video of him all night and wasn’t sleeping at all. I found it impossible to switch off.
“If I couldn’t hear him my anxiety would go through the roof. That was the end of the 24-hour surveillance.
“There can be a lot of fear when you have a new baby but I learned to trust my instincts and got to know my baby.”