If you think you've seen it all when it comes to over-the-top baby gear inventions, you might want to think again. Pampers is releasing a so-called "smart diaper" this fall, which aims to make the whole diaper-changing process even easier — by alerting parents when it's time to switch to a fresh one. (Yes, really.)
It's all part of The Lumi by Pampers line, which will come with a baby monitor, an app, and a supply of diapers that work with a special activity sensor.
The sensor will essentially communicate with the app to not only alert parents when it's time for a change, but also to help them track certain patterns.
The concept behind the technology is simple: In those early days with a newborn, pediatricians often tell new parents to pay attention to how many wet diapers their babies produce. The intent is to ensure they're staying properly hydrated, but for busy, sleep-deprived parents, keeping track of it all can sometimes be harder than it looks.
Lumi — which Pampers calls "the world's first all-in-one connected care system" — aims to take the guesswork out.
The system doesn't just keep track of No. 1, though. It also tracks your baby's sleep patterns, so you know how much sleep LO is getting.
And that's no small deal, Pampers believes. After all, "sleep fuels the fastest rate of brain development, which happens between ages 0-3," the brand notes on its website. It's true — and part of why babies need so much of it in those first weeks and months. In fact, according to the National Sleep Foundation, babies clock in anywhere from 10.5 to 18 hours of sleep per day in the first three months, and keeping track of their sleep patterns can be incredibly helpful for parents.
The technology is, admittedly, cool. But when news broke this week about the state-of-the-art "smart diapers," not everyone was all that impressed.
In fact, the smart diapers garnered a whole lotta eye-rolls across social media, from many who feel the technology is … well, totally unnecessary.
"Seriously???" one woman tweeted. "You have got to be kidding."
"Or you could just look with your eyes," tweeted another user.
"Many years ago, noses were invented for moms," another quipped.
Honestly, they're not wrong.
Mary Katherine Backstrom, who runs the blog Mom Babble, was so floored when she heard about this thing, she hopped on Facebook Live to sound off.
“Well, I’ve got to give it to ‘em,” she began. “Pampers has gone and lost its ever-loving mind.”
Backstrom says she was just about to take a nap yesterday when she looked at a news alert on her phone and couldn't believe her eyes. After reading about the Lumi's many features, she knew she had to weigh in.
“What a time to be alive … ” she continued. “I’m not sure what this says about the world we’re living in right now, to be honest, y’all. I’m scared … I’m scared that a diaper company who has so much money at their disposal, has hired scientists and researchers, and has looked into our generation of parents and said, ‘You know what’s gonna work for these folks? We’re gonna put a little doo-hickey on the bottom of their baby’s diaper, so that they can log into an app …. [See] you push this little button, you can leave your baby wherever I guess, that's the plan, and then it PINGS!"
Backstrom's main point of confusion was why parents would need a reminder "that your baby exists and that it peed somewhere."
"Now I'm aware that I'm in this planet with a diaper that has a button … " she continued, "that lets phones know that parents have in their purse that their baby that's somewhere has peed. And I'm scared, y'all. I'm scared. Does this mean that they actually think we need it? Do they think that there's babies that are just living out there with parents who don't know they're peeing?"
It's a fair question. When you really think about it, the technology might be cool — in fact, it may very well be helpful — but were we really so lost without it?
Many of Backstrom's followers agreed with her, with some saying Pampers "took it a little too far" with this one.
"We absolutely should NEVER need this!!!" wrote one follower.
"It won't last … that is stupid!" added another.
Believe it or not, this isn't the first diaper of its kind. In fact, Huggies unveiled a similar product in Korea last year.
A Pampers spokesperson also told CNN Business that the diaper's main purpose isn't actually to act as a wetness indicator.
"Parents didn't ask for a poo or pee alarm; they wanted something more like the smart watches of today," the spokesperson shared. "The activity sensor tracks baby's sleep and since it's there on the diaper, it can also track … if a diaper is wet."
OK, well that makes a little more sense. After all, we don't laugh off the Owlets and Angelcare trackers of the world, do we?
And let's not forget that Pampers Swaddlers exist — and are wildly popular. Those diapers have always had little indicators that a baby has peed, by way of a tiny blue line that appears to let parents know the diaper is wet.
Hmm … So maybe this isn't so crazy after all?
It'll be a few more months until the Lumi system, which has yet to be priced out, according to CNN, will be in stores. And I suppose time will tell whether parents ultimately find this one to be a total dud, or that one baby item you didn't know you needed.
