Post by Deleted on Jul 19, 2019 14:44:01 GMT -5
www.cnn.com/2019/07/19/tech/pampers-smart-diapers/index.html
Because of course this is a thing.
The concept is part of the so-called Internet-of-Things movement, which allows consumers to track everything from who's ringing their doorbell to what's in their refrigerator and how well they're brushing your teeth. The baby industry has recently been flooded with connected products, including connected onesies that double as sleep trackers and a robotic crib that's supposed to help rock a baby to sleep.
Many pediatricians tell parents to keep track of how often they're going to the bathroom, especially in those first few months after birth.
But parents don't, strictly speaking, need an app to tell them when their baby has peed thanks to obvious ways to check — the baby's cries, of course, and one can simply feel to see how wet the diaper is. And some diapers also offer lower-tech solutions: Pampers' existing "Swaddler" line of diapers, for instance, feature a blue line that appears on the diaper when it's wet.
Parents using the Lumi diapers will in theory not have to worry about checking any of that because they'll get smartphone alerts. The app will display one of three diaper statuses: dry, wet, very wet.
"Parents didn't ask for a poo or pee alarm; they wanted something more like the smart watches of today," a Pampers spokesperson told CNN Business. "The activity sensor tracks baby's sleep and since it's there on the diaper, it can also track ... if a diaper is wet."
Like other connected products, smart diapers could have issues with security and privacy. Baby monitors can be susceptible to hackers, and any app that holds personal information could potentially expose that information either to hackers or to the app's maker or its partners.
A Pampers spokesperson said the account information will include a baby's name, sex, date of birth and a 24-hour archive of video from the monitor, plus a profile photo if the parents choose to use one.
"I do want to re-iterate that we take privacy and security very seriously," the spokesperson said." Only Lumi by Pampers account holders with their valid credentials will be able to access their baby's data on the Lumi app."
Experts say the concept could be helpful to some parents but that there are some tradeoffs.
"Undoubtedly, for those parents who are concerned about their newborn's bathroom functions — to inform something like constipation or if a kid is hydrated enough when they're sick — this data could be very useful over brief periods," said David Anderson, senior director at the Child Mind Institute. "Not to mention that it may even be useful for potty-training parents."
In addition, the sleep tracking feature could be especially helpful for parents who are sleep training their baby.
"But there's that trade-off that happens with data and anxiety," he said. "There may be behavior that is completely within an acceptable range, but an anxious parent is likely to find any deviations from reliable norms a cause for concern. So while data is generally good, we're likely to see an increase in calls to pediatricians."
Many pediatricians tell parents to keep track of how often they're going to the bathroom, especially in those first few months after birth.
But parents don't, strictly speaking, need an app to tell them when their baby has peed thanks to obvious ways to check — the baby's cries, of course, and one can simply feel to see how wet the diaper is. And some diapers also offer lower-tech solutions: Pampers' existing "Swaddler" line of diapers, for instance, feature a blue line that appears on the diaper when it's wet.
Parents using the Lumi diapers will in theory not have to worry about checking any of that because they'll get smartphone alerts. The app will display one of three diaper statuses: dry, wet, very wet.
"Parents didn't ask for a poo or pee alarm; they wanted something more like the smart watches of today," a Pampers spokesperson told CNN Business. "The activity sensor tracks baby's sleep and since it's there on the diaper, it can also track ... if a diaper is wet."
Like other connected products, smart diapers could have issues with security and privacy. Baby monitors can be susceptible to hackers, and any app that holds personal information could potentially expose that information either to hackers or to the app's maker or its partners.
A Pampers spokesperson said the account information will include a baby's name, sex, date of birth and a 24-hour archive of video from the monitor, plus a profile photo if the parents choose to use one.
"I do want to re-iterate that we take privacy and security very seriously," the spokesperson said." Only Lumi by Pampers account holders with their valid credentials will be able to access their baby's data on the Lumi app."
Experts say the concept could be helpful to some parents but that there are some tradeoffs.
"Undoubtedly, for those parents who are concerned about their newborn's bathroom functions — to inform something like constipation or if a kid is hydrated enough when they're sick — this data could be very useful over brief periods," said David Anderson, senior director at the Child Mind Institute. "Not to mention that it may even be useful for potty-training parents."
In addition, the sleep tracking feature could be especially helpful for parents who are sleep training their baby.
"But there's that trade-off that happens with data and anxiety," he said. "There may be behavior that is completely within an acceptable range, but an anxious parent is likely to find any deviations from reliable norms a cause for concern. So while data is generally good, we're likely to see an increase in calls to pediatricians."
Because of course this is a thing.
