What happens when gadget-crazy, Internet-obsessed, financially secure adults have babies? A new market is born.
U.S. parents spent $2.9 billion in 2006 on baby goods, and $337 million of that was directed at gadgets like monitors, thermometers and the like. Now a smaller, but growing, industry is leveraging the same technologies people rely upon for business and pleasure--such as Web video conferencing, wireless frequencies and digital media players--to aid in the displaying, entertaining and rearing of offspring.
Most people with an e-mail address have received at least one message containing an attached photo of a splotchy, hours-old newborn. But for some parents, that type of digital birth announcement isn't nearly enough to do their child justice. Next come the slide shows, videos, Web sites and blogs devoted to babydom.
''New parents are the biggest inflection point, except for the teen market, when it comes to entering the blogosphere,'' says Tina Sharkey, chief executive of Babycenter.com. ''These people finally have a story to tell for the first time, news to share that keeps changing. It's a perfect platform for photos, videos and sounds.''
To record those precious memories, parents are investing by the droves in digital cameras and high-definition digital camcorders that cost more than $1,000. But for parents who want easy access to the Web, a tiny, durable and cheap camcorder like Pure Digital's Flip camcorder might serve the purpose--it includes software that automatically publishes video to sites like Google's YouTube. ''Some people like to keep controlled access to their baby, but we live in a culture where parents think they have bragging rights,'' says Sharkey.
There's no better audience for baby bragging than friends and family. That's why many moms and dads are setting family members up with Web cam-enabled computers or stand-alone video phone systems; this way, the interactive Baby Show can be broadcast on demand.
One popular way to accomplish this is with Apple's MacBook laptops, which houses a built-in camera called iSight and operates with the company's iChat software. However, both parties in the video conference need to own a Mac for this to work. Rather than investing in a new computer, products like WorldGate's Ojo video phone accomplish the same task
Beyond using technology as a baby syndication tool, parents want to familiarize their tots with technology beginning in the crib. Technology can be soothing--parents are creating iTunes playlists for their iPods filled with upbeat or sleep-inducing music. They place the gadgets right into the cradle or playpen with a baby speaker system for mp3 players, such as Munchkin's iCrib device. Some toy mp3 players could become teething devices, such as the pink plastic teddy bear-shaped player from Baby Bidou.
Parents who want to give their infants a very early start in computers can purchase a special keyboard for pudgy fingers, such as the Comfy EasyPC, and software designed specifically for babies younger than 2 years. Parents who compose e-mails with their babies in their arms know how eager even 6-month-olds are to touch the keyboard. This special software genre known as lapware teaches babies that patterns onscreen change when the keyboard or mouse is touched.
But none of these baby-oriented uses of technology are must-haves. The most crucial type of baby tech is the kind that keeps kids safe and parents reassured. The No. 1 baby gadget all over the world is likely the baby monitor. More than 87% of parents surveyed by Mintel International reported owning one. Sales in the baby wellness and safety product category, of which monitors, baby thermometers and other health devices are a part, increased 8% between 2004 and 2006, according to the Mintel study.
Most baby monitors sold today are wireless. Some feature special digital bandwidth technology to filter out interference from other nearby baby monitors or household appliances, but only a few are video-enabled. Many parents invest in a video baby monitor to keep an eye on sleeping babies in a room across the house, but some use video monitors or Web cams to observe nannies and babysitters at work.
There are some surprises, though: One popular video monitor model, Summer Infant's handheld monitor, recently showed an Illinois mother an unexpected video feed. On June 10, her baby monitor began displaying video from inside the NASA space shuttle Atlantis. Her baby was still safe it its crib, but the monitor was picking up a wireless video signal being broadcast from a Web site.