Bubble Babies
ReadersDigest.com gets it. Or at least one particular article by a Ms. Skenazy does a great job of summarizing the ever-looming plight of the skeptical-minded parent. You know what I’m talking about: the baby-product industry that would have us pack our kids in sterile styrofoam-injected body armour if they could (a) come up with a solid fear-inducing excuse and jingle, and (b) put a cartoon-inspired graphic on the side of it depicting race-cars or princesses. If we didn’t buy this stuff, they wouldn’t keep selling it, right?
You don’t get hard science when you start buying baby safety products; you get hard fear. The companies plant a big “God forbid, what if?” in your brain, and suddenly, there you are at Buybuy Baby—tightly gripping a bottle of Valium—wandering the aisles in search of a baby mattress sensor.[1]
We own our fair share of this stuff, most (though I’ll admit, not all) acquired as gifts or hand-me-downs. (And I do still wonder if a kid really needs a bike helmet to ride a tricycle up and down the sidewalk.) Why? Because I’ve been that new parent — unsure, uncertain, scared beyond rationality — and the safety gear seeeeeeems like a good idea when you are standing overwhelmed in a toy store at eight-thirty at night with an eight-month pregnant woman stocking a shopping cart with supplies.
It’s months and year later when you look back and realize… wtf did I buy that for?
[1] Skenazy, Bubble Babies, http://www.rd.com/living-healthy/bubble-babies/article150007.html
[...] over at SkepDad has a post about “Bubble Babies” – and the products that cater to them (ok, ok, their parents). I actually have some [...]
Yeah, I think about real and imaginary risks all the time. Does a 2 year old need a helmet to ride a tricycle. If they crash and have permanent brain damage as a result, then you’d say, yes. If an accident never happens or they just hurt another part of the body you may say no. Head injuries are about the worse injury you can get so I vote for the helmet even when it seems silly. The chances are slim that my daughter will be permanently damaged from not wearing a helmet, but if she were, I would feel negligent as a parent. It’s also not fair to put her at pointless risk when I know better. Wearing a helmet has no downside as you can fully enjoy the activity with one on. The downside however is huge. Brain damage. I use that to balance all the risks with my daughter. Is climbing rocks on the harbor jetty dangerous? A little bit. But the benefits are increased coordination and climbing skills, fun, excitement and great memories. The risks are minor to serious injury. I can mitigate the risks somewhat by guiding her climbing and stopping her from climbing the real risky rocks. So I vote to do the activity.The risk seems worth it. Riding without a helmet doesn’t. There is simply nothing to gain.
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Skepdad was started as one man’s thoughts, opinions, and ideas about bringing up kids to be critical thinking adults in a world filled with superstition, mysticism, and pseudoscience.
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