Pocket Nanny- Pink Baby Care Timer (Round The Clock Baby Tracker)- Clock and 4 Different Count up Reminders: Nursing, Sleeping, Potty Break, and Optional- Serves as a Soft Glow Nightlight for Kids

We got this at the insistence of my husband, encouraged by tons of good reviews on multiple sites. I was skeptical because it didn't seem like it did anything that couldn't be done other ways that allow a lot more information like paper logging or a smart phone app (which can even track things over long periods of time). I was wrong and he was right. During the first month this thing was with me as much as the baby, and the question "Where's the itzbeen?" became as common as "Where's a burp cloth?" It doesn't do too much, but what it does well and conveniently, and that's what makes this so invaluable.So what makes it better? Well logging was something we lost track of about a day back from the hospital. It was nice because we had a history but as soon as we established he was eating and expelling said food well enough for 2 babies we just couldn't be bothered to keep it up (both of us were slipping up). The smart phone thing- I can't imagine being bothered to input stuff in an app if I couldn't write it down on a piece of paper. What's more, I never kept my phone in my bedroom because I didn't want to be woken up the precious time I could sleep. This thing was small and lightweight enough to toss in the diaper bag or clip on my pajama pants as I moved from room to room. It didn't take up much space on the precious real estate on my side table and I always found it's shape easy to grab even when it was a little out of reach once I started breast feeding.So how did I use it? By far I found the feeding and diaper buttons the most useful and still do- especially the feeding button. In retrospect for that first month he pretty much did both at the same time so pushing both buttons was a bit of a formality, but it came in more handy when we were out and about and it was less convenient to change him than it was to feed him. The feeding button was the killer app for me. For the first two weeks we had a 3 hour timer set so that it would remind me to wake the baby (and wake me if I was asleep) and feed him if for some reason he had gone that long without demanding to be fed. This would be useful for any breastfeeding mom (you shouldn't go more than 4 hours without feeding the baby those first few weeks) but was especially important to me because our baby had a little jaundice (thus the three hours). At 3.5 months this thing no longer leaves the side table where I feed him during the day, but I still find the feeding and when I remember to hit it diapering button useful for keeping track of his habits. I found I was much quicker to pick up on his more subtle hunger cues thanks to tracking feeding times, and it's much easier to get an idea of when he's hinting at a growth spurt. The little * button has come in handy for multiple things. In particular for my medicine (I had a c-section) at first and for tylenol when he had his immunizations. I didn't honestly start using the sleep button until he started sleeping longer stretches at night and wanted to keep track of how long. This doesn't sound like a hard task, but since I hadn't had more than 3 hours consecutive sleep in 6 weeks it was actually impossible for me to remember the previous time and subtract the time in my head accurately. I can't say this was necessary information for the health of my baby but it sure meant a lot to me at the time. I have also used it to time how long he has been napping in his crib as I try to move towards all sleeping being in his crib.As far as nice little features that makes this thing a touch above what it might have been otherwise, I loved the backlight button which I used frequently in the late night feedings or even when the lighting wasn't good where I was sitting. The flashlight feature was useful when we just wanted a little light to move around our bedroom at night or check on if the baby was sleeping noisily or awake without disturbing the other person. The alarm was great those first 2 weeks (though no intuitive- figure it out before the baby comes if you can!) The left/right tracker for breastfeeding was a nice idea, but I constantly confused myself over whether it meant that was the side I did last or the side I need to do next (again this sounds simple but it wasn't for me). I also wasn't stellar about remembering to flip the switch or if I had forgotten to flip the switch last time. It helped those first few weeks but I abandoned it and started relying on memory and "fullness" after I started getting a little more sleep.

I had one of these 14 years ago with my newborn, back when it was just called an Itz Been. It was such a blessing to be able to make sure I was keeping up with all of my son’s needs, while a sleep deprived new mother. My son was a preemie, so it was important that he ate on a schedule, to keep his weight going in the right direction. He also had colic and cried about 18 hrs a day, so at first I never knew what he needed. This little device helped keep me somewhat sane, because it helped me quickly start to zero in on his schedule for eating, how long after eating he usually needed a diaper change, and when his medications were due. I especially liked the switch to help me remember which side to nurse on first for his next feeding.This has become my go to baby gift. I had a mom, who I gifted one of these to 13 yrs ago, recently tell a new mom with her 4th child, “you need a Pocket Nanny.” She went on to say, “Page gave me one and it was the best baby gift I received.” She said that she used it with all three of her kids. THAT made me so happy, because that’s the kind of gift you want to give, the one they loved and they remember 13 yrs later!The Pocket Nanny is especially great if there are multiple people helping with the baby; spouse, grandparents, babysitter, daycare, because they all need to know how long “It’s Been” since the baby ate, had a diaper change, or slept. As I mentioned above, this is especially important for new babies who aren’t regulated yet and before their cries can be differentiated for what their needs are at the moment. If another scheduled activity comes up, like giving medication every few hours, this device even has a multipurpose button that can be used for whatever is needed. The best part is, if Mama gets a moment for that coveted shower or (shh… NAP) during those early days, no one has to bother her to ask these few important questions, they are all on the Pocket Nanny. The clip on the back allows the device to be clipped on to a diaper bag, pocket or waistband to keep it from getting lost. The only way this little jewel could be improved is if it included the day of the week and the date for those first few weeks, where time all runs together. However, it does have a digital clock and a backlight, so that even if the days and nights become a blur, the screen backlights to keep the caretaker who is taking the midnight shift, on track, and a flashlight to softly light the way around in the dark. Total Mom Stamp of Approval!

I cannot express how much this simple item has streamlined cares for our first child. It doesn’t connect to your phone. It doesn’t keep a history or a log. But it is perfect anyway.For each task, you can also set an alert timer like a maximum kind of thing and it will flash red and beep like an alarm (if you have the sound on.) For example, we set a maximum on feeding (bottle symbol) at three hours. If we have not hit the bottle button marking that we have fed him, it will flash red, indicating it is overdue for that task. While he is still a newborn, we have been turning the sound on at night to make sure that we wake up and wake him up for feeding.It is also very helpful in our relationship to not have to constantly ask the other person when the last time something was completed. When tackling cares as a team, that helps so much. We just clip it on the crib, bedding, or changing table organizer depending to keep it near the little one since one of us is always around him. We also make sure to put it in the diaper bag and reference it on the go as well to check when to take a break for bottle or diaper change.The nightlight is also a pretty nifty feature that I didn’t think we would use, but we have a few times for late night diaper changes and not wanting to completely turn on a lamp or go to the other room. Very small amount of light.Again, this has become the most invaluable “extra” item in our nursery set up and I tell everybody about it. It is my default baby shower gift item now for any friends who are expecting.Don’t read anymore! Just get it and you won’t regret it! Hahaha