In response to a pregnant friend asking for baby product tips and must-haves, my friend Anna sent along this advice about the considerable merits of her wipe warmer:
When my daughter Emma was born, she cried constantly for days…she would not eat. We were so stressed…and we noticed that she was particularly upset when we were changing her. We tried everything, and finally got the wipe warmer. It was a miracle. She stopped crying completely, started sleeping through the night immediately, and was reciting the alphabet at 2 weeks. She smiled at all times and would touch the warm wipes in delight. She ate full meals, and her gross motor skills were amazing (sitting at 1 month). All due to the wipe warmer. I would not even dream of having a child without one.
For Mira we got 4 more to ensure that one was in each room. And she has been speaking two languages for 4 months now and she’s not even a year. We experimented once and stopped using the wipe warmer – immediately we experienced devastating results – crying, complete lack of appetite, gross and fine motor skill delay, lack of speaking – you name it. Then Mira just held the warm wipe and our genius baby was back.
p.s. You can actually warm wipes using your own balled-up fists (FREE!) and if they’re cold, rub them together (FREE!).
They are wonderful – BUT – the changing table we got has that little section next to it on top that is divided from where the changing mattress sits to keep your sundries. The warmer does not fit and it has to sit flat, of course. Bought the furniture [Carters] at Babies R Us. So grab a warmer and walk around the furniture section and make sure it will fit. Having it on the second shelf was so inconvenient, we just chucked the whole idea. Now it sits in the closet unused.
We were given two (a home version and a travel one.)
Since we are cloth diapering, we exchanged the home one for the one that takes cloth wipes. (Then we made our own wipes.)
While we LOVE the home version, the travel version has not gotten much use. Sadly, you have to have access to power to warm wipes AND it needs to be plugged in for a while to get warm. Works well when we take our son to Grandma’s for a weekend, but that doesn’t happen as often as she likes. 🙂
ha ha ha. very funny post. yes, the wipes warmer would also make my “definitely skip it” list of baby items.
there are certain innovations where you think, “how did anyone used to live without this thing?” and then there are others where you think, “give me a break, no one needs this, children and parents have been getting along just fine without it for eons.” This falls in the latter category in my opinion.
@Chelsea and @Jen, while I realize that everyone has their own definition of necessity, this post was a parody.
“Trust me when I tell you that no child on earth has ever failed to thrive as an adult because his excrement was not dabbed gently off his posterior at a delightful 86 degrees Fahrenheit.”
http://42rules.com/workmoms_blog/?p=13
Ok, I have to admit I read this article thinking, what kind of freakin’ whackadoodle wrote this??? Totally went over my head, haha.
With my first baby, we skippedcthe wipes warmer bc I thought it was a big plastic extra. I would put the wipes in my bra right before I changed my baby, and by the time I unsnapped his onesie, set up the clean diaper, etc. = warm wipes!!!
I got one as a gift but didn’t use it for about 2 months. I
decided to put it by the bed so that I could use them at night when
she was asleep. I think it helps not to startle her out of her
slumber but I would not pay more than $20 for this contraption! It
doesn’t warm it that much & since I don’t use it but for
night/early mornings, it dried out my wipes & the pad in
the bottom turned hard & brown. I have to check it to make
sure it’s not drying out now.
I totally had a wipe warmer. In fact I had two one for upstairs and one for downstairs (both gifts). She hated it when we changed her diaper but the minute we got the wipe warmer she stopped crying and even began to laugh and smile at diaper changing times. She was so little (5 lbs) and born in October so it was so cold, and she was(is) such a good baby, she only needed three things from us, food, sleep, and diaper changes. Why wouldn’t I do everything I possibly could to make something she patiently endured once every two hours less uncomfortable for her? She stopped caring what temperature her wipes were at 5 months, so we no longer use to to conserve electricity, but I don’t regret it at all. Now it’s the gift I give at every shower (along with the belly book). Yes it’s an over indulgence, but you know what, the munchkin brand is $14.00 bucks at walmart, it doesn’t require a replaceable pad and works as a night light. Considering it’s one of the few things that makes a notable difference to a baby for like 4 months, I’ll spring for it over the 9 thousand blankets I couldn’t use for fear of SIDS, or the toys she didn’t notice until she was like 6 months old, or the socks that wouldn’t stay on her feet until…now, or those baby mittens. or any outfit that didnt have the fold over mittens for the hands and feet (another baby shower gift).
I love my wipe warmer. We recently travelled and used cold wipes. We all survived. But, my sister (parent of 4) told me to get one and I like it.
Funny parody though 🙂
Call me gullible, but my baby isn’t here yet, and I was trying to learn from this article. If the site is for ‘rookies’, then maybe it shouldn’t have parodies that not everyone will understand.
I happen to really like my wipe warmer. I live in a place where it is pretty cold in the winter and it does help with not startleing your baby during middle of the night changes.