£2500 for a Baby planner - your help needed please!

[JustineMumsnet]

We've been asked to write a very short comment for the Guardian on a new service available to pregnant mums outlined here . Am guessing that not too many Mumsnetters would part with the dosh which would buy an awful lot of Fruit Shoots in later years , but I may be wrong?
Do let us know your thoughts.
Thanks
MNHQ

Pah. That's the fun part - doing it all yourself.

I'd hate to have it all taken out of my hands. Thats the fun bit of being preg; shopping!

Message withdrawn

I agree that's part of the fun exploring all those shops that were previously out of bounds.

Surely that's why you have mumsnet , to ask advice on things
It's a lot of money

I'd pay £2,500 for them to actually be pregnant on my behalf but otherwise no thanks!

hmm

even if you did waste a few hundred on "the wrong pushchairs"

that still leaves a fair amount of change from 2.5k

my god!!! bet they dont do the night feeds or labour for that matter tho

I agree that planning for your child is so exciting and no way would I want someone else to do it even if I was loaded (which I am not anyway)

No need for expectant parents to wade through books or trudge round shops for the latest products guaranteed to turn others green with envy. Instead, for a fee of up to £2,500, parents-to-be can sit back while every detail of the pregnancy, their child's birth and their new family's early years is arranged on their behalf.

'We will organise everything from sourcing the best baby carrier to creating the baby's bedroom and arranging parent confidence classes,' said Keely Paice, founder of Baby Planners and the former editor of an international business magazine. 'Once baby arrives, we will hire the best maternity nurse, shortlist nannies and nurseries, advise on feeding patterns and help with establishing routine. In addition, we will be on call by phone and email 24 hours a day for one-to-one advice.'

*

That almost sounds freakishly scary. Like a "big brother" approach where everything is done for you. Where's the empowerment to do for yourself.

Also all the joy of preparing for your child is taken away. So what if you don't know where to buy the best, latest, superdooperest pram for you baby. All of the information they promise can be accessed online for yourself. Blimey... when in doubt Mumsnet!

Don't like it (bet some do though) and at 2.5K that's a lot of money for what I can get on MN for free (apart from the nanny hire). But my biggest thought is that it takes too much away from the new family and leaves them dependent on people who are likely to be influenced by advertisers. Where will they get their feeding advice? Who will they be accountable to? Nope... not keen.

Thats what we all spend the last few months of pregnancy doing, resing all the magazines and brochures and of course now sit and browse the net.

Could be helpful for some but I think most people want to be more involved in there choice of pram, clothes and other equipment.

Perhaps we will have a "to posh to shop" brigade. I suppose isolated mums to be without a supportnetwork and more money than sense might like the idea of a personal shopper. But any good baby or pram shop will be happy to advise you and guide you through your purchases.

I worked in Mothercare and loved helping first time mums get all the essentials and setting up the accounts where they care reserve all the big items and pay them up. Part of the job was to advise customers and help them out.

considering they are presumeably getting commission from the people whose goods they are recommending/shops they are frequenting/agencies they are using, one wonders why they are also charging £2500. Bet you a 24 pack of fruit shoots the fee is down to £200 by Q2

And I would guess that the 3rd time mum from the LDA didn't pay a penny for the service, she is probably a mate they did it for free for, so she'd give them a quote

basically this doesn't sound like a business, it sounds like a press release. or am I being a teeny bit harsh?

What a croc of 'you know what' I loved shopping for my babies, its what gets you even more excited, choosing all the nursery stuff, tryin different pushchairs (and we all end up with a £20 mothercare stroller 8 months in ).

No way would I want someone else to do this for me.

Why spend £2500, when you've got advice on mumsnet 24/7. The best prams,cots,nappies tips on breastfeeding etc.

wow
how weird
like it's a chore or something

That's like having a service offering to go out to fantastic restaurants for you and eat the meal!

I'd take £2500 to shop for a "too busy" pg mother-to-be

Not something I'd part 2.5k for though. Im thinking "new kitchen" before "pay someone to shop for baby stuff".

Mars...thats not true..I got a last minute babysitter from MN

hmmmm if they are too busy to prepare for a baby...one suspects they are in for a shock once they actually have one! (unless they will be 'purchasing' wall to wall au pairage..and even then!)

"advise on feeding patterns and help with establishing routine" will they be promoting formula? or formula feeding? are they more informeed than the nct & lll on bf?

Oh if it takes off I want set up a franchise, I would be so good if being paid that much.

Mind you do they actually give birth for you, I mean if you are to busy to do all the planning and preparing, you know all that nesting stuff and going gaga over a pair of baby socks, then you could never fit in a 12 hour labour.

Mmm. Justine, are you working up to charging us £2500 each to access mumsnet??

Some of these services sound quite useful if you need them IYSWIM, such as shortlisting nannies, but TBH the people who are best at up-to-the minute decor ideas for nurseries (if you care - we didn't) aren't going to be the same ones that are brilliant at the intricacies of PAYE, employment law, tax credits etc. It's the same with one of those all-in-one copiers/scanners/photocopiers - they tend not to be the best at each of the jobs IMO.

I'd agree the short comment should prob be 'Mumsnet does this for nowt' but i guess she might know the best lawyers too

A reflection on a sad society with too much choice,so much choice in fact that it is crippling.

I got myself in a right tizz about the arbitrary (as I understand now) numbers of bizarre items stipulated in 'layette' lists.

4 pairs of scratch mitts (why not 3?)

4 receiving shawls (to receive what? The baby? A whiskery aunt? The hospital tea trolley)

8 envelope neck bodysuits (but,but,but,what is wrong with the ballet wrap style)

3 bonnets (Wha? Am I giving birth to a baby or an old woman.)

Ah,the madness of it all.
And,you quickly learn that all you need is a pair of boobs,a few nappies and about 500 babygros. After you have spent all yer dosh of course.

Well I suppose if you've got lots of money, and work in an extremely demanding (ie no time to yourself at all) job - then it's a possibility. But personally, I wouldn't I can think of much better ways of spending £2,500.

I saw an article about this in the paper - couldn't believe it! Not least because the owman they interviewedw as on her third and saying things like she didn't know which pushchairs were around now and stuff like that - er hello? Haven't you ever heard of using the same one again?

I've always thought (having got myself in a right tizz with the first one) that you can just find out what you need from the big flat book about pregnancy that your MW gives you, take a day off to go to Mothercare or John Lewis or somewhere and buy the stuff.

FGS

PS Oh - and join MN of course which has helped me with more stuff than I care to mention!

If you had a job like that when are you going to fit in actualy caring for and spending time with the baby?

BIg difference between advise on a layette or how to go about hiring a nanny and having some commercial company planning your babies whole life. SCARY!!