We got our last baby from Amazon, you just have to really track the package and try to get home to open it as soon as possible. They don’t like sitting in that box for too long, plus it can get kind of smelly. Also, their return policy is nice, you know, just in case.
Hey…I was a July baby. But not from Amazon. In those days, you had to order babies from Sears and Roebuck, then walk to the post office to pick them up. In 98 degree heat.
I am 43. Mine are 16 and 19. I couldn’t imagine… (sorry, Matt!)
One of my cousins is 53, a high-powered professional woman. 8 years ago she had her first daughter, and 2 years ago adopted a second baby. This cousin is acknowledged among the family is being somewhat eccentric (in her 35 years of professional life she’s been a pharmacist, a public defender and a math teacher) and is very strong willed. Can you imagine not only having a baby at 44 – but a second baby at 51?? Ouch. The body is no longer wired to handle sleep deprivation at that age.
That said, I suppose I could pick up a late season July sale baby as a gift to one of my sons. In a few years. ;)
I have to slightly disagree with Shawn. While early adopters and baby geeks will probably want one of the new fall babies, those who already have a baby will be able to download and update their firmware in order to run all the latest baby applications. (Note: those who have last winter’s babies may notice a slight downgrade in performance with the new installation and might decide not to commit to the upgrade.)
So if you’re looking at a tight budget, but really want to have that baby, go ahead and get that baby, and keep your eyes peeled for the patches to become available in September or October!
I remember upgrading our babies from Gerber Stage 1 to Gerber Stage 2 – supposedly they were compatible, but I distinctly remember dealing with a LOT more crap after the upgrade.
LaliaTK, No, they lock you into an 18 year contract. You can’t modify the base unit, only apply paid upgrades. You’re also stuck with the same baby for the full contract time, unit swapping is highly discouraged.
And NO warranty. I’d suggest buying insurance right away in fact.
And just cause they’re home grown doesn’t mean they’re any less expensive. Ours spent his first week in the NICU because of pneumonia in his lungs (he’s fine now). I could have bought my car (a modest Saturn Ion) almost four times for what the hospital charged for his and my wife’s stay. Thank you Blue Cross for not making me go to debtors prison.
LaliaTK: in the U.S. and on eBay, no. Customization options are also on the skimpy side if you go through standard channels–there are a few authorized providers of skins (like this one) and hardware mods (like the ones available here), and that’s about it.
But….
If you’re outside the United States, there’s a thriving market for exchanges, sales, leases and spare parts. You just have to know where to look and have a willingness to break the enduser licensing agreement. Just make sure you’re careful: the baby lobby has convinced many governing agencies, including the American Justice Department, to protect their vested interests through civil actions and even criminal prosecutions.
My dad actually ordered me through his work so he would get the corporate discount. (He actually did fill out an order form for me as a birth anouncement.) He asked for the standard equipment. I have had some upgrades done since then, but the standard equipment seemed to work fine for the most part. All the upgrades, and bells and whistles, are overrated. Since when is standard equipment not good enough. Like Janiece said, “In those days, you had to order babies from Sears and Roebuck, then walk to the post office to pick them up. In 98 degree heat.” Plus it was uphill both ways, with no shade, in your bare feet, on hot asphalt.
Gina, a standard requisition is far better that coming through due to military regulations. Although my mom did choose to pay for an upgrade–$15 dollars so she didn’t have to stay in the military hospital, and make her own bed.
My parents say that my brother could have been repossessed at any point during his first year. Unluckily for me, they never fell behind on their payments, and so the repo man never came in the middle of the night.
Random Reading
July 17th, 2008 at 8:30 am
Well duh, the new fall models will be coming in shortly. Who wants last model year’s baby? That’s just silly.
And on that note, we have 3 kids, but I couldn’t IMAGING having a baby now. I mean, I couldn’t fathom having a baby in the house…
July 17th, 2008 at 9:13 am
We got our last baby from Amazon, you just have to really track the package and try to get home to open it as soon as possible. They don’t like sitting in that box for too long, plus it can get kind of smelly. Also, their return policy is nice, you know, just in case.
July 17th, 2008 at 9:26 am
Hey…I was a July baby. But not from Amazon. In those days, you had to order babies from Sears and Roebuck, then walk to the post office to pick them up. In 98 degree heat.
July 17th, 2008 at 12:21 pm
I am 43. Mine are 16 and 19. I couldn’t imagine… (sorry, Matt!)
One of my cousins is 53, a high-powered professional woman. 8 years ago she had her first daughter, and 2 years ago adopted a second baby. This cousin is acknowledged among the family is being somewhat eccentric (in her 35 years of professional life she’s been a pharmacist, a public defender and a math teacher) and is very strong willed. Can you imagine not only having a baby at 44 – but a second baby at 51?? Ouch. The body is no longer wired to handle sleep deprivation at that age.
That said, I suppose I could pick up a late season July sale baby as a gift to one of my sons. In a few years. ;)
July 17th, 2008 at 12:28 pm
Baby BOGO gets you twins!
I have cats for a reason.
July 17th, 2008 at 12:59 pm
I sent this to my friend who had a baby last year. Who knew she could have avoided all the expense of IVF by simply ordering from Amazon?!
You don’t think a new baby would be *the* accessory to have at high school this year?
July 17th, 2008 at 1:06 pm
Not if the kids have been watching that kids with babies reality show on NBC. The one I don’t know the name of, because I’m not watching it.
July 17th, 2008 at 1:48 pm
Gah, do you know how expensive a December baby is? Silly religions. The July sale babies are probably all picked over now.
July 17th, 2008 at 1:50 pm
Forget it, too expensive. I’m gonna make my own baby.
July 17th, 2008 at 1:57 pm
I have to slightly disagree with Shawn. While early adopters and baby geeks will probably want one of the new fall babies, those who already have a baby will be able to download and update their firmware in order to run all the latest baby applications. (Note: those who have last winter’s babies may notice a slight downgrade in performance with the new installation and might decide not to commit to the upgrade.)
So if you’re looking at a tight budget, but really want to have that baby, go ahead and get that baby, and keep your eyes peeled for the patches to become available in September or October!
July 17th, 2008 at 2:01 pm
I remember upgrading our babies from Gerber Stage 1 to Gerber Stage 2 – supposedly they were compatible, but I distinctly remember dealing with a LOT more crap after the upgrade.
July 17th, 2008 at 2:28 pm
Forget it, too expensive. I’m gonna make my own baby.
That’ll take forever! Even if you started 19 weeks ago you wouldn’t be done until DECEMBER!
July 17th, 2008 at 2:31 pm
19 weeks of making the babiez… wow, that’s stamina. :D
July 17th, 2008 at 2:40 pm
That would have to be one fabulously good sale to tempt me.
July 17th, 2008 at 2:43 pm
Never buy things just because they’re on sale. It may look like a good deal now, but end up being far more expensive in the long run.
July 17th, 2008 at 3:10 pm
Cool. Can I buy one, make tons of improvements (like installing a mute button) and then sell it on eBay?
July 17th, 2008 at 3:15 pm
LaliaTK, No, they lock you into an 18 year contract. You can’t modify the base unit, only apply paid upgrades. You’re also stuck with the same baby for the full contract time, unit swapping is highly discouraged.
And NO warranty. I’d suggest buying insurance right away in fact.
July 17th, 2008 at 3:40 pm
And just cause they’re home grown doesn’t mean they’re any less expensive. Ours spent his first week in the NICU because of pneumonia in his lungs (he’s fine now). I could have bought my car (a modest Saturn Ion) almost four times for what the hospital charged for his and my wife’s stay. Thank you Blue Cross for not making me go to debtors prison.
July 17th, 2008 at 4:13 pm
LaliaTK: in the U.S. and on eBay, no. Customization options are also on the skimpy side if you go through standard channels–there are a few authorized providers of skins (like this one) and hardware mods (like the ones available here), and that’s about it.
But….
If you’re outside the United States, there’s a thriving market for exchanges, sales, leases and spare parts. You just have to know where to look and have a willingness to break the enduser licensing agreement. Just make sure you’re careful: the baby lobby has convinced many governing agencies, including the American Justice Department, to protect their vested interests through civil actions and even criminal prosecutions.
July 17th, 2008 at 4:53 pm
My dad actually ordered me through his work so he would get the corporate discount. (He actually did fill out an order form for me as a birth anouncement.) He asked for the standard equipment. I have had some upgrades done since then, but the standard equipment seemed to work fine for the most part. All the upgrades, and bells and whistles, are overrated. Since when is standard equipment not good enough. Like Janiece said, “In those days, you had to order babies from Sears and Roebuck, then walk to the post office to pick them up. In 98 degree heat.” Plus it was uphill both ways, with no shade, in your bare feet, on hot asphalt.
July 17th, 2008 at 5:37 pm
Geez,
miss one day of checking in and I miss everything. :(
July 17th, 2008 at 6:43 pm
matt, with prices like that you’d better save the receipt in case you need to return him, or need proof of ownership for an upgrade.
July 17th, 2008 at 6:49 pm
Gina, a standard requisition is far better that coming through due to military regulations. Although my mom did choose to pay for an upgrade–$15 dollars so she didn’t have to stay in the military hospital, and make her own bed.
My parents say that my brother could have been repossessed at any point during his first year. Unluckily for me, they never fell behind on their payments, and so the repo man never came in the middle of the night.
July 18th, 2008 at 2:03 am
18 year contract? Then why is my oldest baby still standing in my kitchen with the fridge door open at 19?
And I never detected any upgrades, just increasing disk space usage and resource consumption over the years.