Hatch Baby Smart Changing Pad

It’s funny how much things can change in the baby world just a few short years since my youngest was born and even more so since my oldest. Baby gear just keeps getting smarter. When I first learned about the Hatch Baby Smart Changing Pad, a changing topper that can also weigh your baby, I immediately thought of my early days breastfeeding my first son.

Our first few weeks of learning how to breastfeed were not easy for me (spoiler alert: we made it through and breastfed for over a year!). We had trouble establishing a good latch, and after a rocky start in the hospital, I was a nervous wreck, wondering if my baby was getting enough milk. Get this, the Hatch Baby Smart Changing Pad allows you to measure how much your breastfed baby is getting in a single feeding. Simply lay your baby on the changer, press the bottle icon on the touchscreen display and the built-in wireless scale will measure your baby’s starting weight. After breastfeeding your baby, return to the changer, repeat the steps, and the Smart Changing Pad does the math for you, letting you know just how many ounces your baby drank. Now I want to be clear, no mama should be obsessing over her healthy baby’s weight/feedings, but this changer allows you to check in and reassure yourself that everything is on track even when the new parent stress may have you thinking otherwise.

As it turns out, when I read more about the history of this product, I discovered that the founder of Hatch Baby, Ann Crady Weiss, had the very same experience as a new—and nervous—breastfeeding mom who just wanted to make sure her baby was getting enough to eat. She created the Smart Changing Pad as a result. It’s a good reminder of how universal this whole parenthood thing is!

Set up was so simple that I was able to get everything working even though I unknowingly left the instructions inside of the box! Of course, referring to the directions is the way to go, but the changer itself also walks you through the steps of set up—it’s no wonder they call these products smart.

From the changer, you can change your baby (of course), weigh your baby, and track feedings and diaper changes using the integrated touchscreen. Oh, and in case you didn’t know, pregnant mamas, pediatricians ask for the average number of dirty diapers (#1 and #2) a day at all your appointments, so it’s very handy to have an easy way to keep track.

Together with the app, you will be able to track all your baby’s stats. The app allows you to record length and number of feedings, with a timer and right/left side recording for breastfeeding. You can keep on top of baby’s sleep patterns with the app’s sleep timer, allowing you to discover baby’s sleep routine even when you yourself are too tired to remember over many days. The app also provides percentiles for baby’s length and weight. And all these stats combine automatically whether communicated via the Smart Changing Pad or entered manually on your phone. The app can even provide nifty little graphs of your baby’s growth.

You get to decide how much you want to keep track of. Like I said before, no parent needs to be obsessed about her baby’s day-to-day growth. Let your pediatrician be in charge of that, but I will tell you, the one thing I didn’t bargain for when becoming a mom for the first time was that I could no longer rely on what had once been a monster memory. I never had to write anything down before I had my baby, but I found myself forgetting the simplest things in those early months of parenthood. Being able to keep everything right in your phone—which you know you’ll have with you anyway—is a lifesaver. You’ll be grateful for all that info safely stored in one spot when it comes time to fill out that baby book (even if you don’t get to it until your baby’s first birthday!).

Before I get completely carried away with the technological capabilities of this changer, let’s talk changer basics. The smart changing pad has a removable quilted pad that’s machine washable, and it also includes a safety strap. Available in four pad colors—sky, rose, ash or sand—its clean design allows it to blend seamlessly into any nursery design.

In order to use the Smart Changing Pad, you do need to have a smart phone (to download the free app) and Wi-Fi in your home so the changer can communicate with the app. We’re excited to see Hatch Baby’s appearance on Shark Tank this Friday (1.15.2016). What do you think? Will they make a deal or won’t they?

You can place an order for the Smart Changing Pad on the Hatch Baby website. Take advantage of their initial launch pricing.

UPDATE: Hatch Baby now sells the Hatch Baby Grow as an updated product with similar capabilities to the Smart Changing Pad. All links now point to their new product where you can learn more about their new product.