Coast Innovations Itzbeen Baby Care Timer

I purchased this for a shower gift after having a child of my own and thinking that this product could have saved me some wondering during blurry-eyed nights. Of course months after the shower after the baby arrives, the couple removes the packaging and throws it away before turning it on- the display is broken. It has a few bars showing and the functions don't work. How embarrassing to spend money on a shower gift only to have it broken!! With the packaging gone, I assumed I couldn't return it so I apologized to the couple and flushed $25 down the toilet.

This may have been a good product but it is cheaply made. That is supported by all the other reviews that describe the timer arriving damaged or non-functional. In my case it was smashed and it didn't help that Amazon shipped the thing in an envelope.

If you buy one then expect to go through one or more exchange cycles before you get one that arrived intact and is working properly.

I finally weaned myself off of this timer once my twins turned 1. It is true that it is not a necessity, but it is handy when your exhausted. My twins were born at 24 weeks so when they finally came home from the NICU we had a tight schedule to follow. Medications, pumping times, feeding, etc. I am glad we bought 2 of these because not having to watch the clock was just once less thing my sleep addled brain had to deal with.

I thought I was buying this for my husband. I figured he'd need the help. Little did I know I'd use it all day everyday! I had no idea what I was missing by not having one with my first daughter. I use it not only to time her feedings and diaper changes but also to know when it's time to pump. The nightlight is helpful in getting her latched on in the dark, especially when I'm half asleep. I love that it lets you designate which side you need to feed on next time. This is helpful even if you're not breastfeeding because it's important to hold the baby on both sides to promote good eye control. It is especially useful when we are out. This is one product I couldn't do without.

This came in very handy when our baby was new. It made it easier to remember how long he had been sleeping, when the last bottle was, etc. We also used it to remember how long it had been since we gave him medication, and while he was in the hospital to see how long it had been since he had been checked and things like that.
My one complaint would be that it doesn't have more than the last time stored, however, if you have it only to time one thing, see my comment below.
Also, the time reverts to zero after 24 hours, so don't try to time anything lengthy.
I have started to use it a lot for breast pumping, and work my way down from the top button to see a running log of when I have last pumped. Then besides seeing that it's been four hours, I can see that the time before that was five hours, for example.
The backlight is nice for dark rooms, and the flashlight in the top has come in handy. The nursing button is just a sliding tab, which I didn't find handy, since my lactation consultants said to nurse from both breasts so they don't get different sizes (and I'd pump afterwards anyway).
The alarm function was used a couple times, but can only be set in half-hour increments, so it wasn't always that useable for what we were using it for.
Keep the instructions for clock setting, because if you don't remember how to, weird things happen when you press multiple buttons at once (resetting a different button's time, resetting all buttons, alarm setting...).
A good investment, but the reason that we still use it is for something slightly different than what it was originally intended for. Very handy for the first few weeks. After that, the baby wakes himself up when he's hungry, hopefully he's not in the hospital, the diaper gets changed when you pinch the front and it's squishy, and you've figured out your own code for what side you nursed from last. Really great though, once again, for a running timer of one thing, when you don't need it to get through the first few days/weeks. My husband loved it. It made him feel more in control with a new baby.