Parenting, Inc.: How We Are Sold on $800 Strollers, Fetal Education, Baby Sign Language, Sleeping Coaches, Toddler Couture, and Diaper

"An entire industry preys on parental anxiety . . . Paul tries to lead us out of the catastrophization of childhood."—The New York Times Book Review

Parenting coaches, ergonomic strollers, music classes, sleep consultants, luxury diaper creams, a never-ending rotation of DVDs that will make a baby smarter, socially adept, and bilingual before age three. Time-strapped, anxious parents hoping to provide the best for their baby are the perfect mark for the "parenting" industry.

In Parenting, Inc., Pamela Paul investigates the whirligig of marketing hype, peer pressure, and easy consumerism that spins parents into purchasing overpriced products and raising overprotected, overstimulated, and over-provided-for children. Paul shows how the parenting industry has persuaded parents that they cannot trust their childrens health, happiness, and success to themselves. She offers a behind-the-scenes look at the baby business so that any parent can decode the claims—and discover shockingly unuseful products and surprisingly effective services.

Pauls book leads the way for every parent who wants to escape the spiral of fear, guilt, competition, and consumption that characterizes modern American parenthood. Pamela Paul is a contributor to Time magazine and the author of Pornified: How Pornography Is Damaging Our Lives, Our Relationships, and Our Families and The Starter Marriage and the Future of Matrimony. She writes for such publications as The New York Times Book Review, Psychology Today, Self, Ladies Home Journal, and The Economist. She lives with her family in New York. In Parenting, Inc., Pamela Paul investigates the parenting "industry" in which today's children are raised. Driven by marketing hype, peer pressure, and easy consumerism, parents purchase overpriced products and raise overprotected, overstimulated, and over-provided-for children. Time-strapped, anxious parents hoping to provide the best for their baby are drawn to the promises of parenting coaches, ergonomic strollers, music classes, sleep consultants, luxury diaper creams and a never-ending rotation of DVDs that will make a baby smarter, socially adept, and bilingual before age three.

Paul shows how, over the past generation, the parenting industry has persuaded parents that they cannot trust themselves with their own childrens health, happiness, and success. Instead, they learn to make important decisions based not on instincts and common sense, but on statistically warped warning labels and celebrity endorsements. In decoding the claims of the business, Paul discovers surprisingly unuseful products as well as surprisingly effective services. She interviews educators, psychologists, and parents to reveal why the best thing for a baby is to break the cycle of self-recrimination and indulgence that feeds into overspending.

Pauls book leads the way for every parent who wants to escape the tempting market of fear, guilt, competition, and consumption that characterizes modern American parenthood. “Its only natural to want the best for our kids; all parents do. But what does ‘the best mean? Pamela Paul takes us on a hair-raising journey of the products, services, and ‘expert guidance from which parents today feel compelled to choose and the time pressure, financial pressure, and self-doubt that turns them into nervous wrecks. Parents need the courage to be sensible again—they and their kids can use it. Buy this book and carry it with you whenever you walk into a baby store.”—Barry Schwartz, author of The Paradox of Choice

“You don't have a Crumb Chum chin-to-toe cover to put on your toddler at meal times? You haven't hired your 'momcierge' to organize your childs home library? Or a specialist in thumb sucking, under-sleeping, nail biting, or giving up overnight diapers? Relax. In this riveting book, Paul very much empathizes with the anxieties of eager first-time parents. At the same time, she gently helps us wonder whether we aren't, as a culture, going overboard—and deftly, brilliantly, helps us see the beauty in an alternative. She rings a bell we need to hear.”—Arlie Hochschild, author of The Time Bind and The Commercialization of Human Feeling

“There has been a great deal written about the commercialization of childhood, but Parenting, Inc. makes it clear that the commercialization of parenting is equally extensive and even more troubling. This important book will help parents become aware of how much of their parenting is being forced upon them by an unrelenting sales pitch.”—David Elkind, professor of child development at Tufts University and author of The Hurried Child

"Author, journalist, and social critic Paul delivers a scathing commentary on parental consumerism. The subtitle says it all, but for readers needing evidence to entertain their assessment of parental consumer behavior, Paul supplies numerous examples of products parents purchase in an effort to assuage their guilt and/or maximize their children's intellectual performance. Some of the more obvious examples are designer strollers, baby sign-language DVDs, and instructional materials claiming to teach infants and toddlers to read. Paul . . . argues that most of these products can actually hinder development because they overstimulate infants, who may then not achieve even such customary milestones as speech development. Like Judith Warner's Perfect Madness: Motherhood in the Age of Anxiety, this sine qua non for new parents is highly recommended."—Lynne F. Maxwell, Villanova University School of Law Library, Pennsylvania, Library Journal

"Paul, mother of two, probes the business of parenting, exposing the high price of raising kids in our consumer-driven nation. Paul points out that it costs upwards of a million dollars to raise a child in the U.S. these days, especially if one buys into the theory that baby must have everything on the market. Following the money, Paul dissects the booming baby business, including 'smart toys' that don't really make kids smarter, themed baby showers and parenting coaches and consultants. The text is a tireless rundown of parents' seemingly bottomless pocketbooks when it comes to bringing up baby, and according to Paul this is not just an upscale, cosmopolitan phenomenon—throughout the country parents are reaching deep into their pockets to fuel this spiraling craze. Though Paul incorporates the pithy quotes of a number of experts, such as psychologist David Elkind's observation, 'Computers are part of our environment, but so are microwaves and we don't put them in cribs' . . . [she] isn't preachy, although she does reveal that what babies really need is holding, singing, dancing, conversation and outdoor play."—Publishers Weekly

"An entire industry preys on parental anxiety… Paul nicely dismantles the claim [and] tries to lead us out of the catastrophization of childhood."—The New York Times Book Review

"Fascinating…  Paul shows how companies selling everything from infant movement monitors to education DVDs have built a booming business convincing parents they cannot trust their childrens safety or well-being to themselves."—Reuters

"[Parenting, Inc.] offers the reader a distilled version of the parenting products and services that are truly useful, as opposed to those that prey on our fears."—Cookie magazine  

"Paul has cleverly identified this subset of our consumer culture run wild... Perform[s] a useful service, debunking the most absurd of the baby-marketers claims."—New York Observer 

"Sing it, sister Pamela! At last, a baby-book trend even a father can dig."—The Globe and Mail (Toronto)

"An absorbing examination of the commercialization of parenting."—The Guardian (London)

"Through interviews... Paul helps consumers figure out for themselves just what items they need and which ones are a complete waste of money. Her book is part investigative journey, part resource manual." —The Post and Courier (Charleston, S.C.)

"Paul… looks closely at the nonstop spending spree associated with parenting (designer shoes for newborns, anyone?) and offers a sobering critique of the combined industries she dubs "Big Baby.""—Time Out New York Kids

"Pauls journey through the maze [of marketing] is frightening and, frankly, a bit embarrassing. Her conclusions champion restraint."—Courier-Journal (Louisville)

"A meticulously researched piece of cultural criticism… Parenting, Inc. just might reassure [parents]."—St. Petersburg Times

"Before you plunk down forty bucks for a Christian Dior pacifier, think about Pauls warning about a consumer-driven culture thats raising over-protected, over-stimulated, and over-provided-for children."—CNBC Business Radio

"Paul… took a hard look at the ‘parenting industry and found that not only are the companies creating and marketing these products actively play on parental fears, but we parents have readily bought into the hype."—The Greenville News

"Like Judith Warners Perfect Madness, this sine qua non for new parents is highly recommended." —Library Journal

"Paul explains just how ludicrous todays infant product marketplace has become."—The Ottawa Citizen

"Its only natural to want the best for our kids; all parents do. But what does ‘the best mean? Pamela Paul takes us on a hair-raising journey of the products, services, and ‘expert guidance from which parents today feel compelled to choose and the time pressure, financial pressure, and self-doubt that turns them into nervous wrecks. Parents need the courage to be sensible again—they and their kids can use it. Buy this book and carry it with you whenever you walk into a baby store."—Barry Schwartz, author of The Paradox of Choice

"You dont have a Crumb Chum chin-to-toe cover to put on your toddler at meal times? You havent hired your ‘momcierge to organize your childs home library? Or a specialist in thumb sucking, under-sleeping, nail biting, or giving up overnight diapers? Relax. In this riveting book, Paul very much empathizes with the anxieties of eager parents. At the same time, she gently helps us wonder whether we arent, as a culture, going overboard—and deftly, brilliantly, helps us see the beauty in an alternative. She rings a bell we need to hear."—Arlie Hochschild, author of The Time Bind and The Managed Heart

"There has been a great deal written about the commercialization of childhood, but Parenting, Inc. makes it clear that the commercialization of parenting is equally extensive and even more troubling. This important book will help parents become aware of how much of their parenting is being forced upon them by an unrelenting sales pitch."—David Elkind, professor of child development, Tufts University, and author of The Hurried Child

"An entire industry preys on parental anxiety . . . Paul tries to lead us out of the catastrophization of childhood."—The New York Times Book Review

Parenting coaches, ergonomic strollers, music classes, sleep consultants, luxury diaper creams, a never-ending rotation of DVDs that will make a baby smarter, socially adept, and bilingual before age three. Time-strapped, anxious parents hoping to provide the best for their baby are the perfect mark for the "parenting" industry.

In Parenting, Inc., Pamela Paul investigates the whirligig of marketing hype, peer pressure, and easy consumerism that spins parents into purchasing overpriced products and raising overprotected, overstimulated, and over-provided-for children. Paul shows how the parenting industry has persuaded parents that they cannot trust their childrens health, happiness, and success to themselves. She offers a behind-the-scenes look at the baby business so that any parent can decode the claims—and discover shockingly unuseful products and surprisingly effective services.

Pauls book leads the way for every parent who wants to escape the spiral of fear, guilt, competition, and consumption that characterizes modern American parenthood.

Pamela Paul is the author of Pornified: How Pornography Is Damaging Our Lives, Our Relationships, and Our Families and The Starter Marriage and the Future of Matrimony. A frequent contributor to Time and The New York Times, she has also written for The Washington Post, Slate, Psychology Today, Redbook, Self, Ladies Home Journal, and The Economist. She and her family live in New York.