iPad seat for newborn babies: Is this the worst baby product ever? This newborn "Apptivity Seat" (someone was paid to think that one up) comes at a time when a number of articles have accused parents of being too child-centred. However, this Apptivity seat, and indeed the proliferation of baby rooms in nurseries indicates otherwise. If I have said it once, I have said it a thousand times: parenting your child does not mean spoiling your child with stuff. Buying them stuff is easy; spending time with them however, is never spoiling them. What this Aptivity Seat does - for the bargain price of $80 (£49) - is suggest that parents alone are not enough. This piece of equipment will provide "play and learning at a baby's fingertips, with free apps you can download for your iPad. Look for apps with black and white images to enhance visual skills, soothing apps with nature scenes, learning apps and more. This is perhaps the biggest piece of advertising nonsense I have read for some time. First, fingertips alone are interesting enough for babies. He did not even know he had them until two minutes ago when he started chewing on them. As for enhancing visual skills with black and white images, you could just tape some newspaper to a wall and that will provide contrast. Or you could put said baby in front of the washing machine or indeed the window, or in front of anything other than a screen and they will be fascinated. In fact the mere act of living will enhance visual skills, but if you put a baby in front of a screen I am going to take an educated guess that this will impact negatively on their visual skills and not enhance them. Nature scenes? You could take baby for a walk in the park to see living trees and touch real leaves which is the best nature you do not need money to buy. And as for "soothing apps" - Mum's voice is soothing enough, and for free. So if you have a friend who is expecting a baby please do not buy her anything like this. In fact, put the $80 towards travel expenses to visit the new baby in those first months, talking to baby, Mum or indeed both at the same time. Trust me, she (and baby) will appreciate it. Laura Perrins is a former barrister and stay at home mother with two small children who campaigns for Mothers at Home Matter. Follow her on Twitter @LPerrins