What’s the price of a good night’s sleep? Well, quite a lot it would seem…
While supermarkets all around Australia sell multi-packs of dummies for as little $5.00, it seems parents are willing to spend over 20 times that amount for one very specific type.
That’s right; the Tommee Tippee Happy Baby Cherry Soother dummies are so beloved among parents, the face they’ve been discontinued has caused a state of utter panic.
Now, in a bid to secure a highly sought-after pacifier for their little ones, mums and dads are taking to eBay, where parents who had bought up the dwindling stock are now listing packs for as much as $110… oh, plus the cost of postage.
A Sydney mother-of-two expressed her outrage to Kidspot, saying she was “horrified” to come across a packet on eBay listed for $79.
“Both my children used it and took to it straight away,” she tells the publication, adding that the dummies were recommended to her by a midwife.
“When they changed the design recently, my son didn’t seem to like the base of the dummy wrapped so close to his face, so I’ve been trying to find the old-school style.”
“When I came across this packet I was horrified! That’s one expensive good night’s sleep! There’s no way I could justify that, especially at the rate that we lose them.”
It turns out her disapproval was shared among many, and so a Facebook page called Bring back the original cherry soothers was created in a bid to make the manufacturers aware of the distress they’ve caused.
“I’ve had to pay upwards of $40 per packet for happy baby dummies. It’s sad that people are trying to make money selling each packet for as much as they can possibly get when we have babies who are in desperate need of them,” wrote one mum.
And although 800 parents have since jumped on board, their quest was sadly not enough to encourage Tommee Tippee into reintroduce the former design.
Tommee Tippee have since responded to upheaval in a statement, explaining their decision to discontinue the dummies due to a move in the manufacturing facility.
Parents are forking our hundreds to keep their little ones happy.
“We appreciate all of the feedback, both positive and negative, received to date and understand that the change has not been good news for all, particularly for many older babies who are used to the air filled previous version. As a result of this, we want to explain why the change was made.
“The change of design was as a result of a move to the manufacturing facility that produces our range of comforters across the globe. As all other comforters have a vented teat, it has resulted in this design requiring a change, as we do not produce air filled elsewhere.
“We truly understand the attachment a little one can have to a soother and the frustration parents feel when their little one rejects a change in design. We sincerely apologise for the upset these changes have caused.
Whilst we appreciate that knowing we are not able to reproduce the design will be upsetting for some, we hope that this communication now gives an understanding as to why this is not possible.”
