I think the point is that there's a bait-and-switch going on: tell us a little about your ______ habits, and we'll give you this free stuff as a thank-you (and in hope you'll keep buying it. OK, no problem with that.

But after you've given the info, then it's 'oh you have to let us sell the data to get the stuff', and most of the time they don't just want to sell your anonymous little data points as part of an aggregated statistical picture, but your name and address as well as your customer data. It's not so different from giving out 'free' browser toolbars or smiley collections, except that in the fine print they also claim you've given permission for them to install a browsing monitor and what-all else.

And as regards baby products, they're taking advantage of the fact that new parents are usually exhausted and overwhelmed both practically and emotionally - not just for a first baby either, and this doesn't conflict with feeling happy. It's still stressful even if you're thrilled.

Carrying out a commercial transaction under the guise of friendly generosity at a time of unusual emotional upheaval is rather unethical. Consider too that not only do they want info about the parents; they're building a marketing profile on the kid that has just been (or even, is about to be) born, and realistically that data footprint is going to live longer than the actual person.

In find that creepy. YMMV, but even though I appreciate your point about it being a trade-off, it disturbs me that there's no easy route to finding who has your information and what they store. In many countries you can write and request that information of a company, but there's a lot of companies out there.

I've had 3 "bounty packs". I found them pretty useful. You get a load of free stuff to start you off with your newborn, and get to try out stuff.

I remember getting a few free samples of nappies. For us, Huggies were terrible, and Pampers worked great. It would have been a pain to figure that out by buying 2 big packs of nappies.

So for me, it was a really useful thing. And Pampers got what they wanted - to put their product in the hands of people who might want to buy it.

I don't think anyone anywhere would not be aware that freebies/samples are given out for a reason. And the reason certainly isn't generosity.

Also, personally, I don't much care who has my 'information'. For these sort of companies they basically have your name and address. Worst they can do is send round a salesperson.

I'm not sure you appreciate just how useful that demographic information is. They don't just have your name and address, they have that, the quality of hospital you went to (which in the US, says a lot about you) and the fact of a birth.

This economic datum alone is good for about 15 years of highly predictable target marketing. Long after the baby has stopped wetting itself, the data can be sold to other marketers, who are eager to have it because it's predictable that the child will need new clothes every year, attend school around age 4, want toys around birthday and Xmas, and so on and on. It's worth a lot more than some sample packs of toiletries and baby formula.

I appreciate how useful it is to them, but them having it doesn't mean I don't have it. They haven't stolen anything from me, I haven't lost anything, I don't really care if they have those stats.