The last few years brought to market a myriad of revolutionary new baby products that can significantly improve quality of life for the tired new mom or dad.
Here’s some of the latest and greatest baby tech:
Cybex ePriam: Cybex ePriam is a stroller powered by an electric motor to help parents travel uphill or over difficult-to-navigate terrain. Its braking support makes the trip downhill easier too. Cool additional features include: an extendable canopy, all-wheel suspension, various seat positions, a one-handed fold, and an average table height setting, which enables the stroller to be used as a high chair when on the road.
The lithium-ion battery has a six-hour charge time. The stroller gets between 5-28 miles per charge.
Happiest Baby Snoo Smart Sleeper Bassinet: The Snoo reacts to a baby’s cries by gently rocking back and forth to soothe the baby. Invented by Dr. Harvey Karp, the pediatrician behind the ‘five S’s’ and author of The Happiest Baby on the Block, the Snoo was designed to mimic the sensations of the womb, thus providing the baby with a calm and familiar environment.
The Snoo utilizes white noise and has a built-in swaddle. Parents can download an app to control the Snoo remotely. They also receive a sleep tracker and a nightly report.
Hatch Baby Rest Night Light and Sound Machine: This machine is designed to help parents regulate their baby’s sleeping schedule. Using an app, parents can set times for the machine to produce a glow to lull the baby to sleep or soft sounds to wake the baby up.
VAVA Baby Thermometer: A sick baby makes for a stressed mama. VAVA is a smart baby thermometer that monitors a baby’s temperature via a silicone wireless patch. The patch attaches to the baby’s armpit and displays the reading on a screen. When it detects a high temperature, VAVA alerts parents with beeps and blinking LED red lights, ensuring that mama or papa can spring into action immediately.
VAVA takes about an hour to charge, and lasts approximately 24 hours per charge.
4moms mamaRoo: This smart infant seat replicates the natural movement of parents. Parents can adjust the seat to any position that works for the baby, up to a full recline. Motion choices include a car ride, a kangaroo, a tree swing and a wave. 4moms mamaRoo is Bluetooth-enabled and can be controlled through an app on the phone.
Stokke JetKids Bedbox: Stokke JetKids Bedbox is a child-sized suitcase that transforms into an airplane seat. It’s light enough and small enough for children to pull themselves – or for parents to push while children ride on top. The suitcase becomes a sleep bed in five easy steps. The sleep bed is best for children ages 2-7.
Muchkin 59s Pacifier Sterilizer: Every parent dreads the moment when his/her baby’s pacifier falls to the ground. The baby begins to cry. Chaos often ensues. Muchkin 59s Pacifier Sterilizer is a cube that can sterilize pacifiers in under a minute. Parents simply need to pop the pacifier into the cube, and voila! The company claims it kills 99 percent of household germs. The sterilizer uses UV-C.
Owlet Smart Sock: This sock can measure a baby’s heart rate and oxygen levels. The readings are displayed in an app that tracks the baby’s data, including sleep patterns. Should the numbers be outside normal levels, parents will be alerted through an alarm on their phones and, in case they aren’t near their phones, the base station.
The Owlet Smart Sock comes with three socks, which fit sizes 0-18 months, as well as a sensor. Owlet Smart Sock connects to Bluetooth as well.
(Of course, parents should always consult their pediatrician before using high tech baby monitors, or any other tech products that are placed close to a baby’s skin for extended periods of time.)