Parenting can be incredibly hard work, but thankfully these days we have a wealth of products out there that can help us along.
Breast pumps, warmers, baby monitors all become a standard part of parenting many years ago.
But as our technology develops, so does our desire to have more gadgets to help us on our way to perfect parenthood, which has caused a boom in the baby gadget industry.
Unlike our grandmothers, who spent their days making do with washing reusable nappies and heaving their little ones around on their hips, we are now spoiled for choice with all kinds of tech promising make our lives that little bit easier.
From sleeping mats which imitate the womb to silent bottle warmers, it seems parents simply don’t have the time to waste doing things the old-fashioned way – and they’re willing to splash to cash.
Here’s the best of the latest gadgets in the booming world of baby tech.
Best tech gadgets for parents
1. Elvie Single Electric Breast Pump
While there’s plenty of much cheaper breast pumps out there that are more than decent at getting the job done, if you can afford to go for something a bit more expensive, you can get a lot of bonus features for your money.
The Elvie electric breast pump is a single pump which is super silent for discreet expressing – it’s also wearable and able to operate via a mobile phone app – pretty neat right?
For busy mums, and mums on the go this wearable device is perfect. It fits inside your bra and is shaped like a breast, so won’t look super suspect underneath clothing.
The free app allows you to check your pumping history, as well as control the device remotely, so wherever you are and whatever you’re doing – expressing milk doesn’t have to take a backseat.
Price: £249, CurrentBody – buy here now
2. Ewan the Sheep Deluxe
Cute little Ewan has amassed quite the celebrity following (Lily Allen and Amanda Holden are apparently fans) and there’s no mystery as to why.
Firstly, the soothing night light is adorable to look at, but most importantly it’s expertly designed to settle babies and children who find it hard to drift off.
It mimics the comforting sounds and environment of the womb, with a soft pink glow, and soothing sounds that include an actual recording of a heartbeat and womb to newborns into a peaceful slumber.
There’s also a harp melody, white noise and rainfall that all come with a 20-minute auto-timer. The cutest bit? A velcro ‘tail’ that you can strap to the cot.
Price: £39.99, Amazon – buy here now
3. Tommee Tippee Perfect Prep Day and Night
Parents have hailed this baby bottle heating machine ‘a game changer for the night feeds’.
The Tommee Tippee Perfect Prep machine has always been a popular choice for parents with babies.
But the company recently launched a new version – with a volume button and a light to let tired mums and dads prepare the bottles in the dark.
Billed as a ‘dream machine for sleep friendly, perfect feeds in under 2 minutes’, the Perfect Prep Day and Night is 10 times faster than a kettle and prepares the feed to body temperature so there’s no waiting for water to cool while your baby is crying.
The machine works with most bottles and formula brands and comes with digital display and a glow light to see what you’re doing without too much disruption.
It comes in white, black, grey and red and with a pre-loaded filter that will last up to three months.
Price: £99.95, Amazon – buy here now
4. Blueair Blue Pure 411 Air Purifier
Founded in Sweden, Blueair has a whole range of innovative air purifiers but offer this almost silent option, perfect for baby.
The lowest setting is quiet enough to have on while sleeping, so baby can wake up feeling dust and allergen free, and have all the nasty pollutants removed from the air while they’re snoozing – a must if you’re living in an area with high levels of pollution.
This product is small but powerful, completely filtering air in a 15m² room every 12 minutes.
It’s compact and comes in a range of colours so will suit any room’s decor and it’s lightweight design means it’s easy to move around the house, or even travel with.
Price: £129, Argos – buy here now
5. Tommee Tippee Dreamee Sound, Motion and Video Baby Monitor
One key gadget most new parents can’t live without is a baby monitor.
For many families, it’s a parenting essential that allows you to check on your little one as they sleep whilst in another room, without the risk of waking them.
Nowadays there are numerous different types, ranging from audio-only to state of the art ones that connect to your smartphone and store data on your baby’s sleep patterns.
This video, sound and motion baby monitor from Tommee Tippee helps give you peace of mind while your baby sleeps, by allowing you to watch and listen to them from anywhere in your home, without disturbing their sleep.
It includes a 360° night-vision camera that you can view from a high definition screen, a movement sensor pad and the ability to play lullabies and sounds to help soothe baby back to sleep.
Price: £219.99, Tommee Tippee – buy here now
6. Napnap Lullaby Sleeping Mat
This genius mat promises new parents the gift of sleep.
The NapNap is a lightweight, portable smart mattress that helps baby to fall asleep quicker and stay asleep longer.
It gently vibrates and emits white noises, imitating the safety baby was accustomed to in the womb while helping with colic and tummy time.
The mat has been raved about by tired parents, recommended by paediatricians and even used in neo-natal departments.
It has 6 modes of vibration to ease troubled sleep routines, comfortably fits into cots, bassinets and prams and one two-hour charge lasts up to 15 days.
As a bonus feature, pregnant mums can also use it to gentle vibrate away tired fidgety legs.
Price: £120, NapNap – buy here now
7. Tommee Tippee Advanced Steri-Dryer Electric Steriliser
A steriliser is one of the most important items on your baby list, that you should really invest in.
Due to underdeveloped immune systems, baby feeding equipment is recommended to be sterilised at least until their first year.
Whether you’re bottle feeding or breast feeding – a steriliser is the most effective way to properly clean your baby bottles, pumping equipment and soothers.
Any utensil used to feed your baby needs to remain free from horrid bacteria, keeping them safe from upset tummies or sickness.
Using the all-natural cleaning power of steam, this Tommee Tippee steriliser kills 99.9% of harmful germs and household bacteria without harsh chemicals and leaves no nasty residue.
And because steam gets into those hard to reach places, you can be reassured that it sterilises those areas, getting rid of germs that may linger in bottles, teats, breast pumps and other accessories even after thorough washing.