Skip to content

Top Navigation

Parents Parents
  • GETTING PREGNANT
  • PREGNANCY
  • BABY NAMES
  • BABY
  • TODDLER
  • BIG KID
  • FUN
  • HEALTH
  • PARENTING
  • FOOD
  • HOLIDAY
  • News
  • THE STAY AT HOME GUIDE
  • SHOP
  • OUR MAGAZINES
  • MORE

Profile Menu

Your Account

Account

  • Join Now
  • Your Profile
  • Your Profile
  • Newsletters
  • Manage Your Subscription this link opens in a new tab
  • Give a Gift Subscription this link opens in a new tab
  • Cozi Family Organizer this link opens in a new tab
  • Help
  • Logout
Login
Subscribe
Pin FB

Explore Parents

Parents Parents
  • Explore

    Explore

    • 22 Chore Ideas for Every Type of Kid

      Find a chore your kid loves to do, and start a habit of wanting to help out that'll last a lifetime. Read More Next
    • Top 5 Mom Friend Problems—And How to Fix Them

      Parenting is so much easier with good pals. Learn to overcome friendship hurdles and bond with women who get you. Read More Next
    • How to Sleep Train Toddlers and Big Kids

      I’m a pediatric sleep specialist who has seen it all, and I’m here to tell you that it’s not too late to get your child to (happily) stay in his own bed all night long. Read More Next
  • GETTING PREGNANT

    GETTING PREGNANT

    See All GETTING PREGNANT

    Your Chances of Getting Pregnant Every Day of the Month

    When sex coincides with your most fertile ovulation days, you'll increase the chances of conceiving. Get to know each phase of your cycle to get pregnant faster.
    • Ovulation
    • Reproductive Age
    • Maximizing Your Fertility
    • Pre-Pregnancy Health
    • Trying to Conceive
    • Dealing With Infertility
    • Genetics
  • PREGNANCY

    PREGNANCY

    See All PREGNANCY

    Signs of Approaching Labor: How to Tell Your Baby is Coming Soon

    Anxiously awaiting your baby’s arrival? Learn to recognize the first signs of labor approaching, which signal that your little one might make an appearance soon.
    • Signs of Pregnancy
    • Pregnancy Week-by-Week
    • Giving Birth
    • Labor & Delivery
    • Pregnancy Symptoms
    • Due Date Calculator
    • Pregnancy Complications
    • Fetal Development
    • Gender Prediction
    • Baby Showers
  • BABY NAMES

    BABY NAMES

    See All BABY NAMES

    These Are the Most Popular Baby Names of 2020

    Curious which baby names stole the show this year? From new classics like Noah to tried-and-true faves like Ava, here are the top boy and girl names of the year so far, plus more naming trends to consider.
    • Baby Girl Names
    • Most Popular Names
    • Names by Origin
    • Twin Names
    • Baby Boy Names
    • Names by Religion
    • Celebrity Baby Names
    • Baby Name Quizzes
  • BABY

    BABY

    See All BABY

    How to Decode Your Baby's Cough

    Caring for a baby with a wet or dry cough? Listen for wheezing, hacking, or barking first, then read on to find out what's normal and when it's time to worry.
    • Newborn Care
    • Crying Baby
    • Health
    • Baby Development
    • Safety
    • Gear
    • Breastfeeding
    • Diapers
    • Sleep Issues
    • Feeding
    • Nursery
  • TODDLER

    TODDLER

    See All TODDLER
    • Preschool Activities
    • Behavior & Discipline
    • Toddler Development
    • Milestones
    • Potty Training
    • Starting School
    • Health
    • Safety
    • Childcare
  • BIG KID

    BIG KID

    See All BIG KID

    How to Deal With Bullies: A Guide for Parents

    Mean kids aren't just a middle-school problem. The trouble has trickled to the youngest grades. Learn how to spot it—and how to protect children of all ages from bullies at school.
    • Education
    • Health
    • Food & Nutrition
    • Bullying & School Problems
    • Child Development
    • Safety
    • Manners & Responsibility
  • FUN

    FUN

    See All FUN

    17 Budget-Friendly Kids’ Birthday Party Ideas

    A fun celebration doesn’t need to cost a pretty penny. Throw a memorable bash with these clever cost-cutting kids’ birthday party ideas.
    • Birthdays
    • Indoor Activities
    • Outdoor Activities
    • Arts & Crafts
    • Printable Coloring Pages
    • Kids' Entertainment
    • Best Toys
    • Holidays
    • Family Vacation Ideas
  • HEALTH

    HEALTH

    See All HEALTH

    All About Coronavirus COVID-19: A Concerned Parent's Guide

    Here’s everything you need to know about the disease that originated in Wuhan, China.
    • ADD & ADHD
    • Allergies
    • Autism
    • Cold & Flu
    • Coronavirus and COVID-19
    • Cough
    • Down Syndrome
    • Emergency Aid
    • Fever
    • Medication & Vitamins
    • Obesity
    • Rashes
    • Stomach Aches
    • Vaccines
  • PARENTING

    PARENTING

    See All PARENTING

    The Stay at Home Guide for Parents

    Everything you need to thrive at home as a family.
    • Positive Parenting
    • Parenting Style
    • Celebrity Parents
    • Family Dynamics
    • Divorce
    • Home
    • Adoption
    • Just for Mom
    • Money
    • Toy Recalls
    • Stroller Recalls
  • FOOD

    FOOD

    See All FOOD
    • Family Recipes
    • Baby Food
    • Toddler Finger Food Recipes
    • Hints & Tips
    • Healthy Eating
    • Birthdays
    • Holiday Recipes
    • Quick & Easy Meals
    • Food For Pregnant Women
  • HOLIDAY

    HOLIDAY

    See All HOLIDAY

    44 Fun Valentine's Day Crafts for Kids

    Spend an afternoon making these Valentine's Day cards, decorations, and edible projects for kids. Bonus: These craft ideas are perfect for preschoolers and the ideal homemade gift for a few special someones!
    • Christmas
    • New Year's
    • Valentine's Day
    • Easter
    • Mother's Day
    • Memorial Day
    • Father's Day
    • 4th of July
    • Halloween
    • Thanksgiving
    • Hanukkah
  • News
  • THE STAY AT HOME GUIDE
  • SHOP
  • OUR MAGAZINES

    OUR MAGAZINES

    See All OUR MAGAZINES
    • Parents
    • Parents Latina
    • Ser Padres
  • MORE

    MORE

    • Newsletters
    • Contests
    • ParentsIRL
    • Adulting
    • First Year Playbook
    • Celebrate Your Way

Profile Menu

Subscribe this link opens in a new tab
Your Account

Account

  • Join Now
  • Your Profile
  • Your Profile
  • Newsletters
  • Manage Your Subscription this link opens in a new tab
  • Give a Gift Subscription this link opens in a new tab
  • Cozi Family Organizer this link opens in a new tab
  • Help
  • Logout
Login
Sweepstakes

Follow Us

  1. Home
  2. Babies
  3. Gear
  4. Buying Guides
  5. 16 Tech Finds That Will Change Your Family’s Life

16 Tech Finds That Will Change Your Family’s Life

By Leslie Corona and Laura Fenton
April 03, 2018
Skip gallery slides
Save Pin
Credit: Courtesy of LifeProof
We scoured the market for the latest gadgets that can help you reach your parenting goals.
Start Slideshow

1 of 16

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

You absolutely need sleep.

Credit: Courtesy of Happiest Baby

Enter the SNOO Smart Sleeper ($1,160), which soothes babies to sleep by responding to crying with different levels of white noise and motion. “After night feedings, I could just put my son down in the SNOO and be totally confident that he would stay asleep,” says Anne Fenton, a mom of two in Brooklyn. As for the steep price tag (gulp!), Happiest Baby has begun partnering with major companies to offer rental programs to new-parent employees.

  • SHOP ALL BASSINETS
  • RELATED: Could This New Infant Sleeper Be the Secret to More Sleep—for You and Your Baby?

1 of 16

Advertisement
Advertisement

2 of 16

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

You want to streamline your nursery gadgets.

Credit: Courtesy of Hatch Baby

Keep it simple with the 3-in-1 Hatch Baby Rest ($60). It’s a soothing noise machine, a nightlight, and later on, an okay-to-wake light for your toddler that you can control remotely from a smartphone. We love that you have precise control over the volume and brightness of the night-light too.

  • SHOP ALL NIGHT LIGHTS

2 of 16

3 of 16

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

You believe in good lighting.

Credit: Courtesy of Philips

Wi-Fi-enabled Philips Hue bulbs ($15 to $200) deliver. Because you can program them to light up at a set hour, you never have to come home to a dark house. You can also set them to emit a calmer yellow/ orange glow at certain times, which is soothing for both kiddos and grown-ups before bedtime. 

  • SHOP ALL LIGHTING
  • RELATED: Creating a Sleep Sanctuary for Your Baby

3 of 16

Advertisement

4 of 16

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

You find it impossible to track your baby’s sleep.

Credit: Courtesy of Nanit

An innovative device that mounts above the crib, the Nanit Smart Baby Monitor ($279) records your baby’s sleep, then analyzes it. The app then offers personalized guidance and tips. “It’s helpful to find out what happens in the blur of the night,” says Parents senior editor Julia Edelstein. “It showed me my son had put himself back to sleep twice, which I hadn’t realized he could do.”

  • SHOP ALL BABY MONITORS

4 of 16

5 of 16

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

You’re tired of running out of printer ink.

Credit: Courtesy of HP

It won’t happen again with HP’s Instant Ink printers ($50 and up; plus $3+/month subscription). You’ll automatically receive more ink when yours senses you’re low. Plus, the monthly cost can work out to less than a year’s worth of buying printer ink the traditional way.

  • SHOP ALL PRINTERS

5 of 16

6 of 16

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Your child needs motivation to brush her teeth.

Credit: Courtesy of Colgate

The Colgate Smart Electronic Toothbrush E1 ($100) lets you track and reward good brushing through its app. FamilyFun’s deputy managing editor, Tara Lustberg, tested it with her son, and reports: “I haven’t had an argument about brushing his teeth in days!” 

  • RELATED: Tips for Baby Tooth Care

6 of 16

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

7 of 16

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

You’re germ-aware, part 1.

Credit: Courtesy of Moen

Solve every parent’s dinner-prep dilemmas (like raw-chicken hands) forever by upgrading to a Moen MotionSense Wave kitchen faucet ($278 and up). You turn it on and off with the wave of your hand. Take that, bad bacteria! 

  • SHOP ALL KITCHEN FAUCETS

7 of 16

8 of 16

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

You’re germ-aware, part 2.

Credit: Courtesy of SImplehuman

Go touch-free with Simplehuman’s Rechargeable Sensor Pump ($50). It dispenses soap when you put your hand under the spout. 

  • SHOP ALL SOAP DISPENSERS

8 of 16

9 of 16

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

You need an easy way to label your kid’s stuff.

Credit: Courtesy of P-touch

Enter the P-touch Cube ($60) app-controlled label maker. You type in “Ellie Walker Sports Bottle” on your phone, select a template, and out comes a label. We’re officially #obsessed. 

  • RELATED: 55 Ways to Clear Clutter

9 of 16

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

10 of 16

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

You’re crafty on the regular.

Credit: Courtesy of Cricut

Whether you’re in charge of a classroom of kids or your own crew at home, a Cricut smart-cutting machine ($130 and up) will take your projects to the next level. It can cut out shapes from materials like vinyl and polished foils. “For Halloween, we used ours to make vinyl window clings,” says FamilyFun editor-in-chief Elizabeth Shaw. 

  • SHOP ALL DIY & CRAFT SUPPLIES

10 of 16

11 of 16

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

You’ve got a knack for misplacing things.

Credit: Courtesy of Tile Mate

Attach the Tile Mate ($25), a Bluetooth tracker, to your wallet or keys. Then use the app to locate them. The Tile itself can also find your phone, “perfect if you have a middle-schooler who’s still adjusting to the responsibility of a new phone,” adds tech lifestyle blogger Carley Knobloch. 

11 of 16

12 of 16

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

You still need convincing on the Instant Pot.

Credit: Courtesy of Instant Pot

Besides the fact that you can cook risotto hands-off or braise beef in as little as 20 minutes instead of three hours, the Instant Pot Ultra ($150) has new parents in mind: You can use it to sterilize baby bottles, jars, and utensils too!

  • SHOP ALL SMALL KITCHEN APPLIANCES

12 of 16

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

13 of 16

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Brilliant ways moms use Alexa

Credit: Courtesy of Amazon

“When I was nursing, I used Alexa’s timer to keep track of when to switch sides. My hands were full!” —Marisa LaScala, Parents news editor

“We use our Google Home Mini to chat with Santa! He’s available year-round, FYI.” —Julia Tortoriello, Parents Latina deputy editor

“I like that Google Home can translate English words into Spanish for us.” —Maya Tank, mom of two, Jersey City, New Jersey

“When my son refuses to wear a coat, I’ll ask Alexa if it’s cold out. When she says yes, he’ll put it on.” —Julia Edelstein, Parents senior editor

“It satisfies kids’ curiosity without using a screen. We’ll ask things like, ‘What is the difference between a manta ray and a stingray?’ ” —Sarah Blaszczak, Parents contributor

“If you ask Alexa to ‘Open the Magic Door,’ she’ll tell an interactive, choose-your-own-adventure story.” —Bianca Strul, mom of two, New York City

“I use Alexa’s ‘to do’ list as our Costco list. I can add things even as my spouse drives to the store. When he arrives, he sees an updated list in the Alexa app.” —Kate Smith, mom of two, Lexington, Kentucky

Amazon Echo Dot ($49.99)

  • SHOP ALL SMART HOME PRODUCTS

13 of 16

14 of 16

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

If your battery’s always in the red...

Credit: Peter Ardito

Try the OtterBox uniVERSE case with Mophie Charge Force Battery (case, $50 and up, and battery, $70). The battery doesn’t clunk up your phone, because you can remove it

  • SHOP ALL CASES & PROTECTORS

14 of 16

15 of 16

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

If you’re moonlighting as an Instagram influencer...

Credit: Courtesy of LuMee

Take better photos and videos, even in suboptimal lighting, with a LuMee Duo ($70) case. It has built-in lights on the front and back. 

  • SHOP ALL APPLE IPHONE CASES

15 of 16

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

16 of 16

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

If you’re the mom of a toddler...

Credit: Courtesy of LifeProof

LifeProof FRĒ cases ($80 and up) are waterproof, dirt-proof, and protect against “impact,” um, tech-speak for drop-proof.

  • SHOP ALL LIFEPROOF PHONE CASES

16 of 16

Replay gallery

Share the Gallery

Pinterest Facebook

Up Next

Share the Gallery

Pinterest Facebook
Trending Videos
Advertisement
Skip slide summaries

Everything in This Slideshow

Advertisement

View All

1 of 16 You absolutely need sleep.
2 of 16 You want to streamline your nursery gadgets.
3 of 16 You believe in good lighting.
4 of 16 You find it impossible to track your baby’s sleep.
5 of 16 You’re tired of running out of printer ink.
6 of 16 Your child needs motivation to brush her teeth.
7 of 16 You’re germ-aware, part 1.
8 of 16 You’re germ-aware, part 2.
9 of 16 You need an easy way to label your kid’s stuff.
10 of 16 You’re crafty on the regular.
11 of 16 You’ve got a knack for misplacing things.
12 of 16 You still need convincing on the Instant Pot.
13 of 16 Brilliant ways moms use Alexa
14 of 16 If your battery’s always in the red...
15 of 16 If you’re moonlighting as an Instagram influencer...
16 of 16 If you’re the mom of a toddler...

Share options

Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Login

Parents

Magazines & More

Learn More

  • About Us
  • Subscribe this link opens in a new tab
  • Customer Service this link opens in a new tab
  • Cozi Family Organizer this link opens in a new tab
  • Advertise this link opens in a new tab
  • Content Licensing this link opens in a new tab
  • From Our Sponsors this link opens in a new tab
  • Affiliate Program this link opens in a new tab
  • Sitemap

Connect

Follow Us
Subscribe to Our Newsletter
Other Meredith Sites

Other Meredith Sites

  • 4 Your Health this link opens in a new tab
  • Allrecipes this link opens in a new tab
  • All People Quilt this link opens in a new tab
  • Better Homes & Gardens this link opens in a new tab
  • Bizrate Insights this link opens in a new tab
  • Bizrate Surveys this link opens in a new tab
  • Cooking Light this link opens in a new tab
  • Daily Paws this link opens in a new tab
  • EatingWell this link opens in a new tab
  • Eat This, Not That this link opens in a new tab
  • Entertainment Weekly this link opens in a new tab
  • Food & Wine this link opens in a new tab
  • Health this link opens in a new tab
  • Hello Giggles this link opens in a new tab
  • Instyle this link opens in a new tab
  • Martha Stewart this link opens in a new tab
  • Midwest Living this link opens in a new tab
  • More this link opens in a new tab
  • MyRecipes this link opens in a new tab
  • MyWedding this link opens in a new tab
  • My Food and Family this link opens in a new tab
  • MyLife this link opens in a new tab
  • Parenting this link opens in a new tab
  • People this link opens in a new tab
  • People en Español this link opens in a new tab
  • Rachael Ray Magazine this link opens in a new tab
  • Real Simple this link opens in a new tab
  • Ser Padres this link opens in a new tab
  • Shape this link opens in a new tab
  • Siempre Mujer this link opens in a new tab
  • Southern Living this link opens in a new tab
  • SwearBy this link opens in a new tab
  • Travel & Leisure this link opens in a new tab
Parents.com is part of the Parents Network. © Copyright 2021 Meredith Corporation. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policythis link opens in a new tab Terms of Servicethis link opens in a new tab Ad Choicesthis link opens in a new tab California Do Not Sellthis link opens a modal window Web Accessibilitythis link opens in a new tab
© Copyright . All rights reserved. Printed from https://www.parents.com

View image

16 Tech Finds That Will Change Your Family’s Life
this link is to an external site that may or may not meet accessibility guidelines.