15 Award-Winning Family Tech Products Parents Editors Swear By

Best Home Innovation

C by GE

What if you could stick a switch anywhere, no electrical wiring required, and have it turn anything on or off? The C by GE Wire-Free Smart Switch, used with one of the C by GE lightbulbs or the C by GE Smart Plug, is just one exciting part of this extensive line, rolling out now. The mind reels: You could place a switch low so your preschooler could control his own light. Or put an extra one outside the nursery so you can turn that light off without stepping in and getting your baby worked up. Or reinvent the lighting in a home that you rent and don't own. Genius! Wire-Free Smart Switch $25, Smart Plug $24, Smart Bulb $13; Available at cbyge.com

Best New Baby Gear

4moms mamaRoo Sleep Bassinet

The same range of five proven soothing motions from the 4moms mamaRoo infant seat are in the brand's new bassinet. Choose the one your baby loves, dial in the best speed, and add vibration and even white noise. Control all of it from an app or the console on the bassinet. 4moms mamaRoo Sleep Bassinet, $330; Available in February at 4moms.com

Best New-Parent Resource

Owlet Dream Lab

When his third baby­ sent a dad at Owlet into deep sleep deprivation, he decided that beyond the insights available from the Owlet Smart Sock, parents need tailored sleep advice. He developed what is essentially a sleep-coach experience accessible over the web: a personalized video course taught by celebrity sleep experts Jill Spivack and Jen Waldenburger. Start by answering, honestly, 100 questions about your baby and your family routine. At the end of the video course you'll have three different solutions to try, depending on whether you are more attachment-style or okay with sleep training. Owlet guarantees your baby will sleep through the night if you dutifully follow the course for a week! Owlet Dream Lab, $199; Available at owletcare.com

Best for Sleep

Hatch Restore

There's so much for your kid's sleep, but what about your own? Hatch Restore is a bedside sleep aide that doesn't just help you wind down or wake up, it does both, plus keeps you sleeping all night. It's highly customizable: Nod off to guided meditations or bedtime stories set to different lengths of time; automatically transition to your favorite white noise all night, and set Restore's gentle sunrise alarm to cue a gradually brightening light 30 minutes before your alarm sounds, which can wake you up with noises like bird calls. Play with all the possibilities to find what keeps you snoozing! Hatch Restore, approximately $150; Available this Spring at hatch.co

Best Babycare Innovation

Lumi by Pampers

This bold new complete baby-tracking system can get your family on a routine, improve sleep, and make you more confident parents. Put the sensor on the outside of a Lumi diaper and it will tell the app when the diaper is wet, plus monitor your baby's sleep and movements all day. With that data the app helps you work through pain points, suggesting the best bedtime and naptimes and alerting you when a feeding should be coming. The purchase price comes with high-resolution video monitor, diapers, and activity sensor plus a 30-day satisfaction guarantee. Lumi by Pampers, $349; Available at www.lumibypampers.com

• RELATED: Pampers Launches Lumi, An App and Monitor System That Syncs Up With Your Baby's Diapers

Best Baby Tech

Baby Brezza Formula Pro Advanced with WiFi

Parents already love this formula-making machine that puts out a perfect bottle in seconds, the water/powder mix calibrated to the specific formula that you use. (The brand tests with all of them, even imported formulas!) The 2020 Formula Pro Advanced works either manually per usual or with a new app, so you can get the bottle started remotely and by the time you reach your kitchen, the bottle is ready to go. The app tracks the bottles you make and can automatically order formula when you run low. It offers three temperature settings and 2- to 10-ounce increments. Baby Breeza Formula Pro Advanced, $280; Available in June and now for preorder at babybreezza.com

Best Cooking Helper

Weber Connect Smart Grilling Hub

Many grill aficionados are particular about their method. But if you're still figuring out all the tips and tricks, or enjoy trying new meats and meals, this smart thermometer will help you perfectly cook anything when paired with the free app. They'd love you to use a Weber grill, but Weber Connect works with any grill (and is built right into one deluxe Weber grill called the Smokefire). Each app lesson starts with preheating, tells you when to turn the cut over, and alerts you when it should be done so you don't have to stand over the grill like a watchdog. Weber Connect Smart Grilling Hub, $129; Available at weber.com

Best Food Innovation

Impossible Pork

This was the hit of CES: plant-based pork, as well as plant-based sausage. The maker of the yummy Impossible Burger (of Impossible Whopper fame) has created a food that works like ground pork and tastes like ground pork but is primarily soy. Bummer: Impossible can not yet say when the new product will hit stores, nor how much it will cost. But we're ready! More information available at Impossilbefoods.com/pork/

Best Pregnancy Tech

The Roo Powered by Hubble

This looks to be the fastest, easiest way to check your baby's heartbeat, pairing this handheld tool and its app. The device is small and able to tuck into your underwear or be held against your belly with the included belt, no gel required. But keep in mind: The Roo is not a medical device, so if something seems amiss, don't fret. Instead, go see your doctor for a professional prenatal examination. The Roo, $49; Get more information at hubbleconnected.com and available end of January at target.com to buy

• RELATED: 9 Pregnancy Gadgets

Best Preschool Tech Toy

Marbotic Smart Kits

Adorable wooden letters, numbers and shapes pair with your existing iPad plus Marbotic apps for gentle preschool-appropriate educational play. The kits designed for ages 3 years+ are widely used in schools (especially in Europe) and are now available at Apple stores, most for $50. The new Sesame Street Numbers kit is especially cute (Elmo is number 1!) and pairs with four different math games. Marbotic Smart Kits, $50; Get more information marbotic.com and available at apple.com to buy

Best App for Kids

Hamelin Scribzee

This tool is amazing for any kid doing homework, and let's face it, that seems to start with first-grade word lists these days. When used with specially made Hamelin notebooks and flashcards, the free Scribzee app makes it easy to store handwritten notes on a tablet or phone. Having kids do the initial handwriting is important for retention, but being able to study a device is key for practicality. Plus, if you child ever loses notes, this provides a backup as well as a way to electronically compare notes with a friend. Scribzee is free on iOS and Android; Additional information and products available at www.hamelin.store

Best New Coding Games

Terminal Two by Endless

These games guide kids ages 8+ through coding lessons in a way that's nothing but fun. There are a bunch of games to try (Canyon, The Maze, White House, Dragon's Apprentice, Viking Village) and more coming. All are downloadable, a few also come as iOs apps, and five (including Aqueducts, The Passage, and Frog Squash) will be available for web-based play—no download needed—so kids can use them for an hour of code. Free for now at terminaltwo.com

Best Laptop Innovation

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Fold

This computer folds up like a book! You can read on it as if it is a book, half-open in your lap. Is there really anything else to say? It's priced for tech pros and maybe most practical for a college student, but we say if our family PC could be this easy-to-tote and fun to fold, we'd take it! Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Fold, $2499; Available midyear at lenovo.com

Coolest Gadget

Pocketalk

Anyone who has ever encountered a language barrier can appreciate Pocketalk, a credit-card-size device which takes your sentence, spoken out loud, and then says it in any of 74 languages. You don't need to sweat finding the right words or pronunciation! It would be great for any family trip abroad, but looking deeper, it could also be a great tool for kids in language lessons, particularly if your child is studying a language you never learned and you want to help. Pocketalk, $299; Available for preorder at Pocketalk.net

Best Oral Health

OralB iO

Parents got to test this new toothbrush and wow, it is a comprehensive lesson in proper brushing! Fantastic for older kids, but also embarrassingly good for adults who may think they brush properly but have never been tested. It's a quiet electric brush that keeps the vibration in the head, not so much in the handle, making it easy to hold. Set it for any of 7 modes (sensitive, gum care, etc) and open the free app; as you brush, it will count the couple minutes for you, alert if you are pressing too hard or not enough, and show the areas of your mouth that you've reached. Afterward you get a report and suggestions. OralB iO price is not yet finalized; Available the end of summer at io.oralb.com