Your new arrival provides the perfect excuse for a baby-themed gadget splurge
So you’re about to become a dad for the first time and, yep, your priorities are shifting somewhat. Shelling out a few hundred quid on that flatscreen TV suddenly becomes a little harder to justify. Meanwhile, the games console that had been top of your most-wanted list finds itself bumped by a travel system. But buying for the baby doesn’t have to begin and end with cots, prams and mountains of nappies. There’s some neat kit out there that can sate those gadget cravings too…
Braun NTF3000 No Touch Plus Forehead Digital Thermometer
If you’ve ever hankered after a set of nightvision goggles, here’s your chance. Motorola’s baby monitor enables you to see, as well as hear, your baby – and when its lights out time infra-red mode kicks in giving you a clear image of your sleeping infant in the darkness. The camera’s angle can be moved directly from the monitor unit, and the 2.4-inch screen is a decent size for checking in. The unit runs on batteries rather than mains so there are no cables getting in the way and its bundled with sensor pads that keep tabs on your baby’s breathing throughout the night.
£99.99, John Lewis
Snuza Hero
Monitors with sensor pads can offer peace of mind that your baby is breathing OK, but they’re not always the most portable solution. This little device is small enough to slip in a change bag so you can take it anywhere. What it does is clip to your baby’s nappy and then monitor their breathing. If there’s no breathing movement for 15 seconds, the device gently vibrates to rouse your baby. Should there still be no response, a loud alarm kicks in – waking your little one and alerting you.
£69.99, Argos
Ewan the Dream Sheep
Hundreds of glowing reviews on Amazon are testament to the magic that is Ewan the Dream Sheep. He’s designed to help hard-to-settle babies off to sleep; clicking the button in one of his feet activates womb noises and heartbeats, with a red glow emanating from within his belly. It’s a soothing combination even for an adult, but for babies it’s like being rocked to sleep in nanoseconds by Derren Brown. Each of the other feet creates a different sound: white noise, rain and a lullaby are also included.
£29.99, Amazon
Gro-light
It’s the simplicity of this one that grabs our attention. This clever gizmo can turn any light into a nightlight – you simply install it between light fitting and lightbulb. Once it’s in place, the function of your light switch changes. Flick the switch once and you’ll get a soothing glow that’s just enough to check on a sleeping newborn without stirring them into howling consciousness. Flick the switch twice and the light comes on as normal.
£17.99, Maplin
