Photo by Kyle Nieber on Unsplash
People often grumble about the fast pace of modern life and reminisce about the “good old days”. While there’s no denying that we do have a fast-paced life, it comes with a lot of technological benefits, especially for new parents. Think about this – earlier, we only had manual breast pumps which took a lot of time and effort and left you with tired and aching arms. Today, with electric pumps, we no longer have to struggle during pumping sessions. Here’s some must-have tech for modern moms:
- Wearable Breast Pumps
When electric pumps hit the market, we thought we had it made! Moms didn’t have to manually express milk as the electric motor took care of it. The downside to electric pumps was that you had to choose between 2 options – you could choose one that plugged into an electrical outlet which meant that you couldn’t move from that position for your entire pumping session or you could choose a pump that attached to a large battery that you had to carry with you. When wearable breast pumps hit the market, there was no doubt that they were everything moms had ever wished for and more! As the name suggests, you slip your pump into your bra for complete discretion. Most pumps come with an app that allows you to fine-tune the settings so that they are perfect for you. Not all breast pumps are the same so you can check a comparison of the best wearable breast pumps by independent experts. This will allow you to compare the different features of each pump so that you can pick one that best suits you and your needs.
- Smart Baby Monitors
Smart baby monitors offer a lot more than the simple audio and video monitoring that regular baby monitors provide. Smart monitors offer two-way audio, sleep tracking, and even the surrounding temperature so that you know if your baby’s room is too hot or too cold. These smart monitors connect to your smartphone so that you can check on your baby from anywhere to make sure that all is well which can give you peace of mind as you go about your other daily tasks. You might be tempted to take this one step further and invest in a wearable sleep apnea monitor for SIDs but the American Academy of pediatrics advises against it. They found that parents who use these monitors are more likely to feel fear and anxiety compared to parents who do not use them. Instead, they advise parents to take simple steps to prevent SIDS such as using a firm mattress and always putting the baby to sleep on his or her back and not the stomach
- Automated Formula Makers
As a sleep-deprived mom, the last thing you want to do is to spend time in the kitchen preparing your baby’s bottle at 4 am while they scream in hunger. It’s even worse if the formula lands up too hot and you have to pacify your little one while waiting for the formula to cool down. Automated formula makers precisely mix the formula and water and control the temperature so that it’s ready in about a minute. You can place the formula maker within arm’s reach of your nursing chair so that you can switch it on and by the time you take your baby out of the crib and get comfortable in your chair, the bottle is ready.
- Smart White Noise Machines
Babies are more sensitive to noise compared to adults since their ear canals are smaller which means that sounds are louder for them. This is why even slight sounds in their environment can disturb them when they are sleeping. White noise machines produce soothing and consistent sounds that mask any background noise which will allow your little one to enjoy undisturbed sleep. White noise machines also help babies fall asleep faster – one study found that 80% of babies fell asleep within five minutes when there was white noise playing compared to only 25% of babies who fell asleep within the same time frame without the use of a white noise machine. A smart white noise machine offers customizable soundscapes as well as sleep tracking to help you create the perfect sleep environment for your baby.
- Diaper Sensor
Very often, babies wake up, soil their diapers and fall asleep again within seconds so you can’t depend on them crying to know that you need to change their diaper. It’s important that they do not stay in their dirty diaper because the warm and moist environment causes an overgrown of the candida yeast aka diaper rash. Diaper sensors track changes in your baby’s diaper and send alerts to your phone letting you know when your baby has soiled their diaper.
