six of the best
MOTOROLA MBP482 BABY VIDEO MONITOR, £59.99, Argos
AS well as producing mobile products, in recent years tech giant Motorola has carved a niche as a baby monitor specialist too.
Powered by a rechargeable battery – so it can be moved without any interference to the screen – position the small camera at your baby’s cot and the 2.4” tablet will live screen from the nursery. It also displays the in-room temperature and offers infrared night vision so you don’t have to hit the lights to check baby’s safe once darkness has fallen.
GRO EGG ROOM THERMOMETER, £14.99, Argos
THE NHS recommend keeping a baby’s room at around 18C to reduce the risk of overheating.
One way of monitoring this is by investing in a thermometer. Once plugged into the mains, this one by Gro Egg displays the temperature and subtly glows in one of four different soft colours according to the room’s reading.
So blue is too cold, yellow is ideal, orange is warm and red is too hot, and it also comes with an unhappy face emoticon as an extra nudge for you to adjust the heating.
EWAN THE DREAM SHEEP, £29.99, sweetdreamers.co.uk
THIS gadget is pure comfort. From the outside it’s a super soft cuddly sheep toy, but inside, it’s much smarter than that.
Once three AAA batteries (not included) have been added, Ewan transforms into a technically savvy bedtime soother. Pull any leg and he’ll emit one of four low frequency sounds, including a real recording of womb sounds and a heartbeat, and give off a soft pink glow. Ewan’s tail is made from Velcro, so he can be secured to the top of a cot or pram.
PHILIPS AVENT 3 IN 1 ELECTRIC STEAM STERILISER, £70, Mothercare
THIS all-in-one system has removable compartments enabling shorter cycles for small items such as dummies, as well as a larger container for a full load of six bottles and breast pump equipment. It takes six minutes to sterilise a load.
CHICCO NATURAL FEELING COMPLETE STARTER SET, £60 (RRP £150), Mothercare
THIS comes with an electric steriliser, manual breast pump, five bottles and a dummy. You can stack up to six 330ml feeding bottles in the steriliser (most bottle brands will fit, but check), as well as smaller accessories in the other compartment at a time, for a five-minute blast.
OBLUMI TAPP SMART THERMOMETER, £39.99, Amazon
SMARTPHONE users can turn their device into a family thermometer. Download the app, secure the probe in the headphone jack and cover the nozzle with the blue cover and start taking readings, either on the forehead or in the ear. It can also be used to check the temperature of bath water and a baby’s bottle.