4 Smart Home Devices Perfect for New Parents

Editor’s Note: This is a guest post from Tony P., the lead author of Techdhome.com, a technology blog that focuses on smart homes and their devices that make life easier. He enjoys reviewing consumer smart items and tech and having a fun time using these items throughout his home for his family to enjoy.

Parents – The title alone is enough to strike excitement (or fear) into new expecting parents. The first thing that comes to mind of most new parents are the wonderful thoughts of a joyful little one who will be a delightful addition to the family. For the tech ones like you and I, the next thought after the initial joy is what cool new tech gear can I fit into this kids’ room without alarming my family and relatives to take “action.”

With a new addition, it’s always a great time to think of cool new tech gear that can free up some time and also hands during the new transition. This list goes over some smart devices that should be on every baby registry for new and old parents. The brands mentioned in this list are my recommendations for devices that I use in my house and I feel comfortable knowing they offer the features and reliability that will help new and old parents alike. When shopping for devices please use this list as an option of comparison to see what fits your needs.

1. Baby Video Monitor

I don’t think any nursery is complete without a PTZ (Pan Tilt Zoom) camera mounted on a wall or sitting on a dresser. You can find a good PTZ camera using our camera advisor. When the little one cries out in the middle of the night and no one is around, will the sleep-deprived parent hear them? Of course, because this camera also has a good intercom that can allow you to hear everything going on. With a quick open of the app and a few presses later you are viewing the little one to make sure they are down for the count with no issues.

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Night-time vision, HD feed, and cloud monitoring are some the features that can even monitor your child when Nana’s watching them for the day while you’re away. This was one of the first items on my personal baby shower list and I definitely recommend it to anyone looking for a good baby monitor without the “baby” markup price.

2. Voice Assistant

A voice assistant is amazing when the hands are full of…love and other things that may get deposited into your embracing and sometimes surprised, hands during the daily routines with the little one. I personally have the Echo Dot and I enjoy the routines for controlling smart home devices and skills that actually benefit new parents and also nursing mothers. There are also some games as well that are good for bringing a little fun into a daily routine.

You can also control switches for turning off the light when it’s time for a nap or make a plug start up the wipe warmer before you wake the little guy up from his nap. They can also control a smart thermostat like the Nest or Ecobee, using voice control to change the thermostat setpoint to make a comfortable environment perfect for little eyes to close for the night.

I have a sound machine connected to a smart plug with another plug controlling a lamp. Running a routine on my Echo called “night, night”, automatically turns on the sound machine and turns off the light so I can focus on wishing sweet dreams to my little guy.

Editor’s note: Here is some good advice for choosing which smart speaker to go with. Also, here is a full review of the Ecobee lite thermostat.

3. Echo Wall Clock

Echo Wall Clock
Echo Wall Clock

This is a really neat item to have. This clock is a sleek and cool addition to any modern house with a cool feature that actually shows the remaining time left on a timer that was set by the Echo device. So no having to worry about how much remaining time is left when you have this clock counting it down for you visually, while still functioning as a normal wall clock. The size is not too large so don’t worry about it being a focal point unintentionally. It will serve well on a wall bookshelf.

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4. Wemo Smart Light Switch

The Wemo Smart Switch is the perfect device for hands-free control of lights and also Wemo Smart Plugs and Smart Bulbs as well. Make sure to add this one to your list or registry. I recently did a detailed review of the Wemo Smart Light Switch and App, check it out for more details of why it’s my first selection for this list.

The main feature that really helps out is the Long Press Rule. Pressing the switch for two seconds activates the Long Press-Rule. This rule can operate multiple Wemo smart devices all from one switch. Leaving the nursery room and heading downs stairs, press and hold the light switch down for a few seconds and the bottle warmer turns on heating up the next meal while the sound machine and ceiling light turn off with just one press.

What’s even better is its super simple to set up and make happen. So if the little one is in your arms fast asleep as you tiptoe about being cautious as any little voice will wake them, then the light switch can be your savior with a quick press and its total control of your lights and whatever else you want to happen.

Editor’s note: Consider also the TP-Link smart plug and switch.

Final Thoughts

Nothing is more special than bringing home a little wonderful being and investing your love, time, and energy into their well being and growth. That is my greatest joy and I have to say that these devices were the best support for my wife and I during the early months. I hope these suggestions are beneficial to your journey and assist you with your new adventures.

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4 Smart Home Devices Perfect for New Parents

by Tech'd Home time to read: 4 min