This article contains affiliate links, we will receive a commission on any sales we generate from it.Learn more Becoming a parent brings a lot of change, but it also brings the temptation to fork out quite a bit of cash on expensive baby technology and products - many of which feel as though they may have had a rather inflated price attached.As a new parent myself, I’ve been putting a range of baby gear through its paces to see what is actually useful and justifies the cost, as well as cheaper items that have been just as helpful.From strollers to sterilisers, here are my seven top baby tech and gear picks for new parents.Doona X car seat & stroller Tech news, reviews and latest gadgets plus selected offers and competitions Subscribe Invalid emailWe use your sign-up to provide content in ways you've consented to and to improve our understanding of you.This may include adverts from us and 3rd parties based on our understanding.
You can unsubscribe at any time.Read our Privacy Policy£499 from DoonaThis hybrid creation has been a godsend.Rather than faffing about putting a pram in the boot of the car while struggling to get baby into the car seat, why not have a car seat that turns into a stroller?The Doona X car seat and stroller is just 8.3kg and is suitable for infants from 40-85 cm height up to 13 kg weight.
It comes with a newborn insert too, so the really little ones below 5kg will be snug and safe from birth, too - that said, this is an expensive purchase given it will only last most parents one year till baby outgrows it.The chair has three recline positions and can be secured in the car with a seat belt or an optional £159 ISOFIX base for easier docking.Baby is very cosy and safe thanks to premium materials and great padding.Also handy are the optional sunshade extension and rain cover for year-round protection against the elements.Ewan the Dream Sheep Deluxe£44.99 from AmazonFor parents who don’t want to ruin their Spotify Wrapped with nursery rhymes and white noise playlists, this cute soft toy sheep named Ewan is a wonderful baby soother in disguise.
The machine-washable, deluxe version of Ewan has a rechargeable unit inside that can play ten soothing sounds, including ‘rainfall’, ‘waves’ and ‘womb’ to help little ones nod off at night.It can be strapped to a cot by the tail, has a glowing night light inside, and even has a cry sensor so it can do its thing right on cue rather than blast noise all night long.You have to remove the sound unit to recharge it, which did make me question the necessity of the sheep outer - cute though it is, my baby only needed the soothing crash of waves to nod off, and Ewan can take up quite a lot of room attached to a smaller moses basket.It may well truly come into its own after six months when the baby moves to a larger cot.Tommee Tippee Electric Baby Nail File£14.99 from AmazonI vastly underestimated how fast my baby’s nails would grow.Turns out I need to file them down about once per week to avoid him scratching up his own face or barely-eyed parents - and I did not want to be dicing about with nail clippers on his tiny fingers.Enter the Tommee Tippee electric baby nail file, which was recommended to me by a friend.
Currently on sale for £14.99, I’d still recommend it for the full £19.99 retail price.It comes in a handy travel case with six filing heads - three are for babies but the others are for adults to shape, polish and buff their own nails, a nice touch.The LED light for use in the dark is next to useless as the file head gets in the way, but the filing itself is excellent.It runs on two AA batteries (annoyingly not included) and spins in a circular motion each way at two different selectable speeds.
It’s gentle enough for my son to barely bat an eyelid when doing it, though we do have to distract him a little to get all ten digits done in a dash.Medela Motion InBra Double Electric Wearable Breast Pump£189 from AmazonThis is an expensive investment, but my wife had more success from this compared to a cheaper electric pump and another even cheaper hand pump.The two well-designed units can be held while using or can sit hands-free inside a bra, are easy to disassemble to clean, and come with different size nipple inserts to fit, hopefully, most.The devices are rechargeable via USB-C, and you can easily express and then pour directly into bottles for feeding, making them great for travel too, as they are very portable.However as with any breast pump, you’re not guaranteed success as every body is different, so this is a lot to spend if it doesn’t end up getting much use.Flybaby Baby Carrier£201.52 from Olivers BabyCare (was £279)The clever flexible 3D knit material means this fully adjustable premium baby carrier packs away very small and is only 425g.
One niggle is the lack of head and neck support for the smallest babies - I fared better when my son was a little larger at around 9 weeks, though the fit and magnetic fastenings make it easier to get on and off than buckled and heavy-strapped alternatives.The knit provides a superbly close fit, and the fabric’s holes make it nicely breathable, which means it is preferable to more popular carriers from brands such as Ergobaby when the heatwave hits - though the Flybaby’s lack of padding does make it less comfortable to wear for hours on end.Suitable from 3.2kg to 15kg, and the stretch material means it grows with your baby.It would be easier to wholeheartedly recommend to absolutely everyone if it weren’t so expensive.To soften the blow, at the time of writing it is on sale.Eufy E21 Smart Video Baby Monitor£179 from Amazon (was £249)There are cheaper baby monitors out there, but this one has a great set of features that make keeping an eye on your baby easier and reassuring.
Though you can connect to an app for extra features, I love that the rechargeable camera and 5-inch screen work out of the box with no app or Wi-Fi connection needed, which is preferable for security - but it’s a shame that the screen does not work with Wi-Fi, so if you want the smart features, you have to use a smartphone.You can keep both the camera and screen permanently plugged in, but you can also use both wirelessly.Battery life on both camera and dock will keep things going without needing to recharge for a whole night - though the camera gets quite warm however it’s powered, which is a shame.The battery option means it’s easy to take on nights away with one USB-C charger.You get 4K UHD resolution, night vision, and full pan and tilt controls to zoom in on baby wherever you place the camera.
There’s two-way audio, temperature monitor, and crib and wall mounts in the box.But you could also spend hundreds less on this £14.99 Motorola two-way audio monitor, which will let you know when something is up.Milton Cold Water Steriliser£21.99 from AmazonI opted to avoid pricey kitchen-top sterilising machines (I’d spent enough already!) and have been saving money by sterilising baby bottles, pumps, dummies and toys in treated water.This cold water steriliser sits on my kitchen counter, and all I need to do is replace the water every 24 hours and add one dissolving tablet (a pack of 40 is £3.60 from Boots).Items are sterile after 15 minutes, and there is no need for boiling water or any electrical equipment.It’s easy, and you can pack the tablets for an easy way to sterilise when travelling, though you’ll most likely need a smaller container for that, especially if you’re going by air.
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