Technology

Nanit Pro Baby Monitor Video Review

Baby monitors are considered a must-have for many baby registries. The team at Gugu Guru is just raving about the Nanit Baby Monitor. This monitor is so cutting-edge with its plethora of features. It’s very well suited for gadget geeks in general but its features also address specific challenges of working parents, parents of multiples and more. The Nanit is pricier than other monitors out there but when you see what it has to offer, you’ll understand why this is a great investment piece. Watch the video review from Julie of Babynav Baby Planners (one of our experts) to find out why we are so crazy about this state of the art monitor.

In sum, here’s why we love this monitor at Gugu Guru and why you should consider adding it to your baby registry:

The Nanit Pro Baby Monitor delivers real-time HD quality video, right to your phone or tablet. It’s the next best thing to being there.
From the unique directional antenna that keeps wi-fi signals away from your baby to the stable camera stand, every hardware detail was crafted with safety in mind. And Nanit’s videos and images are protected completely on the company’s secure servers.
Studies show sleep is a leading indicator of newborn health and development. Nanit Insights understands how your baby’s sleep quality changes from night to night, and compares it to healthy averages.

Nanit Pro provides a single place to track events of the day, making handoffs for parents and caregivers a breeze. Plus, Nanit makes it easy to share videos, and even digital scrapbooks, with family.
Your baby’s world stretches beyond the crib. With Multi-Stand, so does Nanit. Drop Nanit into the Multi-Stand for a perfect view of the bassinet, the whole nursery, or even grandma’s house.

Read this Real Dad Review of the Nanit Pro

Saving Memories with Little Nugget

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As a parent, we know how time can seem to fly and the moments to jot down memories are few and far between. Luckily, we are huge fans of Little Nugget Co, a phone app that makes saving all of your precious memories of your little ones super easy – you could create gorgeous memorabilia with literally just one finger (hello, distraction during feeding time!). Check out why we’re loving Little Nugget Co app and head down to the bottom of the post for a special discount for our readers!

It’s no shock that Little Nugget Co was created by parents, for parents; as they explain, “As new parents ourselves, we know it can feel like the days never end, yet time seems to fly by so quickly. It’s easy to forget your little one’s sweet moments and major milestones. We created the Little Nugget baby photo app to help you easily capture and curate those fleeting moments, big and small, so you can share and save them for years to come.”

So, how does it work? Super simple – even the most sleep deprived parent can manage to do this! Simply, upload your pregnancy and baby photos (we know you have a million on your phone). Add personalized text and fun artwork to mark the milestone, and then share privately or across your favorite social network. You can even choose from 400+ artwork overlays to perfectly mark your baby’s exciting milestones and sweet moments! Select from beautiful fonts to add your little one’s name, measurements and memories you never want to forget. Easily edit your baby photo with a selection of over 15 beautiful photo filters.

Want to save all of those memories into your baby book? Little Nugget Co offers free shipping on all prints, photo books, phone cases and more. We’re big fans of Polka Dot Print Shop for gorgeous and easy to use baby books (pictured above). Don’t have Little Nugget Co yet? Use code GuGuGuru15 for a 15% off! And use the hashtag #LittleNuggetGG so we can see your adorable photos on Instagram!

Some similar posts you may have missed:

Project4: Help 4Moms Bring the mamaRoo to Every NICU

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It’s no surprise that babies and parents alike love the 4Moms mamaRoo; it is one of the most popular registry items on Gugu Guru’s database! But, did you also know that when you buy a mamaRoo4 from 4Moms, you can help a baby in the NICU? It’s true. Through Project 4, 4% of mamaRoo4 sales (from July – December) will be donated to Project Sweet Peas, a non-profit that helps NICU babies.

Over 350 maternity wards, NICUs, and pediatric units across the U.S. use the mamaRoo to comfort newborns. Doctors and nurses have found it transformational in caring for preemies and babies with severe conditions. As Debbie Deedy-Dazzi, from the NICU at Lawrence & Memorial Hospital in Connecticut says, “The mamaRoo is invaluable to our tiniest of patients. The mamaRoo snuggles our preemies as if they were being held by their own mom or dad.”

For the last three years, Project Sweet Peas has worked closely with 4moms to provide the mamaRoo to hospitals and families in need across the country. Doctors and nurses have found the mamaRoo to be transformational in caring for preemies and babies with severe conditions. Through the program, 4Moms has been able to donate mamaRoos to families who may not be able to afford one, making the transition from hospital to home easier. As a mama to twins in the NICU stated, “Very few things comforted me and my NICU baby, except for the mamaRoo; it was his happy place. There should be mamaRoo in every room in every NICU around the world.”

How can you help? It’s simple. Go to the 4Moms website, and purchase your new 4Moms mamaRoo4 before December, 2017 – 4% of your purchase will go towards Project Sweet Peas and help a NICU family get a mamaRoo for themselves.

Some more on 4Moms:

Top 5 Tips for Photographing Your Kids from a Momtographer

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It’s the perfect time of year to capture photographs of your children which you will always remember as “summer memories,” but…wait a second, why won’t the baby smile? Why won’t the toddler stand still? Gah! Don’t worry, mama – we have you covered! Seasoned photographer Alex Mooney is here with her very tried and true Top 5 Tips for Photographing Your Kids! You can see Alex’s gorgeous photos on Instagram.

Ahhhh, so the time has come for you to snap a quick pic of your kiddos. What do you do?! How do you manage to capture that cute little memory you’re looking at so you can share away with your social media family or take advantage of Shutterfly’s free print promo they’re currently (always) running? Well, I have a few tips for you in your momtog ways to hopefully allow you to capture the best possible pictures of your kiddos that you can.

I’m a mom of three little ones myself (three kids four and under keeps me real BUSY) and am a photographer here in St. Louis. I snap everything from births to weddings to pets; however, hands-down the most challenging subjects to capture are kids! These tiny humans have their own little personalities, and unlike babies that just lay there and adults who are usually quite cooperative, kids definitely make me work hard to earn my paycheck. Besides the daily onslaught of pictures of my own children, I’ve been taking pictures for others for almost four years and I’ve gotten pretty good at managing to get some decent snaps of kids I’m photographing. I’m sharing with you my top 5 tips and tricks for photographing your kids — these work wonders for my own kids and kids I photograph, so hopefully they’ll work magic for you too! And whether you’re snappin’ with your iPhone or a DSLR, all of these tips can apply — they’re less about the equipment you’re using and more about capturing the moment (and capturing it well!) your kids are creating.

1. Know your camera, lighting, and surroundings

Get to know your camera — whether it’s a DSLR or smartphone, know how to use it! YouTube is a wonderful FREE resource for any tutorial on any kind of camera out there. I whipped up this iPhoneography tutorial a while back about how to take good pictures with your iPhone (or really any smartphone). Once you are relatively comfortable with your camera, it’s time to snap! You want to make sure you are aware of your surroundings and lighting — you don’t want to put your kids in direct sunlight and try to get them to look up at you for a picture while being blinded by the sun. Not-a-one of these tricks will help you combat that complete photo-taking resistance that’ll come from your kids! You want to make sure you’re putting them in a spot that is well lit (only use your flash if you have to; embrace natural light always!) and isn’t blinding them (hint: shade always is a good choice!)…I always like to have the sun behind my subjects. Obviously candid pictures happen sporadically and the beauty of candid is that they aren’t posed; however, if you are going for a posed picture, make sure you’re aware of your surroundings — try and eliminate any distractions in the picture (aka make sure there isn’t a random person in the background or a distracting sign) so you can focus just on your adorable kiddo subjects!

2. Bribery

I am most definitely not above bribery at.all. This is my number one go-to when photographing my own kids and any kids I have for a photoshoot. My favorite bribes are Dum-Dum suckers or bubbles (if you don’t want to load your kid up with a potentially sugary sticky mess). When I want to get a picture of my kids, I tell them that if they cooperate for a picture (or 70) that they’ll get to pick a sucker out of the sucker jar — or they’ll get to play with bubbles in the front yard. This trick works nearly every single time and I can usually get a few good snaps out of them before they realize that I promised them something tasty or more fun than sitting for a picture.

3. Props

Kids like holding things — my kids always seem to have something in their hands. However, when you’re trying to take a picture of your kids, they’re usually more cooperative if they have a prop or something to hold. Even a stick or flag or tiny toy works wonders, and totally illustrates the reality of having a kid too (they always have something in their grasps!). I like to toss in pets as well as props; our dog Scooter makes a wonderful prop and I always end up getting some great snaps of the kids with him because they love hugging and petting him and I just keep snapping away! In addition to letting your kids hold something, you can also use props to get your kids’ attention for the picture. Bubbles (seriously, bubbles work magic when it comes to kids and pictures!) are a great prop and make for some awesome pictures. Other things like a stuffed animal or a toy that you can hold and shake to get your kiddo’s attention works well to get their eyes geared towards you.

4. Being silly

Kids respond SO WELL to anything that they think is funny and makes them laugh (and laughing = great smiles for a picture!). Do something silly, something you wouldn’t usually do or say, and this will instantly get your kiddo’s attention. I look ridiculous 99% of the time when I’m trying to snap a picture of my kids because I’m dancing around, singing (I NEVER sing otherwise!) crazy loud, and saying anything (usually involving the words poop or butt; I have no shame in my silly game) that will elicit a smile, laugh, or grin out of my kiddos. You can also bring a helper too to have them sing/dance/scream/whatever behind you while you’re snapping pics as well. You can then focus on the pictures and they can focus on being silly and gathering attentions.

5. Embrace the chaos and candid moments.

This is my number one tip for photographing your kids: you have to realize that most kids have the attention spans’ of a gnat and you may only have mere minutes of cooperation out of them before they’re DONE and want nothing to do with your picture taking. This is okay! Embrace it — if the ‘posed’ picture you’re trying to achieve timing is over, let your kids play, explore, giggle, chat, and keep snapping away. Some of my most favorite pictures of my kiddos are the candid, unposed, raw and real images of them just having fun — or not having any of your photo antics and have the most disapproving faces on you’ve ever seen! Stand back and just keep snapping. Try not to get frustrated if your kids aren’t cooperating or are totally over having their picture taken (easier said than done, I know!) and instead let them be kids and capture the chaos and realities of them being kids and I’m sure you’ll be happily surprised with the candid moments you capture.

Alrighty! So these are my top 5 tips for photographing your kids. All of them are tried and true by yours truly and really have made all of the difference in the world when photographing kids — my own to complete strangers! Kids sense your sentiments, so if you’re stressed and pressing them for a good pic, chances are you’re not going to get one. However, if you’re relaxed and having fun (back to number 4!) and embracing the moment (back to number 5!), you most definitely are going to get some good snaps of your kiddos that you’ll want to share so fast on Instagram and Facebook so everyone can see your adorable kiddos and what an amazing momtog you are.

Nursery Essentials: Crane Penguin Adorable Humidifier

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-Sponsored Post-

It’s no secret that we think Crane USA Humidifiers are a must-have for any nursery, especially when it comes to a healthy nursery for baby and preventing congestion for tiny noses. Today we’re excited to introduce you to the Crane Penguin Adorable Humidifier, which is a must-have essential for any nursery or child’s room. Featuring award winning, child-friendly animal designs and top rated performance, Crane’s Adorable Ultrasonic Cool Mist Humidifiers provide up to 24 hours of soothing moisture to help relieve the effects of dryness and congestion, helping you and your Family to breathe easy and sleep through the night peacefully.

Puffington the Penguin is an adorable way to add humidity and wellness to your baby’s room. Did you know that humidifiers are a recommended non-medicated alternative to over the counter cough and cold medicine? The Crane Penguin Adorable Humidifier is the perfect size for any nursery and the removable 1 gallon tank easily fits under most bathroom sinks. Plus, it runs whisper quiet up to 24 hours, so it won’t wake even the fussiest of sleepers. The ultrasonic cool mist increases moisture in the air for easier breathing and a good night’s sleep.

Humidifiers are especially important for Newborns because they are Obligate Nasal Breathers, breathing only through their tiny noses for their first 4 – 6 months. Any congestion can make breathing, feeding, and sleeping incredibly difficult for your little one. Not only that, but many pediatricians recommend the use of a humidifier as a safe, non medicated, all natural alternative to help relieve congestion from the common cold and flu instead of potentially harmful over-the-counter cough and cold medicine. Did you know humidifiers are an ideal choice for relieving the discomforts of nasal congestion, dry itchy skin and hair, chapped lips, nose bleeds, and dry throats?

Crane’s cheerful designs complement any children’s bedroom decor. Not only are Crane humidifiers adorable, but they are easy to use, whisper quiet, and feature Antimicrobial Material in the Base to help reduce mold and bacteria growth by up to 99.96%*. This compact, BPA Free unit uses ultrasonic technology to add humidity to the air, is more efficient than a household light bulb, and includes a built-in auto-shut-off feature that engages when the water tank is empty to ensure safety.

You can find Crane USA on their website, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

Thank you to Crane for making this sponsored post possible.

New Mom Review: 4moms moxi + car seat

by Gugu Guru 1 Comment

Theresa – Gugu Guru’s head of design and new mommy to adorable Robbie – was so excited to be able to try out the moxi stroller and self-installing car seat from 4moms. If you don’t know 4moms, we think of them as Apple computer-like innovators for parents. 4moms’ gear is thoughtfully designed with some of the coolest tech around. Read what Theresa calls out as the pros and cons for the stroller and car seat below (and although Theresa received these products for review from 4moms, all opinions are her own.)

moxi stroller ($699.99)

Pro: Just Downright Cool Technology
This carriage has a cell phone charger port – totally handy! It will also tell you how fast you are going, distance, etc. I really love that the stroller features lights if you are out walking at dusk (trying to get baby to snooze) – super neat!

Pro: Self Charging! (most of the time)
The carriage has a generator in it so it does not require batteries for any of its awesome features! (Caveat: the generator will only last if the carriage is used frequently, if not, you have to plug it in and charge it to use all its cool technology.)

Pro: Easy to Open and Close
It was so easy to open and close the carriage for travel.

Con: Little Pouch for Belongings
The little pouch for your belongings is open. I didn’t totally love this because if my phone or wallet is in it I felt uncomfortable walking away from the carriage, even a little, while out in public. Editor’s note: 4moms really designed this to make your phone easily accessible, hence no zipper.

Con: Converting The Seat To Accommodate An Older Child
The infant carrier and the regular seat for older baby are two separate pieces (separate from the carriage base itself). Even though the regular seat is not hard to attach, it has to be completely converted to work. So if you have two kids, one older one infant, you can only use the carriage exclusively for one or the other in a single outing. Editors note: We spoke to 4moms about this and they said that their test parents have found this process to be very easy – clicking/unclicking two belts on the backside of the seat and turning the seat around. The three configurations are meant to grow with the child – so normally, you wouldn’t be switching back and forth regularly for two different children – although you certainly could.

Self-Installing Car Seat ($499.99)

Pro: Extra AWESOME Technology
The 4moms app will not only self-install the car seat as promised, it will also adjust positioning and tension as your baby grows. It will let you know if carrier is in correctly and it will also alert you if you leave the carrier (and baby) in the car. Pretty cool! Plus the software that runs the car seat base can regularly be updated with new features and functionality right through your smartphone.

Pro: Infant Fit
The car seat comes with an additional infant insert to be used for 4-11 pounds and really helps baby sit comfortably and securely – especially when baby is on the smaller side. Also, the bottom buckle is more rigid, verses just a fabric piece, so it makes it very easy to get baby in the seat (without them sitting on it.)

Con: Requires Eight (8) D Batteries
All the the extra technology that you get with the 4moms app will only work with the addition of the batteries in the base. When baby was only 6 weeks, the batteries died. (Who has time to run outside and change batteries in the carseat once a month?!) Editor’s Note: According to 4moms, this may have been an issue in some of the first units, but today, that issue has been resolved. By downloading the new update (version 4.16), the battery life will be significantly extended. The battery life should last the life cycle of one baby in the car seat. New baby, new batteries.

Con: A Couple Technology Fails
A couple of times the base alerted that the car seat carrier was not in correctly when it was. One of the times we were an hour from home and listened to it ding and false alarm the whole way home. We couldn’t fix this until we could take it out and reinstall which we couldn’t do being an hour away – a little annoying. Editor’s Note: We spoke to 4moms and they said if the carrier is not detected, as described, the issue can often be resolved just by lifting the carrier out, and placing it back in the base. Typically, a re-installation of the base is not needed. 4moms is launching another software update that will further improve the user experience and reduce the occurrence of false alarms, such as this one.

Product Discovery: Angelcare Movement Monitor

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-Sponsored Post-

As a new parent, you want to have every opportunity to watch your little one sleep; however, life is busy, and that’s just not possible. Luckily, Angelcare has just released a new movement monitor which is sure to bring peace to many parents’ mind! Angelcare, the worldwide leader in movement monitoring, continues to pk-callout the baby monitoring corner with their new Angelcare AC417 Video Movement Monitor with Wireless Pad. Angelcare is known for their monitors which are designed to sense baby’s slightest movements and sound an alarm if no movement is detected after 20 seconds. However, the new Video Movement Monitor with Wireless Pad takes the act of monitoring to a whole new, and very modern, level.

The new wireless sensor pad goes under the crib mattress and can track subtle movements (like breathing, rolling and kicking) that audio and video monitors can’t detect. This means parents can truly monitor all of baby’s slightest movements. This touchscreen monitor from Angelcare offers the only wireless movement sensor pad in the market and features new data analytics that sense and track baby’s activity level. Imagine being able to track every move your baby makes; very reassuring for a new parent! Furthermore, with this insight into baby’s activity level during sleep, parents are better able to adapt routines and respond to baby’s needs.

The sleek design of the new Angelcare monitor will surely fit into any home decor style. In the nursery, the wireless sensor pad is accompanied by a low profile, wall-mountable video camera with wide-angle lens and color-changing room temperature display. The new parent unit features a large touchscreen display (4.3” inches) which enables parents to check on the baby in real time, and track baby’s activity level with up to two months of data stored. Very cool!

This Angelcare Video Movement Monitor is expandable for up to 4 cameras (sold separately) and has night vision, too. It features adjustable movement sensitivity levels, and you can even tell room temperature display – so baby won’t get too hot or too cold. The wide angle lens has digital zoom, and two way talk means you can sing to baby from another room in the house. This monitor is a must-have item for any new, or seasoned, parent. It’s more than just a baby monitor; this Angelcare Video Movement Monitor is a peace of mind for parents, as it not only monitors every movement of baby’s, but tracks and records all data as well. You can purchase this Angelcare monitor at Target online.

Thank you to Angelcare for making this sponsored post possible.

Product Discovery: Snuza Pico Movement Monitor

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–Sponsored Post–

As a new parent, when you’re handed a tiny infant to take care of, it can feel very overwhelming! Wouldn’t it be wonderful to have a way to monitor your new little one while they’re sleeping, so you can rest easy and sleep too? Snuza, known for spearheading the innovation in one of the biggest trends in the marketplace right now, wearable tech for infants, has just released their Snuza Pico Movement Monitor, which is unlike anything else on the market. While some of the newer baby movement monitors are fitted beneath the baby’s mattress, Snuza monitors attach directly to a baby’s diaper and alarms if no abdominal movement is detected. This early detection provided by Snuza monitors offers a solution to help bring peace of mind to parents.

However, Snuza has recently revolutionized the monitor market with their Snuza Pico. The revolutionary new Snuza Pico is the first wearable baby movement monitor in the line that allows parents to directly connect to a smartphone or tablet via a Bluetooth App! The Pico attaches to your baby’s diaper and using a patented contactless sensor, monitors abdominal movement of your baby. By using this contactless sensor, the Pico does not need to touch your baby’s skin, which in turn reduces the amount of false alarms caused by loss of contact. If there is no abdominal movement detected after 15 seconds, the device will vibrate in an effort to rouse the child awake. After 20 seconds of no abdominal movement, the Pico will alarm. Parents can also select an optional movement rate warning, which alerts parents if baby’s abdomen moves less than eight times per minute.

The App, which is Apple and Android compatible, also monitors a baby’s abdominal movement, skin temperature, sleeping position (side, face-down, face up) and fall detector. It also features an on/off button and alerts parents if they become out of range. The Pico unit can be accessed by multiple smartphones so that parents and/or caregivers can monitor multiple Pico units from one or more smartphones. Snuza wearable movement monitors are made with hypo-allergenic, medical grade plastics and do not send or receive radio frequency signals. There are NO wires, cords, cables or sensor pads that could potentially harm baby. Weighing only 1oz, these monitors are the lightest of their kind on the market today.

For more information, check out the Snuza website, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

Thank you to Snuza for making great products to keep our babies safe and for also making this post possible.

Vote on Your Favorite Breast Pump Innovation!

by Gugu Guru 4 Comments

From hands-free to cordless to whisper quiet features, there are lots of new developments in the breast pump category right now. Gugu Guru wants to know what you think so vote on your favorite using the thumbs up icon today! (Did we miss an innovation? Comment below to let us know what should be on the list!) Winner gets the Gugu Picks badge!

Holiday Gift Idea: UviCube for the Technology Loving Mama

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We’ve found the perfect holiday gift for all of the high tech and technology-obsessed parents you know! New parents (and seasoned ones) are all about keeping baby healthy and safe, especially during the germ season of Wintertime. Luckily, UviCube, a new essential baby item, is here to keep the things your baby loves totally germ-free! It is the first of its kind in the U.S. market, to dry, store and eliminate 99.9% of bacteria on surfaces exposed to UV light on items such as baby bottles, bottle nipples and pacifiers, but can also sanitize electronics, mobile phones, toys and other items your baby might like to touch or teethe on.

In the past, parents have used sterilizers and dishwashers to keep baby’s bottles free from germs and mold, but what about all of the other things baby may chew on or touch? UviCube uses direct UV light (without moisture or heat) to eliminate 99.9% of harmful bacteria to sanitize bottles, pacifiers, mobile phones, remote controls…if it’s in baby’s mouth or hands, UviCube will keep it clean! UviCube disinfects using low heat infra-red light bulb to dry and ultraviolet light – this means there’s no worry about burning your fingers taking hot bottles out to use – safe for mama and baby.

Not only is UviCube important because it keeps the bottles clean and sanitized, but it helps keep mama’s brain organized, because there won’t be bottles strewn about the counters all the time! You can store the bottles in the UviCube and take when needed, keeping them ready to go at all times. Baby drop a pacifier or toy? Just place it in the UviCube and disinfect. It’s so easy to use and safe for baby, parents, and your house. No more boiling water for bottles, pump parts, and nipples, the UviCube is able to safely disinfect anything you put in it. Baby love to play with your phone, or toddler watches videos? Don’t let germs spread in your house this holiday season – the UviCube is there for your keys, phone, and anything baby touches, play withs, or gnaws on.

This holiday season, UviCube wants you to focus on your family, and less time on cleaning! Instead of spending hours washing pump parts, bottles, and baby gear – throw it in the UviCube and focus on the important things, like your loved ones. If you’re traveling this season, make sure to disinfect everything as soon as you get back home; just place in the UviCube and let the UV light work its magic. The UviCube is an ideal gift, for anyone with kids, as it’s not just a baby product, it’s a family essential, for keeping everyone healthy, happy, and clean, year round.

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