technology

“Smart” Registry Round-Up

Technology is great… when it works! Here we are to discuss some of our favorite “smart” baby products for 2023 that will absolutely make your life with kiddos easy peasy!

Smart Baby Monitors

Gone are the days of the audio-only baby monitors that many parents used to rely on. Now, parents want real-time information about their little ones to keep worries at bay. The newest monitors on the market are able to give you clear video while tracking things like breathing and sleep. They will alert you when your baby wakes up in the morning, your toddler rolls over in bed, or your big kid jumps out of bed to use the potty.

Nanit offers a sleek smart camera with a variety of stand options. They track sleep history and analytics to provide parents with insight into sleep patterns. Pair with their Breathing Wear to keep an eye on baby from anywhere!

We also love the smart monitor by Miku. They have come up with a way to monitor your little one (including breathing) without any wearables. Like Nanit, they have two-way audio and you can check in from anywhere.

Hatch Grow Changing Pad (and Rest Sound Machine)

The biggest worry parents have for their newborn is if he or she is gaining enough weight. Parents tend to track every feeding, diaper, and milestone. However, tracking weight is generally done only at the pediatrician. The Hatch Grow Changing Pad allows you to monitor baby’s weight between pediatrician appointments. While it’s not a replacement for doctor’s weight visits, it will help ease your mind.

Hatch has also secured their place in the smart bedtime routine. Hatch Rest has become a must-have accessory for many of our families, who love to pair the nightlight/sound machine with their smartphone. The Rest + has a laundry list of features, and will last well beyond the toddler stage!

Blueberry Pediatrics

We’ve been at this COVID lifestyle for more than 2 years. As you’ve parented throughout the Pandemic, you have most likely dealt with other illnesses – RSV, Flu, Strep, Ear Infections, Colds, the list goes on. Wouldn’t it be nice to be connected to a team of Pediatricians who were available 24/7, 365 days a year so you could avoid unnecessary trips to the Emergency Room or Urgent Care when your pediatrician’s office is unavailable? You can! Blueberry Pediatrics provides access to pediatricians around the clock. They can help check your child out and even call prescriptions into your pharmacy. No longer worry about your little one getting sick in the evening (or on vacation, like our kids always do!). Don’t take our word for it! See what Cassy – a mom of 3 who spends lots of time at the pediatrician, has to say.

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Must-Have Parenting Apps

by Christine Swearingen Leave a Comment

A search in your app store for parenting apps brings an overwhelming list of options. Which are the best? More important, which are free, or worth the price? We’re bringing you the scoop on the most popular parenting apps that we believe are truly worth it!

Qeepsake: This app is like a baby book on-the-go. It’s the easiest way we’ve found to capture everyday memories with your kids. Qeepsake texts or notifies you with questions about your child or pregnancy that you can respond to with text and photos. Have a special memory to upload? You can do that too. When you’re ready, you can order a book with all of your memories.

Tinybeans: We love this app for securely and privately storing and sharing memories with your closest family and friends. You can even track baby’s developmental milestones. It’s full of resources for all things parenting – from parenting advice to activity ideas.

Wonder Weeks: Of all the parenting apps we are sharing here, this is the one that will save your sanity the most! If you haven’t heard of “leaps” yet, a period of intense mental development for a baby that can cause increased fussiness, lack of sleep, and more. This app will give you a heads up when a leap is coming, tell you what to expect, and offer points to help both you and baby transition through a leap.

Huckleberry: We are all about sleep, and getting more of it. That’s where Huckleberry can help. Using AI and pediatric sleep experts, Huckleberry creates a custom sleep plan just for your family. We love all the tracking features of this app too – from sleep to feeding to growth and more. Definitely one you’ll want to check out!

Mindful Mamas: Our favorite app for mama. Focused on self-care and mindfulness for mama, this lovely app supports moms at every stage of the journey. From full guided meditations, to brief 5 minute “sips” of mindfulness practices, to gentle notifications of encouragement – this app has all you need to bring a little more peace and calm to your motherhood journey.

Baby Connect: If you have multiples, or frequent caregivers, whether a nanny, grandma, or daycare staff, this is an app you NEED. Not only does it have the ability to track feedings, sleep, diapers, mood, and more, but it immediately and securely synchronizes across authorized users. The app also allows you to easily exchange messages and photos right in the app.

Technology Finalist List: JPMA 2020

by Christine Swearingen Leave a Comment

The finalists for the JPMA 2020 Innovation Awards for Technology are in! We love that these innovative products have all been designed to keep your precious little one safe and sound.

WINNER! TotTech ForgetMeNot Over 50 children died from being left in hot cars in 2019, TotTech aims to change that. With the launch of our inaugural product, the ForgetMeNot, we hope to bring that number down to zero. The ForgetMeNot is compatible with any car seat and will alert the parent if they are about to leave their child in the car. The ForgetMeNot is a sensor that is easily added to any car seat. Once added to a car seat the ForgetMeNot is able to sense if a child is in the car seat and then automatically turns on and connects to the TotTech app on the parent’s phone. If the phone then ventures too far from the ForgetMeNot it will trigger an alert letting the parent know that they may be leaving their child in the car. If the alert persists for more than ten minutes the parent’s emergency contacts will receive a text informing them of the situation. Pre-order now>>

Technology Finalist: Miku Miku Smart Baby MonitorThe Miku Smart Baby Monitor is the only contactless monitor to track breathing, sound, and sleeping patterns in real time. Technology combines multiple sensor modalities and AI to see breathing in total darkness, under a thick swaddle, and in any body position or location in the crib. Designed to fit seamlessly into a new parent lifestyle and ease anxieties, Miku is packed with upgraded, unique, and easy-to-use features. Using their Miku app, parents can customize alerts for movement, breathing, sound, room temperature, and humidity as well as awake/asleep notifications. With Miku’s internal processor, alerts are delivered in real time. Parents can also securely view, save, and share 1080p video and audio, play MikuMusic sleep sounds and lullabies, or whisper “I love you” via two-way talk. Plus, our new Stand and Travel Case give parents peace of mind on-the-go. Shop now>>

Technology Finalist: Cradlewise Inc. Cradlewise Smart Crib The Cradlewise smart crib is the first product to learn from babies’ sleep patterns, spot early signs of wake-up and bounce the baby to sleep along with soothing music. The crib has an integrated baby monitoring system. Our patented monitor can detect changes in breath-rate, movements and baby sounds and predict a wake-up. The crib keeps track of the baby’s weekly sleep patterns to judge if it’s an unscheduled wake-up. And if it’s still sleeping time, it bounces and plays soothing music to get the baby back to sleep. Rather than reacting when the baby has already woken up crying, the smart crib predicts a baby wake-up early on and acts to help maintain baby sleep. Parents get a helping hand that saves up to 2 hours every day. The product is a sleep coach through the baby’s journey from a new-born to a 2-yr old. The crib even comes with a sleep training mode that helps parents transition from co-sleeping to putting the baby in its own nursery. Shop now>>

Technology Finalist: Lumi by Pampers Lumi by Pampers™ Lumi by Pampers™ is a quantum leap in baby monitoring. Combining a state of the art Video Monitor with a Sleep Sensor, it’s an all-in-one Baby Monitor System that lets parents see their baby in HD, and seamlessly blend real tracking data with their own intuition in a frictionless way as they find their rhythm as a family. All the information comes together in the Lumi App to help parents: See and know at a glance how baby is doing; Anticipate baby’s needs; Build a routine that works; Share access between caregivers. Multi-caregiver access secured with 2FA and state of the art encryption and security standards to provide a quick snapshot. Shop now>>

Technology Finalist: CYBEX ePriam The e-PRIAM is CYBEX’s first contribution to e-mobility in the juvenile industry and uniquely combines the luxurious design and functionality of the new PRIAM stroller, with the electronic power of smart technology. These intelligent functions paired together make everyday life easier for modern parents and turn uneven terrain and hills into child’s play. The e-PRIAM has three main functions. Once activated, the Uphill Support monitors pushing effort and powers the stroller’s ascent, making a steep climb feel like strolling along a level sidewalk. The second function is Uneven Surface Support— helping on rough terrain such as sandy beaches, country paths and snowy winter streets. And the third function is the Downhill Support which detects pulling pressure on the handlebar and slows the stroller’s descent accordingly. Shop now>>

A Modern Online Photo Album: Tinybeans

by Christine Swearingen Leave a Comment

A modern online photo album, Tinybeans, is a must-have for new parents, especially those living long distances from family. As a military family based in Alaska, having the first grandchild on both sides of our families, we wanted a way to remain connected with family and allow them to see our baby girl growing up and capture all her big “firsts”. Enter Tinybeans! We’ve loved using Tinybeans online photo album to document and showcase her first year of life. The weekly flashbacks receive bring on the happy, proud mama tears every week!

We paid for the premium membership because we wanted to be able to upload videos longer than one minute and keep some memories private for just the three of us! It has been worth every penny!

Another feature we love of this online photo album is the ability to build and purchase a photobook through the Tinybeans website. Though we haven’t ordered it yet, we’ve started compiling and editing our book and we love the ease of doing so. We plan to purchase a photobook using the pictures we collected over the past year.

What our family members have to say about Tinybeans online photo album:

Dada: “It’s very user-friendly and is a fun and easy way to keep your loved ones updated.“

Grammy: “It’s the first thing I check when I wake up every morning. We enjoy the pictures and videos and feel connected across the miles.”

Grandpa: “It gave us an opportunity to see how much she changed from week to week. Love being able to go to one place to show off the granddaughter. I always look forward to mornings and check out Tinybeans first thing to start the day!“

Aunt: “It’s nice to be able to see my niece grow and witness some of the special moments when I couldn’t be there in person. It’s neat to be able to look back at when she was little with their flashbacks.”

Nan: “I look at old photos often. I’ll just page through month after month when I miss her. I also think Tinybeans online photo album is a good way for you to get pictures to family members that you may not normally text pictures to.”

Aunt: “It’s a nice organized way for us all to see her growing up.”

Aunt: “I enjoy being able to feel a part of her growing up even though we are so far away.“

Learn more about Tinybeans and sign up for a free or premium membership here. Use code GUGUGURU20 to get 3 months of premium for free!

P.S. have a newborn? You may want to check out the best swaddle blankets for cute photo opps.

What’s New on Gugu: January 15, 2020

by Abby Ludwig Leave a Comment

We have officially come out of hibernation from the holiday season and end of year treats! We are back with our first WNOG for the year with some fun finds for you. Did anyone receive great holiday baby gifts? If so, let us know down below!

For a number of our other favorites, please check out our Explore page!

LeSportsac x Giggle Diaper Bag: Giggle, one of our favorite retailers for everything ‘baby’ has partnered with LeSportsac to launch their Diaper Bag Tote. Complete with multiple storage pockets, it even comes with an adorable rainbow pouch insert. Plus we love the minimalist style and the fact that it’s made of nylon, which is so easy to clean!

Hugaboo: Invented by a very creative Mom, the Hugaboo Baby Floor Seat is safe to use for baby once s/he has strong neck control. Great for at home or on the go, this seat helps keep your little one involved with everything going on. The entire thing is machine washable, which helps with all of life’s messes!

Animal Island Learning Adventure (AILA): While recommendations on screen time for little ones seem to change depending on who you talk to, sometimes we know that there are limited ways to keep your little ones distracted! As a team of Work From Home moms, we are all too familiar with putting on the occasional video or game for our little ones. Finally an answer to our need for educational screen time with AILA. Created with a preschool curriculum in mind, there is truly no monitoring needed when your little one has this screen!

YuriBib: Created with Baby Led Weaning in mind (but great for all parents), the YuriBib is your answer to feeding messes! Not only does it keep your little one clean, but it keeps your high chair clean! Gone are the days of scrubbing caked on messes and crumbs! Pair with the Yuri Mat to keep your floor clean as well!

LoveBub: A new brand from our friends at WavHello, the LoveBub is both a lovey and sound machine in one. A true soother for fussy little ones! This is a great gift for toddlers or little ones who may be starting to develop a fear of the dark. LoveBub is machine washable and has easy to use timer settings. Plus it’s super soft and cuddly!

Please note that these opinions are 100% my own and I have not received any products in exchange for placement in What’s New on Gugu! As an Amazon Associate Gugu Guru earns from qualifying purchases.

Like what you see? Check out some other What’s New on Gugu posts:

What’s New on Gugu: November 6, 2019

What’s New on Gugu: November 14, 2019

What’s New on Gugu: December 4, 2019

What’s New on Gugu: December 11. 2019

Meet bblüv: It’s Love at First Light

by Mel Blume Leave a Comment

As we all know, sweet dreams and cloudlike comfort go hand-in-hand. It’s essential to make sure babe feels safe and snuggly when bedtime and naptime begin. We scoped out the latest and cutest in the market to see what we’ve been missing—and can’t wait to share our favorites from the innovative, European-inspired brand bblüv.

With Canadian roots, modern styles and a mission to bring peace of mind to parents with young babes, bblüv has developed quite the fan base across the globe. When you see our ah-dorable picks, you’ll, of course, know why.

First, we’re spotlighting the Hibü – Silicone night light, because we don’t know hoot wouldn’t love it. Made of soft, baby safe and shock-resistant silicone, this ridiculously amazing night light features nine different LED colors with touch control, 3 auto shut-off timers, 10 levels of brightness and more. And bonus, with its rechargeable battery, this beyond-cute owl moonlights as a take-everywhere friend!

If your babe drifts into dreamland with the help of soothing sounds and a lightshow, this next find is for you. Meet the Kübe – a sound-activated musical nightlight with projection. With 15 different sound options including 10 lullabies and 5 nature sounds, this ultra-smart light is voice activated and the music and/or projection will begin in the middle of the night at the onset of a cry. It reassures babe and helps them fall asleep on their own.

As you can see, bblüv is a brand worth knowing about. Check out the array of innovative, awesome gear on the brand’s website or Amazon and let us know what you think!

Thank you to bblüv for making this post possible.

The Village Reviews: Nanit Pro

by Gugu Guru Leave a Comment

Nanit understands sleep is vital for both babies and parents. Parents can rest easy knowing the Nanit Pro is tracking and analyzing their baby’s breathing, sleep schedule and pattern without having electronics attached to their body. Nanit Pro provides a morning summary with tips to improve baby’s sleep habits. Our Gugu Guru Village Dad, David, tested the Nanit Pro and provided us with his thoughts.

We started using Nanit Pro with our three-month-old. It sure proved to keep our minds at ease while she was asleep at night. The Nanit’s monitoring system is one of a kind working to inform the overworked parents of movements or change in breathing without us having to enter her room. The app itself provides very useful information on the amount of time the baby has slept and how long it took the child to sleep. We are sure that this information will be essential when it comes to sleep training our baby.

As parents raising children in the smartphone era with it constantly by our side, we loved the fact that the user-friendly Nanit app actually turns our phones into the actual parent unit of the monitor instead of having to keep track of an actual monitoring device. We initially thought we had to keep the Nanit app opened all night in order to hear our baby, but we discovered the background noise feature on the app, which allows us to turn off the screen and still have audio of the child’s room. The Nanit app also displays room temperature and humidity levels of the child’s room too! No more guessing if it’s too hot or too cold. Did I mention that this baby monitor has unlimited range?! As long as the camera unit is connected to wifi, we could check on our baby when we were at work, out running an errand or just having a well-deserved date night.

The camera itself has many great features. It has a clear two-way audio feature, nature and white noise sounds, and what we love the most is the night light feature on top of the camera! It helps light up the room just enough for the half-asleep parents to make our way into the room without having to turn on the light. We just can’t say enough good things about the Nanit and wish we would have had it for our first baby.

Thank you to Nanit for providing the Nanit Pro for review. We appreciate our Gugu Village Dad, David, for providing us with his honest review. For additional information on the Nanit-Plus, click here!

More to read:
Nanit Baby Monitor Video Review
The Village Reviews: Joeyband
Nest Diapers: The Village Reviews
The Village Reviews: Monti Kids W ooden Books

Gugu Gift Picks: Smart Home Must-Haves

by Gugu Guru Leave a Comment

When it comes to gift giving, it’s fun to be on the forefront of the future and give high-tech must-have baby items to the new parents. We’re sharing four of our favorite high-tech smart home essential baby gifts, which would be ideal as a baby shower gift or to add to your registry.

4moms mamaRoo4: It’s no secret that we’re huge fans of the 4moms mamaRoo – and it’s because there are just so many reasons to love it! If you’re a high tech mama-to-be looking to get furnish your smart home nursery, you’re going to want to add the 4moms mamaRoo to your must-have baby item list. The mamaRoo is the original and ONLY infant seat that replicates natural motions of parents; it bounces up and down and sways from side to side, just like parents do. If you’re like all new parents and desperate for another set of hands, the mamaRoo will help soothe your baby with the 4 built in sounds and ability to adjust to any position for maximum comfort, up to full recline. With 5 unique motions, the mamaRoo is the perfect swing for multi-tasking parents, as it gives parents an extra pair of hands so that they can get stuff done! Plus, you can control the mamaRoo from your smart device, so you don’t even need to tiptoe into the nursery to adjust a sound or speed! Your baby will always be comfortable in the 4moms mamaRoo, with its smooth nest-knit fabric with breathable 3D air mesh. It’s no surprise that the 4moms mamaRoo is used in over 300 hospitals and loved by many, many parents! See more reasons Gugu Guru loves the 4moms mamaRoo, here.

Kodak Cherish Smart Video Baby Monitor: Baby monitors are a critical piece of any smart home baby registry, as they provide parents with peace of mind so you can sleep, relax, work, or even eat dinner! While there are many options for new parents, we’re excited about the Kodak Cherish Smart Video Baby Monitor for many important reasons! The Kodak Cherish Smart Baby Monitor features WiFi and extended range to deliver a crystal clear HD picture and audio from the baby video camera to your smartphone or tablet. With its tilt, pan and zoom options, you can get a closer look at baby without disturbing their sleep, and we appreciate taking comfort in knowing baby is safe with their motion, temperature and humidity notifications delivered to the Kodak Smart Home App. It also features a two-way talk function and wall mountable capabilities, so you can set yourself up for peace of mind while baby sleeps soundly. Even more helpful, it features built-in rechargeable batteries in both the baby monitor and camera, which means you can take the Kodak Cherish Smart Video Baby Monitor on the road, too. Use code GUGUGURU10 for 10% off until October 22nd. You can learn more about the Kodak Cherish Smart Video Baby Monitor here.

As featured recently on What’s New on Gugu, the Hatch Baby Rest Plus – one of our favorite sound machine/nightlights has recently received an upgrade. Pair with their app to create a truly essential product for sleep that will grow with your little one. Now an audio monitor as well as a digital clock, this is a must have for any nursery.

While not necessarily for use inside a smart home, tech-loving parents will rejoice over the EveryStage Car Seat from the new Evenflo Gold Line. From a practical standpoint, it’s an all-in-one, grow-with-your child ride, hence the name. What makes it smart? At the heart of this car seat, is the innovative SensorSafeTM technology. Here’s how it works: You download the free SensorSafeTM app and buckle babe to activate SensorSafeTM. The app syncs with the chest clip and alerts you the moment an issue arises with the buckle, harness or babe’s temperature. This incredible technology lets you stay focused on the road and can help to alleviate a great deal of anxiety that can come with driving with little ones in the car.

Check out more gift guides:

Thank you to Kodak and 4moms for making this sponsored post possible – we are so appreciative!

5 Way to Enhance Your Baby’s Language

by Gugu Guru Leave a Comment

By Elise Duryea, NYS Licensed Speech Language Pathologist

If there’s one question that parents of babies and toddlers are constantly asking it’s, “What should I be doing to help my child talk?” The simple answer, in a nutshell, is TALK…12,000-15,000 words per day. Sounds like a lot, doesn’t it? Here are some ways to sneak language into your every day activities:

Talk and Narrate What You Are Doing

Use full sentences which include verbs and adjectives as you engage in your daily activities. The best times to do this include getting dressed and mealtime, but can include taking a walk, food shopping, or simply going about your typical routine.

Sing

Use “baby talk” when talking to your baby, and sing songs and nursery rhymes with toddlers. They love hearing your voice, learn prosody, and will attend to the speaker when the pitch changes from normal conversational tone of voice to a sing-song voice.

Read Books

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends reading books to babies from the time they are born. Books are an amazing way to teach your child how to label, learn vocabulary, ask questions, and learn to problem solve. As your child grows, let them identify items, fill-in the words you omit in the story, and make predictions about what may happen next.

Explore Your Neighborhood

New venues are new opportunities for different language experiences. Each time you venture to a new place – the park, the grocery store, the post office – it’s an opportunity to introduce new vocabulary that your child may not be exposed to in your home.

Be Present

Last, but certainly not least, is being present and in the moment with your child. When you are tuned in to what they are doing and saying, language and learning will happen naturally!

Baby Swings Top Pick: mamaRoo®4 from 4moms

by Gugu Guru Leave a Comment

When it comes to baby gear essentials for your registry, the 4moms mamaRoo®4 is a baby swings top pick and a Gugu Guru favorite for new parents for so many reasons. When choosing between baby swings, it can be hard to decide which to get, but you’re ultimately going to want to pick the swing that offers you the most variations for your baby, as well as the most high-tech! Don’t take our word for it, check out what our Chief Baby Planner, Julie McCaffrey has to say:

The 4moms mamaRoo®4 is going to become your very best friend when baby is born. It’s not a surprise that babies love to be rocked and swayed, as it reminds them of being in utero and the 4moms mamaRoo®4 does more than simply rock your baby.

In the 4moms mamaRoo®4 baby bounces gently up and down and sways from side to side, mimicking the movement of a caregiver or parent. As far as baby swings go, the 4moms mamaRoo®4 is your best bet for options for baby, as it has five unique motions and five speed options for a total of 25 different combinations. This is wonderful because if baby gets bored or fussy in one motion or speed, you have a wide variety of options to change it up for them. Did you know baby swings aren’t just for newborn tiny babies? The 4moms mamaRoo®4 offers full recline to allow baby to lie back and relax or sit up and play.

You don’t often consider how important baby swings are for postpartum recovery, but many times it can be hard for a mom who has just had a c-section or tough delivery to get up and down when baby needs to be rocked back to sleep. This is another reason why the 4moms mamaRoo®4 is our pick when it comes to baby swings. The 4moms mamaRoo®4 is Bluetooth enabled, this means you can control the motion and sound on the 4moms mamaRoo®4 directly from the 4moms Android or iOS App! Super high-tech and very necessary for postpartum recovery and beyond.

If you’re looking for baby swings which are innovative and high-tech, the 4moms mamaRoo®4 is the best option for your family. Baby will feel secure and safe with the gentle rocking and bouncing, which means longer periods of rest and sleep, and an easier time for recovery, or more sleep for you! Baby swings are a must-have essential for life with a baby, and the 4moms mamaRoo®4 has everything a baby swing should to help you during the fourth trimester and beyond.

Don’t miss some of our other favorite baby gear essentials from 4moms, including the 4moms high chair, and 4moms BREEZE playard!

You can find 4moms on their website, Facebook, and Instagram.

technology

Smart Baby Monitors

Hatch Grow Changing Pad (and Rest Sound Machine)

Blueberry Pediatrics

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