In one of my favourite recent segments on CTV Your Morning, I highlighted 5 gadgets that can help make parenting young children easier. I love all of these devices! Watch the clip online here, and here’s more info on each product, below.
1. Toddlermonitor
Toddlermonitor is a toddler-friendly baby monitor. It hangs on a doorknob and alerts parents if their child leaves their bedroom. It senses the motion of the door, and sends an alert to the parents’ smartphone via Bluetooth. Toddlermonitor was created by two moms from Calgary who designed this product after one of their son’s escaped from his room and their home when he was only 2. They were using a video monitor at the time but it didn’t alert them. It can hang on any type of door and can be moved without installation, making it perfect for travel. Toddlermonitor keeps it’s charge for 7 – 10 days.
2. Thermo by Withings
Thermo is a remarkably accurate, easy-to-use smart thermometer. It can track the temperature readings of up to 8 users, it has color-coded fever indicators, and the batteries last up to 2 years. Sync it with the dedicated app on your smartphone, and you can track temperature readings and input related symptoms and medications. That’s a game changer for parents who can’t remember exactly how long it’s been since medication was given, or how a fever is progressing over time.
3. Groclock
Groclock solves the problem of your child not knowing what time is appropriate for getting out of bed, especially when they can’t tell time! Parents set an appropriate time for when kids can get up (for both overnight sleeps and for daytime naps). The Groclock then uses fun images of the stars and sun to communicate when to go back to sleep and when it’s time to leave bed. It also has a digital clock, so older kids can learn to tell time along with the “stars to sun” countdown.
4. Playbrush
Getting young children to brush their teeth can feel like pulling teeth. Playbrush turns teeth brushing time into playtime. Playbrush connects to a smartphone app featuring fun games. During each 2-minute adventure, the gaming apps encourage children to brush at the correct speed and equally within all quadrants of the mouth. Choose from the Playbrush Smart (which can be attached to any manual toothbrush), or the Playbrush Smart Sonic electric toothbrush. The Playbrush app comes with 4 free games and a brushing coach, and you can upgrade to the games subscription for even more brushing adventures. The subscription also allows parents to monitor your children’s brushing in the parents app.
5. Circle Home
Circle makes you the master of your home’s WiFi and every device connected to the internet. It easily connects to your home’s WiFi network and doesn’t require you to install any software on the actual devices themselves. With Circle, you can set time limits for apps and web sites, finally getting online time in check. You can also set up age-appropriate filters that apply to all their devices. Set bed times for each family member, use off times to create unplugged moments during the week, even pause the internet with the tap of a finger.