Educational iPad/Android app suite for toddlers

Product name: Baby Bus educational software suit (http://en.baby-bus.com/)

What is it?Baby bus is a suite of educational iPad/Android apps designed for children between the ages of 0-6 years. Most of the apps are very intuitive (developed by a 2,5 year old and his mother) and teaches your little one useful things like letters, shapes, names of fruits, vegetables and animals and numbers.

Why did it catch my attention?Anticipating a need to keep our then 11-month-old entertained during a 9 hour flight to California last summer, we were looking for apps that would work on his Android Pad, be intuitive enough for a boy of his age and captivating enough to keep him interested over time.

How old was my baby when I bought it?11 months old

What value does it add for us?It keeps him busy for longer than less interactive types of entertainment like movies while he learns something useful. It has triggered his interest in fruits and animals, and to some extent numbers. He actually (but unconsciously) also builds his “digital skills” while playing.

What does it replace?Books, movies, games, toys, walking up and down the aisle on a flight, train or bus…

How did my baby respond to it?He loved it from day 1. His absolute favorite so far is “baby learns fruits”, which at the basic level is a very simple but colorful game where the trick is to touch a twinkling fruit shape to make it move.

How much does it cost?It is actually free.

Can I see any drawbacks?Parents quickly get tired of the monotonous music and you might want to be careful not to let the Pad replace playing and human interaction too much.

Smart storage cubes for solid foods

Product name: Brother Max Six Food Portioners (www.jojomamanbebe.co.uk/sp+Baby-Weaning-Mealtimes-Brother-Max-Six-Food-Portioners+B6734)

What is it?Plastic food pots with a clever design that differentiates them from other similar products by (a) being ‘clickable’ so that you can store several of them tightly together and save space in the freezer and (b) having a soft base that helps you ‘push’ a frozen cube of food out of the pot more easily

Why did it catch my attention?I bought them on impulse at my local JoJoMamanBebe store when shopping around for splash mats and long-sleeved bibs a couple of months into weaning

How old was my baby when I bought it?He was 7 months, but this product is relevant from the moment you start weaning baby on to home-made solid foods

What value does it add for us?They make it smoother to ‘pop out’ frozen food, e.g lowering the barrier for me to actually cook real food for my son instead of buying ready-made jars and pouches

What does it replace?Other baby food pots or ice cube trays. Before finding these we used Happy Mummy Baby Cubes, which also are good but lack the two differentiating features described above

How did my baby respond to it?He is completely unaware of its existence, but I am guessing he would treat them as a teething toy if he saw them

How much does it cost?£6 for a six-pack at JoJoMamanBebe

Can I see any drawbacks?No, we have been very happy with both the functionality and the quality of this product

Raincoat for weaning babies - UPDATED

Product name: Lapp på Lapp 416 Förklapp Laban gul (http://shop.textalk.se/se/shop.php?id=12282)

 

What is it?A bib with arms, made from a raincoat-like material and with a handy ‘pocket’ at the bottom, which protects baby’s clothes when eating solid foods

Why did it catch my attention?This was a Christmas present for my son from his grandmother – very well timed as we started weaning him only a few days before Christmas and quickly discovered the new challenge of avoiding to get vegetable puree all over him when eating

How old was my baby when I bought it?He was 5,5 months when he got it, but it is helpful from the day you start weaning your little one

What value does it add for us?It keeps the colourful, orange, carrot-based vegetable puree that has become his favorite dish at lunchtime from splashing all over his clothes

What does it replace?Other bibs, using a raincoat when weaning or unnecessarily frequent washing

How did my baby respond to it?He lets me put it on without protesting and seems to like the funny ‘Spöket Laban’ pattern

How much does it cost?SEK 140 at the Lapp på Lapp webshop

Can I see any drawbacks?At the very early stage of weaning where my son is for the moment, it would have been even better if his fingers were covered by built-in gloves as well since he tends to get it all over his fingers and then use them to spread the food all around his face, nose, eyes etc.

** SINCE THIS POST WAS WRITTEN I HAVE FOUND AN EVEN BETTER PRODUCT: SILLYBILLYZ LA-LÄTSCHEN**

The main advantage with Silly Billyz is that the back is closed with a popper instead of tying two laces together as on the Spöket Laban one. Otherwise a fairly similar product and still no gloves!

How to help babies practise sitting up on their own

Product name: Galt Farm Playnest (Galt Playnest - Farm)

What is it?A fabric covered inflatable ring supporting a baby when learning how to sit up on his/her own. It has a funny bright-coloured pattern and some nice touchy-feely-noisy textures around the ring that provide great entertainment for the little one. There is a variant of this product that in addition has baby gym arches with toys above the ring

Why did it catch my attention?Having noticed how my little one needed to practice the muscles that would help him be able to sit up on his own and discovered these rings at a Gymboree class, I turned to Amazon and ordered one of our own!

How old was my baby when I bought it?He was around 5 months when I actually bought it, but had been trying it out at Gymboree since he was 3-3,5 months

What value does it add for us?My son gets to practise sitting up on his own and has much more fun than lying down, since once he discovered the view from there he got bored lying down on his back. For his mother, the playnest is a safe place to leave him to play while I need to do other things in the flat. In the absence of the toy arches that the related product has, we have made sitting in the playnest more fun for my son by simply putting his various toys around on the surface of the ring which makes it flexible and the fun never-ending

What does it replace?To some extent the bouncer (which my son outgrew very quickly) and the car seat with a toy arch attached to it, but in terms of being useful for his motor skills the alternative would be to have an adult sit with him and support him

How did my baby respond to it?He seemed to feel very comfortable in it from the very start and can stay there for over 30 minutes without getting bored

How much does it cost?£27 on Amazon UK, add £12 to get the one with the toy arches

Can I see any drawbacks?It takes up a lot of space and when tired my baby tends to forget keeping his back up and slides down into the hole in the middle, so it is important to keep an eye on the baby at all times while sitting in the playnest

Baby's own lunchbag

Product name: Ella’s Kitchen Organic Baby Food (http://www.ellaskitchen.co.uk/)

What is it?The original innovation from Ella’s Kitchen when it started back in 2006 was the wrapping – packing the food in a pouch instead of a jar makes it even easier to bring lunch along when you are out and about with your little one, and the colorful illustrations on the outside are made to appeal to babies

Why did it catch my attention?A friend of mine with three children under the age of 5 who tends to take them out quite a lot pointed me to the brilliant pouches with baby food

How old was my baby when I bought it?I bought it for the first time when he was around 6 months, but this product is relevant from the day you start bringing solid food along for the baby to have a meal anywhere else than home

What value does it add for us?It makes it even easier to bring his lunch along and the wrapping provides some entertainment for him when waiting for the food

What does it replace?Baby food jars and cubes of home-made baby food. Since 2006, several other producers have imitated Ella’s clever packaging

How did my baby respond to it?It depends on the flavour, for the moment his favourite is the surprising mix of broccoli, pears and peas!

How much does it cost?From around £1 at Sainsbury’s and other grocery stores. Originally invented in the UK, the poaches are now also available in grocery stores in the US, the UAE and the three Scandinavian countries

Can I see any drawbacks?At the early stages of weaning the content of the pouches is too much for one meal, which in our case has resulted in throwing a lot of leftovers away

Baby food machine for unskilled housewives

Product name: Philips AVENT SCF870/21 Combined Baby Food Steamer and Blender (http://www.avent.com/)

What is it?A blender with a built-in steamer function that makes it much easier for mothers lacking in housewife skills to make ‘proper’ baby food

Why did it catch my attention?My brother-in-law had found this item on Amazon long before my baby reached the age of weaning and asked if he wanted one for Christmas. Knowing my complete lack of housewife genes it was an offer that I could not resist!

How old was my baby when I bought it?He was 6,5 months and had been weaning for 1,5 months when we got this into the house, but it is relevant from the day the baby starts weaning

What value does it add for us?My son gets to eat ‘real’, vitamine-rich food once in a while and I feel better than when giving him ready-made stuff only

What does it replace?The lengthy process of steaming and blending healthy food for him the normal way and doing the lazy mother and giving him something I bought from Ocado instead

How did my baby respond to it?Looking at it, he thinks it is a toy and wants to chew it. When it comes to food, the first thing we tried was avocado and that went down very well with him

How much does it cost?£56 on Amazon UK

Can I see any drawbacks?It was probably just bad luck, but on the first one we got the steamer was defect, so we had to return and get a replacement. Otherwise no drawbacks noticed so far – it is a very handy and easy product to use!

Babysitters-on-demand

Product name: Sitters Babysitting Service (http://www.sitters.co.uk/)

What is it?This service is a ‘broker’ for babysitters – connecting families in need of babysitting with local individuals with various degrees of childcare experience. The customer interface is very similar to the way we are used to booking meeting rooms at work – you just insert your booking into a calendar and the system starts processing it for you. Families have the opportunity to create a ‘wish-list’ of babysitters and it is also possible to block babysitters who you don’t like

Why did it catch my attention?Far away from our family and with a limited support network in London, we were looking for a way of finding reliable people to look after our little one so that we could get some ‘own time’. Because my husband travels a lot with his work I also sometimes need babysitters for very short timeslots during daytime to be able to do things like going to the dentist or the hairdresser

How old was my baby when I bought it?The first time we tried Sitters was for my birthday party when my son was 3,5 months old

What value does it add for us?It gives us flexibility and because Sitters take on the responsibility for staffing your timeslot it saves the time that I see many other parents around me spending on calling around to or getting last-minute cancellations from their babysitters

What does it replace?- Staying at home instead of getting out and/or bringing a baby along to places where it gets increasingly difficult to bring him the older he gets
- Creating and managing your own network of family, friends, friends’ nannies etc.

How did my baby respond to it?We have had mixed experiences: one great lady who had children herself, one professional nanny with limited experience of small babies who did not respond very well to my son and one lovely young student who quickly became my son’s favorite playmate!

How much does it cost?£13,85 per quarter for being registered in their database, a £4 fee per booking and £7 per hour that you pay directly to the babysitter

Can I see any drawbacks?Not being able to meet the person before they come to your house to look after the most valuable you have. It is furthermore important to be aware that Sitters is a national call center service and that the people you talk to don’t personally know the sitters they book for you. They unfortunately don’t have a reliable overview of which sitters that have experience with your children’s age band – hence why we got a person without experience with babies to look after our 3 month old son (and we had to leave the restaurant before we had finished the main course)

The hidden treasure of the Tiny Love baby gym! :-)

Product name: The tummy time cushion from the Tiny Love Gymini Monkey Island baby gym

What is it?This is a bean-shaped cushion intended for tummy time training that has proven to be so useful that I think it deserves its own post here on the blog

Why did it catch my attention?It actually did not – this cushion just happened to be part of the package when I ‘emergency-bought’ a playmat so that my son would have some entertainment while stuck for a week far out in the Scandinavian countryside

How old was my baby when I bought it?He was 4 months, but I can see a number of ways it could have been useful for us from birth

What value does it add for us?This cushion has so far (2 days after we bought it) served as
a) Tummy time support
b) Head cushion in the buggy
c) Support for my son’s lower back during his first attempts to sit up
d) Head support to avoid a flu-ridden little boy with a blocked nose from ‘falling off’ a mattress that was slightly elevated at the head end to help him breath more easily
e) Entertainment - my son loves looking at the colourful garden pattern with two rabbits and a turtle
What does it replace?A number of different cushions that could do the same jobs as mentioned above + baby books for the purpose of entertainment

How did my baby respond to it?Very well, for all different ways it has been used so far

How much does it cost?This item is unfortunately (as far as I know) not sold independently, but has to be bought together with Tiny Love Gymini Monkey Island

Can I see any drawbacks?Using it as a head cushion or head support is only advisable once your baby’s head and neck are strong enough for it not to cause difficulties for them to breathe. The polyester material is flammable and can’t be washed in water

**ADDITIONAL USE DISCOVERED THIS XMAS**

My son has over the last few weeks started to sit up, but he is still too wobbly for most highchairs. This cushion once again proved useful for a different purpose than originally intended when his grandmother piled it up in front of him in the highchair so that he could participate in the cristmas dinner. Thanks again Tiny Love for this clever invention!

How to sterilise a whole load of stuff in 6 minutes only

Product name: Philips Avent 24-Hour Steam Steriliser (Philips AVENT iQ24 Steam Sterilizer)

What is it?A digital steriliser for bottles, dummies, teething rings and other things that are in contact with your baby’s food or designed for him/her to put in the mouth, and that you want to make sure do not have any harmful bacteria on them. It is only a little bit bigger than an average electric water boiler and just as easy to operate

Why did it catch my attention?This was something that my husband found before our little one was born and it turned out to be one of our most important investments we made

How old was my baby when I bought it?We bought it before he was born and started using it the first night after we came home from the hospital

What value does it add for us?With a minimum of hassle (not any more complicated to operate than an electric water boiler) it keeps bottles, dummies and teething rings safe for our son to use. Because of its size it can typically steam 4 bottles (including all its parts) and 10-15 dummies in one go. By starting the steriliser before we leave it helps us make sure that his babysitters use clean bottles when they feed him

What does it replace?Boiling items in a pot on the stove as our little one’s grandparents do, which is more time-consuming, or giving your baby food from an unclean bottle and make him/her sick – a classical cause of infant deaths among uninformed populations in developing countries

How did my baby respond to it?He does not know that it exists, but his parents and babysitters use it all the time – although the frequency has decreased since the early days when we sterilised his dummies as soon as they fell on the floor

How much does it cost?£45 at Boots

Can I see any drawbacks?It does take up space in our tiny kitchen and it is not the most practical item to bring along when travelling, even if we did when we went on holiday to Spain in Octobre

Best practice baby care rooms at Harrods, Landvetter and Heathrow Airport

Product name: Not a product in itself, but three good examples of commercial establishments with a great understanding of young families’ needs (www.harrods.com, www.swedavia.se/sv/Goteborg/Resenar, www.heathrowairport.com)

What is it?Harrods (London’s most famous department store), Landvetter Airport in Sweden and Heathrow Airport in London all have very helpful baby care rooms catering for the needs of young parents on the move, ensuring that they stay longer and spend more money by providing facilities not only for nappy changing, but for feeding, play and relaxation as well. They are all different, with the ‘best practice’ feature being (a) bottle warmer and vending machines with nappies at Harrods, (b) a really comfortable armchair perfect for breastfeeding at Landvetter and (c) a clever little barrier blocking the baby from falling off the changing table and thereby freeing up at least one hand for the parent at Heathrow

Why did it catch my attention?Travelling and shopping alone with a baby is very tiring and finding good changing and feeding facilities often an issue. I was therefore very happily surprised to find the baby care rooms in these three establishments

How old was my baby when I bought it?This is a question of using facilities, not buying anything and they are useful for parents as soon as you feel energized enough to venture out on the roads with your little one

What value does it add for us?They are all shielded places allowing parent and baby to relax from some of the stress and too many impressions that tend to be part of being in very crowded places alone with a baby

What does it replace?Feeding and changing in dodgy toilets or airport benches or not getting a chance to sit down and rest at all

How did my baby respond to it?He finds these places very relaxing, and in particular when overstimulated he tends to wind down if we sit down and play a little bit with some of his favourite toys in one of these shielded rooms before we venture out to all (for him) new impressions again

How much does it cost?Access is free to all of them (provided you have a boarding card for the airport ones)

Can I see any drawbacks?There are too few of them

Eco-friendly torch-toy!

Product name: Animal LED Ecotronic torch (http://www.mygreenerfamily.us/Ecotronic_Wind_Up_Farm_Animal_Torch_p/g32.htm)

What is it?An eco-friendly torch (shaped like a toy) that does not have a battery but uses the same principle as a bike dynamo to generate energy – you wind it up by squeezing it! It has a strap that makes it easy to hang on stroller hooks

Why did it catch my attention?For the same reason that it would catch children’s attention – it looks like a toy and it is fun to use! I came across it in an outdoor store on my street when I was looking for a small torch I could keep in the buggy to (a) make it easier to find things in pockets etc in the dark and (b) make other road-users aware of our existence on dark roads during autumn and winter

How old was my baby when I bought it?He was 4 months, but the need for this product is more related to the parents’ needs that the baby’s. I could also imagine this being a loved toy for older children (5-10 years old)

What value does it add for us?An example of when I was very glad to have it has been over the last 3 days since the light in out elevator has gone and we have literally been in the dark when trying to get up to our floor while avoiding an overloaded buggy to fall over!

What does it replace?Any torch that is handy to hang or store away in a buggy. It also complements, but does not entirely replace, buggy reflectors

How did my baby respond to it?He thinks it is a toy and loves the black & white pattern of the cow shape that I chose (it comes as bats, pandas, tigers, penguins, pigs, dogs, canaries and Father Christmas as well)

How much does it cost?Around £6 at Blacks

Can I see any drawbacks?You might get tired of winding it up before it illuminates and there is a 1:5 relation between winding time and illumination time that makes it hard work if you need to use the light for long periods of time

How to keep socks in place on slippery baby feet

Product name: Sockons (http://www.sockons.co.uk/)

What is it?Sock holders made from an elastic material that you slip on over your baby’s socks to keep them in place. It was invented by a mother of five with a degree in Art & Design

Why did it catch my attention?Like many new parents with me, I was struggling with the issue of how socks keep sliding off my son’s feet, to both his and my frustration. When I saw these on the feet of a neighbour’s daughter I felt that I had found the solution!

How old was my baby when I bought it?He was 4 months, but my friend has used them on her daughter since she was only a few weeks old

What value does it add for us?The socks stay in place – avoiding his feet to get cold and his mother having to stock up on replacements for ‘disappeared’ socks  

What does it replace?A lot of frustrations throwing away and replacing odd socks, for then suddenly to find a bunch of socks you thought were long gone in the ‘feet’ of your baby’s winter overall

How did my baby respond to it?He is pretty indifferent, but I hope he appreciates not getting his feet cold anymore

How much does it cost?I bought mine for around £5 at JoJoMamanBebe

Can I see any drawbacks?If I was a sock producer I would maybe experience a decline in turnover, but as my husband said when I showed them to him – why on earth is this not built in to baby socks already?

How we play mummy's voice for baby when she is somewhere else

Product name: Philips SBCSC150 Baby Cradle Player (www.p4c.philips.com/files/s/sbcsc150_86/sbcsc150_86_pss_eng.pdf)

What is it?A device that plays a range of soothing sounds (lullabies, heartbeat and running water) and provides the opportunity to record your own sounds to play for the baby, for example his/her mother’s voice, which can be handy when left with a babysitter. It has an adjustable rubber band that gives the flexibility to attach it to for example buggy handles, cots and other furniture

Why did it catch my attention?This was one of the many gadgets I bought during the first few weeks when I desperately looked for something that played sounds that would make my baby sleep without involving too much physical effort from the parents

How old was my baby when I bought it?A few weeks, but this product is suitable from birth

What value does it add for us?There are two features of this device that have proven to be useful for us
a) the running water sound, which has a soothing effect on our son
b) the self-recorded sound, which I have used to record myself singing his favourite lullaby in order to (i) help babysitters settling him and (ii) sometimes make life easier for his tired mother in the middle of the night when he needs some singing to fall back asleep

What does it replace?a) Other gadgets with soothing sounds
b) Phone calls home to help babysitters calm an unsettled baby by hearing his mother’s voice
c) His mother singing for real

How did my baby respond to it?He did not like the heartbeat and the lullabies, responded well to the water sound after a while and seems to be unable to distinguish my recorded voice from the real thing. Unlike other gadgets designed to help babies sleep, this one does not have a design that is especially appealing to babies – he does not find the round, plastic box interesting at all

How much does it cost?£10 on Amazon UK

Can I see any drawbacks?My impression is that this product was developed without any target group consultation, otherwise the following drawbacks would have been addressed in the product design:
a) This item is too big to fit smoothly in a carrycot or a cot and therefore has to be placed outside of where the baby is
b) There is no off-button and the shortest play interval is 2 minutes – which is super-annoying when you happen to start it by accident
c) The design of the start-button makes it extremely easy to start by accident, for example when carrying it in a changing bag or packing it in the luggage for travelling
d) It is not especially intuitive what you need to do to actually record something, and in my experience approximately ¾ of all attempts to record something result in failure (an annoying scratching noise instead of what you wanted)
e) A baby can accidentally strangle him/herself with the rubber band

A thermos for milk bottles

Product name: Tommee Tippee Closer to Nature Insulated Bottle Bag (http://www.tommeetippee.com/)

What is it?A bottle-shaped bag made from thermo material that keeps your milk or water bottles at the right temperature. The Velcro straps on the top add value by making it easy to attach to bikes, buggies, cots, armchairs etc

Why did it catch my attention?Another one of the clever things that my husband found while equipping the house with everything related to bottle-feeding the last few weeks before our son was born

How old was my baby when I bought it?This was bought before he was born but is suitable from the moment you start bottle-feeding

What value does it add for us?It makes it easier to bring bottles of ready-made formula along when we go out, for example during the heatwave in London this summer. In addition it makes nightfeeding more hassle-free for us, since it allows us to keep a ‘ready-to-eat-tempered’ bottle of milk attached to his cot in our 18 degrees cold, air-conditioned bedroom at night

What does it replace?Either having to bring a bottle warmer along, wrapping bottles in blankets and towels to keep them warm in the cold and ice cubes to keep them cold in the heat or feeding your baby with milk with an inappropriate temperature

How did my baby respond to it?He does not have a clue that it exists, but his parents and grandparents find it very helpful

How much does it cost?£8 for two on Amazon UK

Can I see any drawbacks?When the baby’s fingers get stronger and he/she starts grabbing things, it is important to make sure that it is closed if kept close to the baby, as the fabric does not breathe if they put it over their heads

Fleece cover to keep baby warm in the BabyBjörn

Product name: BabyBjörn Cover for Baby Carrier (BABYBJÖRN Cover for Baby Carrier - City Black)

What is it?A hooded fleececover to attach on the front of the BabyBjörn to keep the baby warm and dry. The hood is attached with buttons, which make it easy to remove and because of the clever way the cover attaches to the carrier you can take the baby in and out without removing it

Why did it catch my attention?Like the BabyBjörn brand itself, I come from a cold country up north, where the weather is chilly during the autumn months

How old was my baby when I bought it?We bought it before he was born, but started using it when he was 3 months and (a) I started carrying him facing forward and (b) the weather got colder and more rainy here in London

What value does it add for us?It keeps my son warm and dry and compared to first dressing him up in an overall and then putting him in the BabyBjörn it is quicker to get out of the door

What does it replace?The alternative is to dress him up in an overall and then put him in the baby carrier, which I also do sometimes depending on where we are going and what we are planning to do

How did my baby respond to it?He seems to be comfortable in there

How much does it cost?Between £21-30 at Amazon UK

Can I see any drawbacks?Not for the time being

Flexible bedside cot to make mummy's life easier while nightfeeding

Product name: Babybay Bedside Cot (www.nctshop.co.uk/Babybay-Bedside-Cot/productinfo/4361)

What is it?A cot on wheels, where one of the sides can be removed to allow you to hook the cot on to your own bed. It can also be used as a stand-alone cot

Why did it catch my attention?Before my son’s birth, I was recommended by a friend with 1 year old twins to keep him sleeping close to me for as long as he would wake up during the night to feed

How old was my baby when I bought it?I bought this before he was born and have used it since the first night he lived with us

What value does it add for us?My son sleeps in his own little cot next to me, which makes him feel safe and is very convenient for me when having to feed in the middle of the night. We sometimes add the flexible side and use it as a stand-alone cot in other rooms in our flat

What does it replace?A stand-alone cot, moses basket or baby sleeping in the parents' bed. As the ‘food-machine’ I save time and energy at night since I don’t have to get up and go to a different room to feed him

How did my baby respond to it?It took a few nights before he felt comfortable not sleeping in his mummy’s bed or on one of his parents’ chests, but once he got used to it he sleeps very well in there

How much does it cost?£250 at the NCT webshop

Can I see any drawbacks?I have not yet tried to get him used to sleeping in his own room, which I imagine must be trickier when coming from a bedsite cot than something more standalone. Some fathers will have objections to the baby sleeping in the parents’ room. The mattress size (86x46 cm) is a non-standard one, which makes it tricky to find bed linen and fit items like Easidream (see separate post)

CCTV for babies

Product name: Luvion Platinum Digital Video Baby Monitor (www.luvion.nl)

What is it?A baby monitor with video that allows the parents or babysitter to follow baby’s activities (colour picture and sound) from a different room. It has automatic night vision (similar functionality as ‘night vision helmets’ used by the military) which allows the parents to have clear visibility of the baby without disturbing him with any light. There is an option that allows the monitor to be connected to a TV screen, but we have not yet tried this out

Why did it catch my attention?Both me and my husband are geeks who use videoconferencing for both business and private purposes – of course our baby has to have a video monitor!

How old was my baby when I bought it?This was the first baby item my husband bought, several months before our son was born…

What value does it add for us?The value of video compared to sound-only baby monitors is that we save several trips into the baby’s bedroom to check whether he is awake or only crying in his sleep. I find the picture quality to be very good and reliable, even in our flat that is full of gadgets transmitting signals at frequencies that could potentially interfere with the video signals. The first time he slept overnight alone with his grandparents my son had double protection with his grandmother sleeping in the same room and granddad monitoring him by video from another bedroom!! ;-)

What does it replace?Sound-only baby monitors or the good old method of taking regular trips to the baby’s room to check that everything is OK

How did my baby respond to it?He is not disturbed by it

How much does it cost?In the UK it trades for around £150-200 depending on store

Can I see any drawbacks?There are two
(a) with a very social baby who easily feels lonely, it would have been great to have a return channel to be able to talk to him from a different room to reassure him that mummy is close. I am being told that Motorola’s video monitor has this functionality
(b) unlike traditional sound-only monitors, the baby-end is dependent on being plugged into an electric socket, which limits the use to places with electricity and makes it impossible to use outdoors – a recent example where a more flexible product would have been great was when we recently went on holiday to Spain and stayed in the sun by the pool while our little one was sleeping in his buggy in the shadow 30 meters away from us – too far to keep an eye on him without having to walk over once in a while. I know that it is unthinkable in many countries, but my Scandinavian friends often let the little ones sleep in their buggy outside on the pavement with the monitor on while having a coffee in a coffee shop too noisy for a baby to sleep