Chameleon weaning spoons!

Product name: Boots Heat Sensor Weaning Spoons (http://www.boots.com/)

What is it?Yellow weaning spoons with a purple coating that turns pink above a certain temperature

Why did it catch my attention?I was at Boots looking to top up our stock of normal weaning spoons when I found these that the gadget girl in me was unable to resist

How old was my baby when I bought it?He was 6 months old, but this product is useful from the day you start weaning – potentially even more so at the early stages of weaning, before you get on top of it

What value does it add for us?They help me avoid serving too hot food to my little one

What does it replace?Normal weaning spoons without heat indicator paired with some common sense

How did my baby respond to it?He does not understand the difference and has so far not experienced the spoon turning pink either

How much does it cost?£2 for 4 spoons at Boots

Can I see any drawbacks?Because of his mother storing his baby food jars in the fridge, they would be even better with a cold indicator as well. Without being a chemical expert I am not sure if I want to know what material the coating is made from…

Don't forget to label your buggy

Product name: Mono stripe luggage tag (www.paperchase.co.uk)

What is it?A luggage tag intended for tagging suitcases with your name and address when out travelling. The only thing that is different from regular luggage tags is that is has a nice design that matches my son’s buggy ;-)

Why did it catch my attention?When our baby was only a few weeks old, my husband and I had a scary incident where we were very close to buggy and baby disappearing with a Piccadilly Line train while the parents were left on the platform. This made me aware of the need for marking our buggy with name and phone number so that it (and above all the baby) can be returned to the parents again if the unthinkable should happen

How old was my baby when I bought it?5 months, but we should have had it from the first time we took public transport with him in the buggy

What value does it add for us?In case we for any reason would be separated, the buggy can be identified and the finder will be able to call us

What does it replace?I have been looking for a while for something that I could write on and that would stick on the inside of the hood but have failed to find any product to satisfy this need

How did my baby respond to it?I attached it today and don’t think he has seen it yet. I deliberately attached it to a handle that would be out of reach for him so that it would not accidentally fall (or be pulled) off

How much does it cost?£5 at Paperchase

Can I see any drawbacks?Not that I can think of

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

Rear-view mirror to keep an eye on the baby while driving

Product name: Sunshine Kids Easy View Ultimate Back Seat Mirror (Sunshine Kids Easy View Back Seat Mirror)

What is it?A mirror made for attaching on the neckrests in the backseat so that the parents can keep an eye on the baby while driving. It rotates very flexibly thanks to the ‘ball socket’ that the mirror is fixed on

Why did it catch my attention?The first time we went driving a little bit further away with our son was when he was only 5 weeks old – so his neck was still very floppy and because it was summer and we did not have enough sunblockers on the backseat windows to protect his fragile skin from all angels, it was important for us to be able to keep an eye on him during the trip

How old was my baby when I bought it?1,5 months, but the need for this product is more dependent on season than the baby’s age

What value does it add for us?It helps make us keep an eye on the baby in the backseat without risking to cause an accident on the road ;-)

What does it replace?Turning around, or stopping (if you are alone with him in the car) to look how he is doing

How did my baby respond to it?He actually thought it was fun to watch the cute little baby he saw in the mirror (not knowing that it was his own face he was staring at) and it seemed to give him a little bit of comfort that he could have eye contact with his parents

How much does it cost?£6 on Amazon UK

Can I see any drawbacks?As with anything that can distract your attention from the road ahead it is important to be careful not to let it influence safe driving

Flexible reflector stickers for buggy safety on dark roads

Product name: Wagalum Buggy Reflectors (http://www.safetots.co.uk/)

What is it?A set of ten reflector stickers to help make your buggy visible in the dark

Why did it catch my attention?Having had a rather scary walk home on my un-lit street a dark evening in November, I realised that we needed reflectors to make car-drivers aware that there was a little vulnerable child crossing the street so that they paid more attention

How old was my baby when I bought it?3,5 months, but the need for this product is more dependent on season than the baby’s age

What value does it add for us?It helps make us visible to other street-users to increase our safety in the dark

What does it replace?There are several other reflector products on the market, but what caught my attention with these ones was the flexibility as they are stickers

How did my baby respond to it?He does not have a clue that they exist!

How much does it cost?£9,99 in the UK

Can I see any drawbacks?You need to think through where you place them on the buggy to maximize visibility and safety

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

Clever 'flex & slide' dummy holder

Product name: Tommee Tippee Winnie the Pooh Printed Soother Holders (www.tommeetippee.com)

What is it?A dummy holder with a very clever flex and slide connector and Velcro that makes it easy to attach the dummy to a baby carrier, a pram or baby’s or the mother’s clothes. I also use it to attach other things, like toys in the pram and on the ‘over-head-structure’ above his playmat

Why did it catch my attention?For the reason that dummies keep disappearing and dropping on dodgy floors

How old was my baby when I bought it?It was bought before he was born but is suitable from the moment you have the need to attach a dummy or other things somewhere

What value does it add for us?
It provides a smooth way of attaching all kinds of things in places you need them

What does it replace?There are a lot of different patents for dummy holders on the market, but I find this to be the smartest one. It also replaces using strings or cords to attach toys and other things in places where you need them to be

How did my baby respond to it?The only part of it he cares about are the pictures of Winnie the Pooh and Eeyore which keeps him entertained for example when we are out walking with him in the baby carrier

How much does it cost?£5 for two at Amazon UK

Can I see any drawbacks?
According to Tommee Tippee’s homepage it seems to have gone out of their product range to be replaced by something more techy but less pretty. When using the dummy holder it is important to make sure to attach it in a way so that the baby can’t accidentally strangle himself with the cord

Blockers to protect baby from rolling over

Product name: The First Years Nature Sensations Sleep Positioner (www.learningcurve.com/thefirstyears)

What is it?Two coloured ‘blockers’ that attach to each other with a piece of Velcro and that are designed to prevent your baby from rolling over when sleeping. I have not used it for the original purpose, but to keep my baby in place when laying down in places where I am worried he will roll off, for example the sofa and the changing table

Why did it catch my attention?This was something we bought in the very early days without very much thought else than that it looked like a great idea

How old was my baby when I bought it?A few days, but he manufacturer recommends this product from 0-6 months

What value does it add for us?Gives mummy piece of mind with a wriggling baby on the changing table and other places he might fall off, and keeps my baby entertained as he loves the coloured caterpillars on the sides

What does it replace?Worrying about the baby rolling over and hurting himself

How did my baby respond to it?At first, we did not get very much of a response, but at 3 months he got interested in the coloured caterpillars and tries to grab and talk to them

How much does it cost?£10 on Amazon UK

Can I see any drawbacks?As the baby gets heavier (my son is around 8,5 kg now) the ‘blockers’ become less efficient – the 6 month age limit is probably more a question of expected weight and rolling skills than age