When you become a parent, you’re flung into a new universe of feeding schedules, lack of sleep, and a sudden need to find the best baby gear for a tiny person you haven’t met yet. If you’re feeling overwhelmed about all the accessories and must-haves there are as a parent, this guide is here to help.
Here at WIRED Reviews we test everything from speakers and fitness trackers to digital notebooks to vacuums and so much more, and many of our writers are parents who have tried all kinds of baby gear and parenting accessories to find the best of the best. From high-tech baby monitors to smart bassinets, this is everything our parent testers have loved.
Looking for more parenting gear? Check out our guides to the Best Bottle Washers, Best Strollers, Best Breast Pumps, and Best Baby Monitors. We've also got guides to the best gifts for new parents and the best gifts for babies and toddlers.
Our Favorite Baby Monitors
One of the major gadgets that nearly every parent will use at some point is a baby monitor. Baby monitors will keep an eye on Baby for you, and more advanced ones can send alerts or even track vitals for you all night long. We test all of our baby monitors for several weeks at home with our own children to see how well they work, from quality of the video stream and audio to how well the alerts and Wi-Fi connectivity hold up after setup. These are the ones we recommend the most.
Photograph: Nena Farrell Owlet Dream Sight Gen 3 $100 Amazon $100 Owlet Owlet's claim to fame is the inclusion of a wearable sock that can track your baby's vitals. I've been using Owlet's stand-alone camera without it, though, and it's also been a handy camera to use when I want to check on my son without finding my radio-based monitor or am away from the house. The Wi-Fi connectivity sometimes drops, though. Photograph: Nicole Kinning
Photograph: Nicole Kinning Chevron Chevron Nanit Home Display Smart Baby Monitor Companion $149 Nanit (Home Display Only) $399 Nanit (Bundle) If your hang-up with Nanit is that it doesn't come with its own display, you can one with the Nanit Home Display Companion. But for both this and Nanit in general, you will need a subscription to access all features.
Our Favorite Sound Machines
Sound machines (also called white noise machines) are great for babies and little ones to replicate the noisy womb they recently left, and to keep outside noise from jarring them awake. Sleep is precious for parents and children alike, especially in the early baby days. We've tested these sound machines with our kiddos to make sure they really do soothe our children all night long.
Photograph: Nena Farrell
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