When we think of technology, we probably don’t think about babies. That’s changing. It's never too soon to digitize your offspring, so I have an array of gadgets for want-to-be and expecting parents. Below are my curated collection of genius baby buys all designed to make life easier as a new parent.
 
1) BLOOMLFE

With pregnancy there are questions, lots and lots of questions. Is it a cramp? A contraction? Is it time? Bloomlife is a wearable detection device that sticks to the belly to monitor contractions. This helps soon-to-be-moms like me in their third trimester calm down and worry less. No rushing to the doctor’s office for every questionable pain or scrambling to make arrangements. Part gestational guru, part pregnancy decoder, Bloomlife automatically detects, counts and times your contractions in real time and helps you decide for yourself whether or not you are in labor based on contraction regularity and timing. Women and their partners use the data to make more confident decisions and/or facilitate the conversation with their care team.

This is especially helpful for women who don't actually feel contractions when they are having them and prevent false alarms hospital visits when a mom isn't sure what she is feeling.

The device works by picking up electrical signals sent by the muscles inside the womb. The company says it's passive and safe for continuous use day or night, so it does not send energy into the body. It's small, lightweight, and comfortable and sticks to your belly—no straps or belts.

The company hopes to work with hospitals and doctors to make it a part of routine part of maternity care, with the belief that all women should have access to better, more personalized information at their fingertips to make confident decisions about their own prenatal care.

Each monitor is made up of three parts—a sensor, a reusable patch that secures the sensor three fingers below one’s belly button, and an app that stores all the data.

Available to rent for $20 a week, plus shipping.

2) NANIT

Adults are obsessed with their sleep or lack thereof. From meditation apps to melatonin at night, the struggle is real. But here's the thing-- new parents lose 44 nights of sleep on average during their baby’s first year. If you’re like me, you’re on a mission to get a good night’s sleep for you and your baby, listen up.

There's a lot of anxiety that comes with baby’s asleep. The Nanit baby monitor not only keeps an eye on baby as they sleep, but help parents track, measure and classify sleep behavior.

Nanit keeps an eye on baby as they sleep with HD camera birds eye view of the crib and uses computer vision to help parents track and measure sleep behavior. The Nanit Sleep System app offers parents a live stream of their bundle of joy napping along with insights on their sleep patterns and generates nightly sleep reports and sleep scores, even providing tips on how to help your baby sleep better. Nanit also comes with two-way audio and lets you speak or sing to your little one through your app, plus nature sounds that will help soothe your baby to sleep.

So now your baby and you can get a better nights sleep.

Priced at $279, it’s definitely on the high-end of baby monitors, but if that extra functionality is important to you, it may be worth it.

3) SNOO smart sleeper 

This is not your regular crib, it's the Tesla of smart cribs loaded with tech that puts baby to sleep in seconds. Equipped with a microphone to detect crying, speakers to play white noise, and a motor that rocks your baby to create a soothing womb-like environment. This baby bed swaddles, rocks, and shushes newborns so parents can get some much-needed sleep.

The next best thing to having a night nurse? You’ll no longer be rocking/soothing your baby all the time because The Snoo will do it for you. Pretty much like having a robotic night nurse in the home tending to my baby’s needs while you do other things.

There’s built-in sleep training. SNOO’s technology helps soothe your baby when they wake up in the middle of the night so that they can learn to fall back asleep without your help.

Once your baby is comfortably positioned, The Snoo will begin working it’s magic. To start, The Snoo will gently rock your baby and begin playing white music via its amazing speakers. Unless your baby gets upset, this gentle motion and white noise will continue throughout the night uninterrupted. However, if The Snoo’s sensors recognize that your baby is upset, it will adjust and attempt to calm your baby with more intensity. For example, The Snoo will automatically increase the intensity of both the white noise and the rocking. The goal is for your baby to be calmed and go back to sleep without you having to get out of bed – you simply can relax and let The Snoo do all the work to make sure your baby is having a restful sleep… and if your baby isn’t sleeping well, The Snoo will recognize that your baby is awake and will adjust its settings until your baby is relaxed and sleeping once again. Truly amazing!'

Priced at $1295.

4) 4moms mamaRoo High-tech Swing

Parents, you know you can’t take your eyes off your baby. These super-fun, plush and functional bouncers will keep baby busy and engaged, so you just might get to take that shower you’ve been dreaming of.

Designed with mom in mind, mamaRoo’s five unique motions move just like you do, so baby never feels far from your touch. Built-in noise machines keep baby calm.

5) Hatch Baby Grow Smart Scale

Concerned about how much milk your baby is getting? Feeding infants is one of the more stressful jobs parents face. 

Now concerned parents can have peace of mind with the Hatch Baby Grow Smart Changing Pad. Changing pad meets connected smart scale to help track your baby’s weight gain, feeding amounts, and diaper changes. Soft, comfortable and wipeable.

You place baby on it before and then after a nursing feed to weigh him/her in order to see how much milk baby transferred. The data goes to a smartphone app for easy tracking.

Priced at $129

6) WILLOW

With no real paid maternity leave in the U.S., a quarter of mothers return to the workforce just 10 days after giving birth and have to ensure that milk is available to the newborn at all times. With breast milk considered the healthier and cheaper option, many working and nonworking moms turn to breast pumps. The downside for moms is most pumps look and feel like the vacuum machines used to milk cows.
Trying to juggle work and motherhood is not easy. Add in breastfeeding and pumping and it's chaos. Willow is changing that by providing women with the equipment that makes a time consuming task like pumping more manageable. The Willow Wearable Breast Pump, is the first of its kind breast pump that’s mobile and fits in a bra. No tube, no wires--  completely untethered. Women love  this because they can pump while at work or even while at home watching Netflix and finally chillin. You can even wear it in laying down position and the milk will never spill thanks to the one way valve bags. They obviously knew that breast milk is liquid gold.

It comes at a hefty price of $400. but is there a price for freedom?

Let us know some of your favorite gadgets that you’ve been using.