Perfect Prep, the Nanit Pro, and Infantino’s Squeeze Station constitute the three best baby tech buys over my decade of parenting.
As a father to three — the youngest having just turned two — I am well versed in baby tech. Gone are the days where a cot, nappies, and wet wipes were all a new parent could ever need. Nowadays, there’s a dizzying array of tech to choose from, ranging in price from a few pounds to hundreds or even thousands.
Now, of course some of the basics remain essential, including the ever-present thermometer and Calpol syringe. One of my least favourite memories involves walking aimlessly through the city at 3am in a desperate attempt to source teething gel for a distraught six-month old. Remember to stock up on these basics.
But in a world where both parents are often working, tech can be the third parent. And happily, I have either been bought or gifted plenty of pieces — many secondhand — and can use my experience to convey which pieces are the most useful.
3 best baby gadgets in 2023
1. Tommee Tippee Perfect Prep Machine
The Perfect Prep machine is literally the best gadget ever invented. I’m serious. It’s better than the iPhone, television and internet put together.
Assuming you’re bottle-feeding — that’s 88% of UK parents — this singular contraption is the best improvement to your sleep schedule imaginable. And when you have a baby waking up every other hour, every extra scrap of sleep becomes infinitely precious.
At only £80, the machine prepares a bottle of formula milk in less than two minutes, at a perfect temperature, an absolute godsend compared to the standard 10-30 minutes required to make up a bottle on demand. You can make a variety of bottle sizes, though most babies peak at three 210 ml bottles per day.
The machine uses branded, replaceable filters which filter out all bacteria, and it is essential to stick to these as standard water filters are not comprehensive enough for babies who have weaker immune systems than adults. These filters must be replaced, and the machine cleaned through with white vinegar, roughly every three months.
Just press the main button once to measure out an initial shot of hot water which kills any bacteria present in the formula, shake, and then press again to fill up the bottle perfectly.
We didn’t have this machine with baby #1 and suffered for it. There is a premium ‘day and night’ version, but the only real difference is that it can be silenced. I consider this a negative for sleep-deprived parents who might need the alarm!
Remember, bottles still need to be sterilized.
2. Nanit Pro Camera
At £300, this camera may be a luxury for many parents. But new parents who decide to move their baby to their own room at six months tend to go into panic mode, and this helps to ease any fears.
The wall mounted camera gives you an unbeatable bird’s-eye-view into the cot, with 1080p HD night vision and zoom from anywhere in the world, and also comes with a small wearable armband to monitor the baby.
There’s real-time sound and motion notifications that can be adjusted as your baby gets used to self-settling, and the smart camera also monitors both temperature and humidity. In addition, it obviously also includes safe cable management and is secured by 256-bit encryption and two-factor verification.
It also works as a night light, and comes with two-way talk to help reassure the baby with your voice without physically entering the room. Of course, this rarely works, but it’s nice to be able to try.
For the first year, parents also get Nanit Insights, where you get your baby’s sleep stats and a highlight reel of the night’s sleep. There’s also personalised sleep guidance in-app from world-leading paediatric sleep experts. And with the armband on the baby, you can be sure they are breathing, rather than trying to creep into the room on all fours as you irrationally panic for the 17th time that they have stopped.
One negative — there is only a one-year manufacturer’s guarantee which seems a little stingy for an expensive product expected to last multiple children. Ours has worked for years, but if you get a defective unit, that’s tough luck.
I’d suggest looking for retailer guarantees, some of which last longer.
3. Infantino Squeeze Station
Moving onto solids is a fairly terrifying experience, but the Infantino Squeeze Station — costing just £30 — makes the process a little easier. And a lot cheaper over the long run. For perspective, a single Ella fruit pouch now costs circa £1.30 — and a pouch of homemade fruit costs less than half this amount when prepared in bulk.
Instead of buying expensive fruit or meal pouches from the likes of Ella’s Kitchen, you instead prep your own cooked food, and then the machine packages it into convenient, hygienic 4oz pouches for future use.
You can make three pouches simultaneously — all you need to do is insert a pouch into the holder, pour in your pureed food and then press down to fill the pouch. These can then be used immediately or frozen — depending on the meal for up to three months.
The non-skid base makes the machine safe to use, while the entire machine is dishwasher-safe, so the usual cleaning faff becomes a distant memory. The system is also BPA, PVC, and phthalate free.
You just need to convince your baby that pineapple is edible. All three of mine remain unsure.
