The toddler years are some of the most challenging and most rewarding times when it comes to parenting. Toddlers are constantly learning new things, exploring with and without your permission, and gaining access to new experiences and emotions that you will have to help them handle. Fortunately, in our modern age, you don’t have to do it alone. There are a massive number of gadgets specifically designed to help raise happy and healthy toddlers. Here are some of the best gadgets for raising a toddler that we’ve found.
No-Touch Thermometers
If you suspect that your child is ill, it’s likely that they will be far more cranky and combative than usual. Unfortunately, this often takes the form of being resistant to necessary steps when you’re sick, such as taking medicine or having their temperature taken with a standard mouth thermometer. Standard thermometers are strange, which can be scary for a toddler, and if they have been sick before they will have bad associations with these necessary tools. But it is necessary for you to take their temperature, which is where a no-touch thermometer can come in handy. While these thermometers are less accurate – so don’t panic if their temperature is just a few degrees too high – they will allow you to get an idea of whether you should worry. More importantly, scanning the skin is far easier to do when your child is fighting you and can be done while they’re sleeping.
Car Cushions and Headrests
Let’s face it: even as adults, long car rides can get uncomfortable. This is only more pronounced with toddlers, who aren’t used to putting up with minor discomfort and are already balls of energy. Fortunately, there are a multitude of cushions and car seat head support for toddlers that can make longer car trips more comfortable for them and less loud and stressful for you. These gadgets will also help your toddler fall asleep more easily in the car, which can make it easier to keep them on their sleep schedule if you’re forced to drive during their usual nap time or after their bedtime.
Video Monitors
Everyone knows the standard audio-only baby monitors, but toddlers can be far more sneaky when it comes to mischief. You may not be able to hear signs of impending trouble in advance, but getting chores or dinner done will often necessitate leaving your toddler unsupervised for a period of time. Nowadays, there are a number of high-tech video monitors that can provide you with a live video feed and sound, some which will stream directly to your phone for added portability. This is also a blessing when it comes to moving your child from a crib in your room to their own room, adding a way to keep an eye on them even when they’re no longer right beside you.
Educational Apps
Early learning is an important factor to getting your child a head start in their education. While there are a number of low-tech activities you can do with your child, such as reading picture books and practicing their letters and numbers, educational apps can be a powerful tool when it comes to helping your child learn in an age-appropriate way. One of the biggest advantages to educational apps is that they are tailor-made to help your child at the level they’re at, so looking at the kind of things they’re learning on those apps will help you tailor the rest of their early education to suit them.
White Noise Machines
If your toddler seems to wake up constantly at night despite having been able to sleep through the night as a baby, a white noise machine might be able to help. Often, toddlers stop being able to sleep through the night due to becoming more sensitive to the natural sounds of the night, such as cars, the house settling, or older family members walking around the house. These noises are disturbing primarily because they come out of nowhere, disturbing their sleep and causing them to wake up for seemingly no reason. A white noise machine will provide a constant drone that can cause these noises to disturb your toddler’s sleep less.
