LilSugar

Oh Baby! Would You Buy a Portable Ultrasound Gadget?

babysugar — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 12:30:29 -0700

How many of you thought Katie Holmes and Tom Cruise were crazy for reportedly having their very own ultrasound machine in their home? Well get ready to call the rest of the population nuts because the world's about to get x-ray happy with General Electric's newest gadget. Expectant ladies who want to swoon over their unborn baby will soon be able do so in the luxury of their own home.

Thirty years ago, women were only given ultrasounds in high-risk pregnancies or rare circumstances. In modern day, most pregnant mamas have the chance to view their growing babe at least three times and often much more than that. Antsy pant parents who fret about the fetus may go gaga for the new portable ultrasound device introduced by GE. Reportedly the size of a BlackBerry and inexpensive, the monitor can scan the body as well as if she were sitting in her doctor's office. Now that's not saying the mother-to-be will have a clue what she's looking at, but it may bring comfort and peace of mind to know she sees some black and white flutter action in her abdomen. Do tell, if the price were right, would you buy such a gadget for your expectant days?

Photo courtesy of CNET

10 More iPhone Apps For Moms

LilSugar — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 14:00:20 -0700

The iPhone has quickly become a mommy's best friend. With more mothers carrying the trusty hand-held devices, developers are creating applications to help busy women with every aspect of their lives. The cool programs record milestones, help countdown timeouts and seek out clean public restrooms. Here are 10 more apps to keep mommies organized.

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Cell Phones That Keep Parents and Children in Touch

LilSugar — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 09:00:10 -0700

Staying connected with your kids now involves technology. While back-to-school shopping means papers, pencils and knapsacks for most lil ones, some parents are also adding mobile phones to the supply list.

Thirty-eight percent of LilSugar readers said their children carry a cell phone with them, while 48 percent said they were against a school ban on the wireless devices. The biggest concerns parents have with the gadgets is that their youngsters will overuse them, talk to inappropriate people and not pay attention to class lessons. Cell phone providers are aware of these issues and have taken several measures to make parents more comfortable with them. Among their latest offerings are:

GPS services on popular wireless provider's plans that allow parents to pinpoint kids' locations at any time. Verizon's Chaperone and Sprint's Family Locator allow parents to track their children from their computers on a password-protected account.
Parental control services, also offered by traditional wireless provider's plans, that give parents the ability to set limits on when and where the phones are used.
Specific wireless networks created expressly for young kids, such as Kajeet and FireFly. Designed for elementary school users, the services offer parental controls on all of their phones, allowing parents to limit who can call the phone and who their kids can call. The systems also offer timers that limit when calls can be made to certain numbers and weekly "allowance" minutes that can be added to (or subtracted from) based on the child's behavior.

Check out some of the devices that house these GPS and parental controls below.

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Parenting Via Cell Phone Keeps Moms in Contact

LilSugar — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 05:00:30 -0700

How did parents manage before cell phones? That was the question posed to me the other night by a friend who called to cancel our mom and tot dinner plans after finding herself in the midst of a work crisis du jour. She relayed a story to which some moms may relate.

After dropping her children off at camp, she phoned the pediatrician to make check-up appointments while en route to the airport. While waiting for her flight to a business meeting, she sat a catalog on her lap and proceeded to place school uniform orders over the phone. After landing at her destination, she fielded several calls from her child care provider and then her own children, regarding a disagreement about whose turn it was to pick out the dinner entree. While waiting on a delayed flight, she recited her daughters' favorite bedtime story over the phone so she could "put them to sleep." Her situation is not ideal, but technology allows this mama to pursue career goals while maintaining constant contact via cell or iChat with her family.

Best iPhone Apps For Parents of Toddlers and Older Kids

LilSugar — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 06:00:18 -0700

Another ode to iPhone apps! New moms aren't the only ones who can get a little help from their smartphones. Whether a mother has one child or a big brood there are soccer schedules, school events and birthday parties to juggle! We've selected 10 that will help parents of toddlers and older kids remain organized.

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10 iPhone Apps For New Moms

LilSugar — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 06:00:51 -0700

Say goodbye to mush brain with a lil help from your smart phone! The fog in which many new moms find themselves after their baby's birth can leave them trying to remember when they last nursed or how often their tot is soiling diapers. There are quite a few new iPhone applications designed expressly for keeping track of these things. Check out some of our favorite apps that give new parents peace of mind.

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Mobile Technology Keeps Baby Close When Mom Is Away

LilSugar — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 08:00:45 -0700

Leaving baby to return to the workplace or steal a few minutes of mom-me time can be tough on a new mother. While there are many gadgets on the market to ease women into motherhood, there are also numerous mobile gadgets available to keep baby close. Here are just a few to lessen the pain of leaving the little one.

Special ring tones: New services, like Ringtonebang.com, allow parents to record their lil one's gurgling sounds and squeals of delight and make them ring tones for their phones.
Cell phone photos: Digital mobile photography has made snapping a shot of lil ones easier than ever. Whip out a cell phone and snap a photo to create a current photo album that can be carried wherever you go.
Digital key chains: Mamas will be careful about misplacing their keys when they have a digital photo album filled with photos of their wee ones attached.
Screen savers: Let everyone in the office catch a glimpse of the growing babe by updating the computer's screen saver on a weekly basis. It only takes minutes to do so, and both mamas and their colleagues will appreciate the changing scenery.

Check the BlackBerry at the Door

babysugar — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 09:00:00 -0700

Step away from the BlackBerry! Many hardworking mamas and papas find it tough to tear themselves away from their work since modern technology has made it so accessible. A blessing and a curse, it allows folks to work remotely, but also keeps them chained to their jobs. Mommy may walk in the door at 5 p.m., but she may not officially unplug from her duties until the computer is blank and her head hits the pillow.

In an effort to make "family time" live up to its name, many families ban texting, phoning or emailing during certain activities. Phones are turned off during dinner and iPhones are checked at the park so that mum and dad can focus on their number one task - tending to their offspring. What's the technology rule in your household?

Video Monitors Help Mama Keep Uninterrupted Tabs on Tots

babysugar — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 12:00:33 -0700

"DON'T buy a video monitor for your nursery! You'll be addicted to watching it and will never sleep again." These warnings from experienced mothers were ones I wish I ignored. After spending $100 on a regular monitor, it took me a year to realize the error of my ways.

While some mommies find monitors useless or at least expendable, I rely on mine to keep tabs on my snoozing babies. In hindsight, a video monitor would have saved me getting out of bed to check on my wee one's sleeping status or interrupting my tot's quiet downtime. As soon as they see mama peep in the room, that playtime is over! Instead of discovering his toes or chewing on a toy, me wee guy is amped and ready to get out of the crib. Already six months into my second child's life, I'm set on investing in one of the gadgets. Which kind of monitor, if any, do you prefer?

Safety 1st® Digital Audio & Video Monitor - $269.99	Summer Infant Complete Coverage Video Monitoring System - $299.99
Summer Infant Day & Night Pink 2.5" Handheld Color Video Monitor System - $199.99	Summer Infant Best View Color Handheld Video Monitor - $229.99
Sassy Web Watch Video Monitor - $279.99	Graco iMonitor Video Vibe Digital Monitor - $199.99
Summer Infant Day and Night Baby Video Monitor Set - $139.99	Fisher-Price Remote Control Video Monitor - $184.99

Game On! How Video Games Can Be Beneficial

LilSugar — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 04:00:12 -0700

Video games have become nothing short of ubiquitous, and try as we might, it is becoming harder and harder to keep them out of lil one's hands. While almost every toy company claims there are educational benefits to its games, some actually do help tots grow and develop necessary motor skills.

Several elementary video game consoles, such as the V.Smile TV Learning System ($50) and the Leapster2 Learning Game System ($60) feature games that aid in developing math, spelling, and writing skills. Their handsets and styluses help develop motor skills and hand-eye coordination that will be used for a lifetime to come. Seeing the immediate cause and reaction is gratifying to kids and allows them learn how to adjust their actions in the future. As tots grow older, the games and systems grow more sophisticated in their ability to be customized to work on a child's learning needs and allow parents to track their progress. Before you know it, your lil gamer will need his or her own iPhone.

Do you allow your wee ones to play video games, and if so, have you found them to be helpful?

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