Fertility

The Kindara Fertility App, free, iOS

This fertility app maps out a woman’s menstrual cycle and monitors her body temperature, menstrual flow, cervical fluid and more in order to provide the most likely time of ovulation. The information appears in an-easy-to-read chart that users can email to trained fertility counselors (available through and in-app purchase) as well as to their doctor for support. kindara.com

Contractions

Full Term, Free, iOS

The perfect app for the soon-to-be Dad. Full Term offers a clean and clutter free interface to track labor contractions. To use: simply tap a button to track the start and end of each contraction and the app will record times, durations and frequency. This can be used to monitor and determine trends or people can even email the contraction history to keep friends and family in the loop.

Baby Tracking

Baby Connect, $4.99, iOS and Android

This app won top marks with our Family Testers. It tracks nursing, pumping, medicine, baby’s mood, activities and more. It also records weight, height and head size and compares with international percentiles. Plus it provides graphs and statistics and automatically synchronizes information on all connected accounts in real time (via Wi-Fi or 3G). The app sends pre-set automatic notifications, reminder alarms and can be fully customizable to user’s preferred colours, layout and labels. baby-connect.com.

Sleeping

White Noise Ambiance, $1.99, iPhone (a slightly limited version also available for Android)

It took a sleep-deprived new daddy of twins to come up with this sanity-saving app. This app offers 75 sounds, including ocean waves, a campfire or shushing to lull your babe to sleep. Great for traveling to cottages or weekend retreats with friends, when you can’t always be in control of background noises during naptime. Heck, it’s even Dr. Oz-recommended.

Baby Monitor

Best Baby Monitor, $3.99, iOS

Using iPhone, iPad or iPod as the child unit this app allows streams live audio and visual video to a secondary iOS device. All parents need to do is connect their devices via the same Wi-Fi. The app also features night vision, via the iPhone’s camera flash, talk back capability and abilitiy to multi-task—check emails, search the web—while still keeping an eye on babe. Bonus: If you only have one iOS device handy, when placed close to the sleeping baby, it will alert you with a phone call or FaceTime chat when the little one wakes up.

 

GEAR

4moms Origami Stroller, $900

Gadget lovers will adore all of this stroller’s features, including one-touch power fold (opens and closes with the touch of a button), running and pathway lights, an LCD dashboard (which has a thermometer, speedometer and trip and lifetime odometer) and built-in wheel generator system that charges the stroller or even your cellphone while you rool. All that and it has four cup holders, storage space, a no-kick zone for mom, four-wheel suspension and more. 4moms.com.

Additional specs

  • 32 lb.
  • 28-inches wide
  • Suitable from birth, when using an infant car seat (with separately sold attachments) or six months to 40 lb. in stroller seat

Angelcare Digital 3-in-1 Video, Sound & Movement Baby Monitor AC1100, $320

Get piece of mind with this three-in-one baby monitor. It offers audio, video and motion detection (using an under-the-mattress baby movement Sensor Pad that alrts you if no motion is detected in the crib after 20 seconds). It also features an LCD touch screen, adjustable sensitivity, night vision, two-way communication, voice-activated sound monitoring, and the option of deactivating detection functions. It has a nursery night light, temperature display and control, out-of-range and low-battery indicators and offers the ability for the camera to zoom in and out. angelcarebaby.com; available at Babies R Us, Sears and Walmart.

Additional specs

  • 2.4GHz Digital transmission with minimized interference
  • 656 range
  • 19 channels

Philips Avent 3-in-1 Electric Steam Sterilizer, $95

This electric steam sterilizer kills 99.9 percent of germs and has bottles milk-ready in six minutes flat. The size is adjustable to take up less space in the kitchen, plus the two compartments fit up to six bottles at a time. Also features automatic shut-off and is BPA free. philips.ca.

Aden & Anais Serenity Star, $90

This little guy will help you declutter your nursery as well as your brain. It functions as an electronic feeding and sleep diary. It also offers a sound machine with two lullabies, white noise and the sounds of a heartbeat, a temperature indicator (it glows red when the room is too hot and blue when the room is too cold), a nightlight and a clock. adenandanais.com.

Baby Brezza Prima Baby Food Maker, $183, available at Williams-Sonoma

This Williams-Sonoma exclusive makes baby food prep super simple. It offers an automatic, one-touch steamer-blender that can cook fruits, veg and meats in as little as 15 minutes. It also functions as a food warmer and defroster and offers a large four-cup capacity container that is big enough for big batch prep or even preparing adult dishes. Other features include: an LCD display with digital timer and pre-set controls with ten cook setting options, plus a recipe booklet and spatula. BPA-Free. williams-sonoma.com.