So I'm gonna be a Dad, what tech can make my life easier?

[Shadow_Storm56]

20 hours ago, Muffinmaddness said:

So yeah, I've just learnt im gonna be a father, so exciting! so my question is, what do other dads on here use tech wise to help in their lifes, if any, or are you all old school?
 

Condoms would have been helpful tech! lol jk Congratz dude but yes I agree with everyone coffee and prolly baby monitors. 

[Ryujin2003]

The only tech things I really used with my kid when he was a baby (he is 8 now), would be the occasional lighting educational toy, like some type of singing bear or something...

 

Otherwise, on the adult side, a legitimate carpet spot cleaner and fabric cleaner for couches and stuff. Vomit, poop, you name it.

 

Possibly an in home alarm system if they don't have one already.

 

Otherwise, I'm 110% against baby monitors. Unless for serious medical issues, most baby monitors have shit for security. Easily hackable. You could get someone else to watch the video feed without knowing. Very creepy. The thought is nice, but the security of the tech is horrible. You'd do better doing an in home monitor setup like a security system. I don't trust any of that VTEC and other similar brand wireless security. I'd stay away from those. My son is still alive and never had a monitor. I don't know why many parents get these.. so they can watch and adore their child sleeping?

 

Another last thought. Console or gaming PC is always nice. I was the night guy for my wife, so if get up and bottle feed at 3 or 4 am. I'd have to get up at 6 anyways to get ready for work, so I'd feed him, put him in his swing.. and knowing the other hour of sleeping won't make a difference, is hangout and play a game or two while he slept.

Someone else said Keurig could be helpful. The baby will establish a rythm. You can set the Brew timer of that and come downstairs, the Keurig is already got, start it while you grab a bottle.. doneski.

 

Otherwise, I don't think there is much need for baby tech.

[Jtalk4456]

3 hours ago, Ryujin2003 said:

The only tech things I really used with my kid when he was a baby (he is 8 now), would be the occasional lighting educational toy, like some type of singing bear or something...

 

Otherwise, on the adult side, a legitimate carpet spot cleaner and fabric cleaner for couches and stuff. Vomit, poop, you name it.

 

Possibly an in home alarm system if they don't have one already.

 

Otherwise, I'm 110% against baby monitors. Unless for serious medical issues, most baby monitors have shit for security. Easily hackable. You could get someone else to watch the video feed without knowing. Very creepy. The thought is nice, but the security of the tech is horrible. You'd do better doing an in home monitor setup like a security system. I don't trust any of that VTEC and other similar brand wireless security. I'd stay away from those. My son is still alive and never had a monitor. I don't know why many parents get these.. so they can watch and adore their child sleeping?

 

Another last thought. Console or gaming PC is always nice. I was the night guy for my wife, so if get up and bottle feed at 3 or 4 am. I'd have to get up at 6 anyways to get ready for work, so I'd feed him, put him in his swing.. and knowing the other hour of sleeping won't make a difference, is hangout and play a game or two while he slept.

Someone else said Keurig could be helpful. The baby will establish a rythm. You can set the Brew timer of that and come downstairs, the Keurig is already got, start it while you grab a bottle.. doneski.

 

Otherwise, I don't think there is much need for baby tech.

Are you talking about wifi connected monitors? I wasn't referring to anything connecting to the internet. The reason we use monitors is when they're still an infant, a kid can roll over while they're asleep and suffocate. Or when they get big enough, they can try getting out of the crib at night and hurt themselves in the process. We woke up one morning to find our daughter in bed with us, and she was still young enough to be in a crib at that point. What you want in a baby monitor is one that wakes you up when it detects noise, that way if they're suffocating or fell on the floor trying to get out, you will get to the kid quicker and possibly save their life. As for security, don't hook it to your wifi, but it's definitely a handy tool

[Syntaxvgm]

A child tracker 

 

And I'm sure you can modify an automatic dog food dispenser for your needs.  

[dizmo]

Don't forget that your main job as a parent is to have your child be socially desirable by the time they're the age of 4

[Canada EH]

Buy an Atari

[Watashi]

3 year old step son and he really likes to use tablets, and watch videos on youtube via an xbox on a television.

[Guest]

My mom had 2 kids and being the second, i turned out easier. Not tech related but will save you headache. 

 

1. Kids have to go to sleep. DON’T HOLD THE BABY AFTER THEIR BEDTIME OR YOU’LL REGRET IT. 

2. Tire your kids out. Just do it. If you tire them out before bedtime and put them to bed and don’t bother them, they’ll sleep the whole night. 

3. No daylight savings time. Just be like “oh, it’s 7:30 already? Time for bed!” 

 

And thats how how you actually go to sleep when a parent. You’re welcome. Violate any of the rules and you’re not sleeping. At least that night. 

 

Edit: the best tech is less tech imo. Unless you’re teaching them how to use a computer, they may become addicted. 

I’d recommend teaching complex computer things like 2 hand typing, programming, in depth operating system uses. I think smart phones are a bad idea unless you give educational software so it becomes something useful. I had this “leap frog” thing and had fun learning with the games. But Halo hasn’t really done much for me. 

[Canada EH]

1 hour ago, Doomerson said:

3 year old step son and he really likes to use tablets

thats gunna perhaps be an issue later in life

so so young

such healthy eyes

[Macboi]

On 3/12/2018 at 4:12 PM, geo3 said:

A condom, but it's a little late for that now.

Mission failed, we'll get em next time.

[Watashi]

19 minutes ago, Canada EH said:

-cut-

Any sources that provide evidence that's actually unhealthy?

[handymanshandle]

On 3/12/2018 at 6:49 PM, YouSirAreADudeSir said:

All our plug sockets in the UK have shutters over the Live and Negative terminals that are only opened by the much longer Earth post on the plug

Designed to be idiot proof, true shame honestly. Why not let the idiots take care of themselves?

Anyways, your plugs are round so it'd be hard to fit a key in.

I mean when I was young I would stick keys in outlets, but I was smart and did car keys which are coated in plastic/rubber so I wouldn't get shocked.

 

I mean outlets are key cleaners and if the key has a transponder it can charge the transponder, right?

 

[SameOlGrind]

Make a Pi smart mirror!

MAKE PI MIRROR!

You and your partner should then ensure you have a joint email you can send all your appointments, work schedules, lan parties and other such hyper important schnitzel to. You can communicate without even having to remember that thing you have to do thursday after next! 

 

There are going to be a lot of appointments, dentists, meetings, job related mumbo jumbo, functions, intervals and other IRL related rigamarole that if you're not a consummate organizationalist can quickly become overwhelming. This will be compounded by the fact that you're going to be running on coffee, adrenaline, and will power. 

 

As practical as a smellphone is you'll be holding a small person and fingering out a touchscreen is often not practical. Being able to see emails, important dates, weather, etc. at a glance is surprisingly beneficial.

 

And remember your "should I's"... 

 

Also, put a florist on speed dial. YOU WILL do something stupid and YOU WILL be in the dog house for no practical and legitimate reason. She's hormonal and tired and she's just passed a watermelon through a keyhole after 9 months of bizarre cravings and uncomfortability. Unless your next move is to open an umbrella up your ass as a show of solidarity... Buy her flowers!

 

It's a magical time. 

[M. Rizzi]

- A PS4 for Netflix/Amazon Prime/Hulu.

- A smart home so you can just tell the house to turn down the temp so you don't have to get up off the couch after helping the kid all day.

- Electric Cord Screw for opening a new bottle of wine every night.

- Headphones to drown out the crying when your other half is taking care of the crying kid.

- iPad so when your child needs a distraction, hand it to them to play games on.

- Home security system now that you live and protect your significant other and your newborn child.

 

[Thelostworld]

Congrats! You're gonna be a great dad. 

First put down your phone or any other gadgets and spend more time with your kid. 

[NTDaws]

Buy crack. It gonna be a long 3 years. Jk recommend a baby monitor. I prefer the video one.

[Hiitchy]

First of all, congratulations!

 

Second off, buy things that block plugs so your baby doesn’t get super interested and stick their finger where it doesn’t belong.

 

Thirdly, pool noodles. I know it sounds silly, but if you slip pool noodles underneath the bedding, you can create a safe zone so the baby doesn’t roll all over the place and stays within that area.

 

Also, consider investing in a security alarm system. Crazy, but depending on where you live, when things happen you’re definitely going to want peace of mind for your family.

 

Lastly... A better internet connection depending on if you’re going to buy a tablet for the baby to watch their shows and such. I had to upgrade my internet connection from 75Mbps to 150Mbps just because we have so many IoT devices in our house lol.

 

Can’t really think of anything else though.

[dalia38europe]

Congrats! You need to get a video monitoring system and a high tech rocking system to rock the baby day and night. :-)

[Muffinmaddness]

On 14/03/2018 at 4:11 PM, Thelostworld said:

Congrats! You're gonna be a great dad. 

First put down your phone or any other gadgets and spend more time with your kid. 

Im not sure if this was sarcastic, or a "joke" or serious....but if it's the latter...the kid is not born yet...do not even think for a second that a piece of hardware will be more important than my own child. What I am asking for is any hardware that would make life easier when I have a child not a distraction from it. 

anyway..
 

Thanks for all the suggestions and well wishes, myself and my other half appreciate it, alot of these things I have or am planning to do, so I think i'll be set, the dipper change light is a really great idea, that im going to do, and the smart mirror sounds like a fun project, so thanks guys really nice hearing from the other Dads, thank you all again =) 

[AncientNerd]

Okay, not exactly tech but I used our rocking chair more with our kids (3 of them, now all over 20) than any other tool. Sit in the rocking chair, rock the kid to sleep, watching a video. Sit in the rocking chair, rock the kid to sleep, play a computer game (Civ 1 and 2). Sit in the rocking chair with kid two, while kid one watches a video, rock kid two to sleep.

 

You get the idea, we use that rocking chair until it fell apart.

 

(oh and baby monitor, we were pre-video monitor but even a plain sound only one with multiple receivers was a wonderful thing)  

[Sergifq]

On 3/12/2018 at 3:50 PM, XenosTech said:

Congrats,

What ever you do, don't be like me and teach them to be a troll... Did that with my nephew

????????

[Ingrid_W]

Toys. At the beginning, the kid only read black and white. You can show colorful cards to him or her after three months old. 

You will feel happy and also exhausted but you know everything is worthy. 

Congrats.