Quinn NelsonOct 7, 2024
Dads/moms: what are a few things/gadgets/supplies a first-time parent may want? What are things that are trendy but dumb/unneeded? Any and all feedback appreciated!
Show threadJonathan Reed

@snazzyq For a baby monitor use a HomeKit compatible camera because it’s easy to access home and away. Plus you can look at recordings (to check things and also to save cute moments) and if you use some thing like the Aqara G2H, it can work out a lot cheaper than a dedicated one.

I know many people including my friend at MacStories @devondundee who swear by Mango Baby for a tracking app.

I’m sure you have them but have AirPods Pro or similar noise cancelling headphones to hand all the time. When they’re screaming and you need to comfort them, having the headphones in will make it easy to do it for long periods.

Soft toys are nice but you only need 4/5 max even up until 3 years old as they don’t care. If people want to give gifts ask for books. You can never have too many.

Try and avoid showing them TV until 2 and they’ll be far more engaged in the world around them.

Oct 7, 2024 at 6:35amWeb
Show threadJonathan ReedOct 7, 2024
@snazzyq @devondundee And despite all that, you do you. There’s so much advice out there but you should do what you feel most comfortable with.
Show threadDevon DundeeOct 7, 2024

@jonathanreed @snazzyq I love and agree with all of this! A few small things I’d also recommend:

A HomePod mini in the nursery for white noise. The ocean sound is the one we use.

A bottle dryer/sanitizer and bottle drying rack. Babies require a ton of dishes, and these save time on the drying end.

A Snuggle Me or similar style lounger. It’s the baby accessory I know for sure we got our money’s worth out of. My son slept in it all the time, and we could take it anywhere.

Show threadJonathan ReedOct 8, 2024
@devondundee @snazzyq Oh yes. Of course. Forgot about the HomePod. We use the white noise from it as part of a Home scene below. Very handy for getting the room ready for sleep before you even enter for smooth transitions!
Show threadMike MajeskiOct 9, 2024
@jonathanreed @devondundee @snazzyq Our HomePod Minis serve as a noise machine as well! We all fall asleep to the Enterprise engine noise on repeat
Show threadJonathan GulbrandsenOct 7, 2024

@jonathanreed @snazzyq @devondundee what a delightfully great and true summary. I have a 2 year old and I sign off on all this. I did buy a fancy Nanit baby camera but wish I had gone HomeKit route instead. Mango Baby is great though after nursing/formula stopped I haven’t opened it for more than logging length and weights.

Last part: critically true. I compare my kid to a lot of others and not about tooting my horn - I just see that they watch tv all the time, and are different.

Show threadJonathan ReedOct 8, 2024
@jonathangulbrandsen @snazzyq @devondundee Yeah, for sure. She does watch TV sometimes but it’s always stuff we watch together and she talks to us about it. It’s very intentional.
Show threadAaronOct 7, 2024
@jonathanreed @snazzyq @devondundee First time I’ve seen someone else mention AirPods Pro for this use and I cannot agree enough. There are frustrating times and dampening the screaming/cries can really help self-regulation - at least for me it does :)
Show threadJonathan ReedOct 8, 2024
@aaronschendel @snazzyq @devondundee Yeah, that’s the thing, I’ve suggested this to people before and they’ve said something like ‘but then you’re ignoring them!’ Which is totally not the case. But if you can dampen that screaming just a bit to make it bearable it means you can do a better job at comforting them for long periods.