Four Great Gadgets for Moms

Ever wished you were Judy Jetson and you could cook dinner with a remote control? Even if that's not yet a possibility there are a slew of new gadgets designed to help make caring for our homes and our families at little more convenient. Here are Premier Baby & Child's four favorites:

The Battery Xtender

If you have kids, you use batteries. As much as we all love beautiful wooden toys, we always end up with a battery operated noise maker on the Christmas list. For mommies with babies it's even worse. Swings run all night on D batteries, mobiles on size C. What's a mommy to do? Don't take out a second mortgage just yet. Purchase the Battery Xtender. This little gadget recharges regular old alkaline batteries. It won't charge a completely dead battery but the unit we tested at press time has recharged the same C batteries seven times! $39.95. Order it at www.batteryxtender.com

A Great Camera

Kids are cute at unexpected moments. Have your camera at the ready by purchasing a great digital. Our current favorite is the Cannon Cybershot. It's slim lines let you toss it in the diaper bag with very limited additional weight and space. Also, it has great battery life, good picture quality and a video and still mode.

A White Noise Maker

When you just have one child, noise is not a problem. They go down for a nap, and the whole house is quiet. But when you introduce, two, three or more into the mix, then someone's always loud and rowdy when a little one needs a nap. Enter the white noise maker. Think of it as your nap-prolonger. The white noise maker gently masks the noise of the house. We tested the LifeSounds 440 model from www.sleepwellbaby.com which is specifically formulated for infants and children. And we're convinced. Our cover baby slept through barking dogs, vacuuming and a Barbie electric guitar.

A Thermapot

Instant hot water may sound like something you think you can live without, but with a tiny one in the house, it can come in quite handy. Mix it with cool water for instantly warm formula. Fill a cup with boiling water to reheat refrigerated breast milk. Sterilize dropped pacifiers or toys in an instant. Consider the Panasonic Thermapot. It keeps water at boiling all day long. Replete with a safety lock, it gives you a jump start on boiling water whenever you need it.