Pregnancy
Bump-stage kit: TENS machines, pelvic floor trainers and what's worth it before the big day.
Hello, I'm Tech Dad.
Baby tech, minus the overwhelm.
When we found out we were expecting, I went looking for straight answers on monitors, smart socks and bottle machines. I found a hundred open tabs, a lot of breathless marketing and not many straight answers. So I built the site I wanted: honest scores, clear comparisons and a Gold Star for the kit that's genuinely worth your money.
- 131 products scored across 21 categories
- Every score explained
- Scores are never for sale
Real talk. No waffle. Gold Stars earned.
Where are you at?
Pick your stage
From the first scan to the first "why?", the kit changes fast. Start where you are.
Sleep & Monitoring
Baby monitors, smart socks, sensor pads, smart cribs and white noise. The 3am aisle.
Feeding
Breast pumps, formula machines, sterilisers and bottle warmers, weighed up without judgement.
Health
Thermometers, nasal aspirators and nursery air: the kit you reach for at 2am with a hot little forehead.
Toddler
Story players, sleep clocks, tablets and headphones for when they're walking, talking and negotiating.
The sticker chart
This season's Gold Stars
Labour TENS Machines
Babycare Elle TENS 2
The labour TENS to beat: a simple boost button, a genuinely useful contraction timer, and you can hire it.
Best for Anyone who wants the most complete labour TENS, whether hiring for one birth or buying to keep.
Pelvic Floor Trainers
Perifit Care+
The most engaging biofeedback trainer, with a smaller probe and a genuinely useful trial period.
Best for Postnatal parents cleared at their check who want feedback on technique and a reason to keep going.
Video Baby Monitors
eufy Baby Monitor E21
A sharp 4K camera, a proper parent screen and no subscription. The one I'd buy.
Best for Most families who want a bedside screen at home plus the option of checking in on their phone.
Wearable Baby Monitors
Owlet Dream Sock
The most complete smart sock on sale in the UK, with proper medical certification behind its readings.
Best for Parents who want pulse and oxygen readings with alerts on a base station and their phone, and who trust themselves not to watch the numbers all night.
Breathing & Movement Monitors
Nanny BM-03
The most thoughtfully designed breathing monitor on sale, with Class IIb certification and clever safeguards.
Best for Parents who room-share and want the most capable certified under-mattress breathing monitor, with no Wi-Fi or camera.
Audio Baby Monitors
VTech DM1212
Long range, talk-back and a temperature display for about £30. Hard to fault.
Best for Most families who want a reliable, private audio monitor with the useful extras.
Smart Cribs & Bassinets
Graco Eluma Nest
The sensible smart crib: cry-triggered rocking and white noise, built to the UK crib standard, for about a seventh of the price of a SNOO.
Best for Parents who like the idea of a crib that rocks and shushes on its own, but don't want to spend four figures on it.
Baby Swings & Rockers
Maxi-Cosi Cassia Electric Swing
A light, rotating swing that starts swaying on its own when your baby gets fussy, and runs on batteries when there's no socket.
Best for Most parents who want a proper electric swing that's light enough to carry between rooms and smart enough to react to fussing.
White Noise Machines & Sleep Aids
Hatch Baby Sound Machine & Night Light
The Hatch Rest's successor, and the most complete nursery sound machine and night light here, controlled from your phone.
Best for Parents who want a sound machine and night light they can adjust from the landing, and that grows into toddler routines later.
Gold StarThe one I'd buy. Best all-rounder in its category.
Value StarMost for your money, with nothing important missing.
Splurge StarPricey, but worth it if the budget stretches.
Can't decide?
Head-to-heads
Baby Thermometers
Braun ThermoScan 7+ (IRT6525)
VS
Braun Age Precision Digital Stick (PRT2000)
Kids' Audio Players
Yoto Player (3rd Gen)
VS
Toniebox 2
Labour TENS Machines
Babycare Elle TENS 2
VS
TensCare Perfect mama+
Video Baby Monitors
eufy Baby Monitor E21
VS
Nanit Pro
Wearable Breast Pumps
Medela Motion InBra
VS
Elvie Stride 2
Wearable Breast Pumps
eufy S1 Pro
VS
Elvie Pump
Worth a read first
Straight-talking guides
Start here
The baby tech you actually need (and what you can skip)
An honest, stage-by-stage list of the baby tech worth buying, the nice-to-haves, and the gadgets you can happily skip.
Sleep & safety
Do baby monitors make babies safer? What the evidence says
What baby monitors, smart socks and sensor pads can and can't do, what The Lullaby Trust says about them, and the safer sleep basics that matter most.
Tech Dad essentials
Wi-Fi baby monitor security: the 10-minute setup checklist
A plain-English checklist for setting up a Wi-Fi baby monitor or nursery camera securely, based on the UK National Cyber Security Centre's advice.