In the year 2021, we are all about advancements and changing the ways in which we live and work as the last 2 years have been full of changes for parents and families. This guide is Smart Home Devices for Kids and Busy Parents, who love cool electronics for kids and smart devices and products that make life simpler and easier as we all know the parenting gig is tough and we can all use a helping hand.
2020/2021 say so many changes in terms of working from home, virtual learning and much more and has taught society to embrace and learn new technologies and how they can better our lives as well as how they are always changing and adapting to meet the needs of society especially busy working parents and families. Now in our household we have had a Google home for many years, however that has expanded to a google home on every floor as well as many Smart Home Upgrades including an Ecobee in our old house, a Nest in our new house, a Ring Doorbell, and many plans for other advancements.
This guide focuses on multiple devices that make life at home more convienient by using these devices as they come in handy when you have children at home, however they are not exclusively for parents only as they can be used by anyone. The best Smart home products for child safety can make parenting easier as they create routines, automation, and allow you to be hands free. Smart Home Devices can provide you with a sense of safety, security, convenience and comfort in your own home.
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Smart Home Products for Parents
Smart Home Thermostat:
Smart Home Thermostats such as Nest and Ecobee work seemlessly to allow you to control your thermostat from just about anywhere. Being able to control the temperature of your home is both convenient and cost effective and super helpful when you have young kids. Smart Thermostats also can learn about a househoulds patterns ensuring that the heating or cooling systems are only running when the family is home.
For example, we turn down the Air Conditioning when we leave on vacation for the cottage but know that it would be tough for our young song (7 months old) to sleep in a hot house so we can use the thermostat to either program when to turn back on or simply turn it back on when we leave the cottage guaranteeing the system 2 hours to cool down the house to a perfect sleeping temperature. You could also set the cooling schedule or heating schedule based on your baby to ensure they are cool or warm enough at sleep times as we all know that crank babies equal cranky parents.
Smart Home Doorbell:
Smart Home Doorbells such as Ring Video Doorbell can increase security of your house and make kids feel safer when they are home alone. The Ring Video Doorbell features a live view of who is at your front door, so that you can see the person and communicate with them without even going near the door as you can communicate using two way audio. The Ring Doorbell also alerts you when the sensor detects activity at your front door.
For Example, if your kids are a little older and stay at home in the morning before school or maybe after school until the parent returns home than the Ring Doorbell can be helpful in two ways. Firstly, it can alert parents that their child is leaving for school or arriving home from school when the motion sensor goes off ensuring parents know where their kids are at all times. Secondly, kids can feel safer at home as they can always view the front door if it rings and communicate without actually opening the door.
Alfred Smart Home Door Lock:
There are lots of Smart Home Door Locks on the marketplace however we love the Alfred DB2 Series as it is the perfect balance of sleek design, useability, convenience and security. It was super eay to install and upgrade our front door as it only took my husband about an hour to install. We love the following features: bluetooth connectivity to multiple phones, unique pin codes, unlock the door with one touch access, can be controlled with Google Home or Amazon Alexa if you have the Alref Connect Wifi Bridge.
For Example, with two young kids I am always struggling my way out the door with my hands full between carrying a car seat, diaper bag and holding my 3 year olds hand so being able to lock or unlock the front door using my phone from the car is super helpful as I can simply walk to the car, load the kids, then lock the door once I have a free hand. I can also lock the front door by simply pushing one button. We also find it helpful that our cleaning lady and a neighbour who helps out with our dog have seperate codes so we know exactly when they have entered and exited out house. It would also be convenient once kids are older to tell them the code instead of relying on them to not lose a front door key when coming home alone after school.
Smart Home Television:
With two young kids, sometimes the only way to go to the bathroom alone is to throw on a television show to entertain them for a few moments… we all need a moment to breathe. Smart Home TVs allow direct access to many streaming services such as Amazon Prime, Disney Plus and Netflix all with the click of one button on the remote… making it easy for parents and kids to navigate.
For Example, does your family constantly lose the remote? If so then I highly recommend a Smart Televison with ROKU as you can use your phone as a remote. Our kids are always losing the remote so it is so handy that I can turn my phone into the remote until its found.
Smart Garage Door Opener:
With two young kids my hands are always ful with diaper bags, shopping bags and much more, so investing in a Smart Garage Door opener only makes sense in terms of convenience. Similar to the Alfred Door Lock up above, a Smart garage door opener can be opened easily with the touch of one button on your phone, or by automation when they sense your vehicle. Make entry into your connected smart home even easier. Open & Close the Garage Door From Anywhere: Works with Google Assistant and Siri. The smart garage door opener will not interfere with your existing remotes or wall console and will let you know if the Garage Door was left open.
For example, while garage door remotes have been around for a long time and are a simple one button push… lots of people lose and misplace the remote… I know we have. When we bought our house two years ago it only had one remote as one was already lost and since then we have lost the only remote. My phone goes everywhere with me so this ensures I always have access to my garage door, front door lock and any other Smart Home Product. Make your life easier before you set foot inside your connected home.
Smart Home Blinds:
Blinds that work with Amazon Alexa or Google Home are the perfect addition to any home. Smart Home Blinds are window coverings that can be opened or closed using an app or smart command and come in various sizes and styles. If you need help on choosing the best Smart Home Blind, here is some advice on buying smart blinds.
For example, you can set routines and have your blinds automatically close or open based upon your routines and schedule. You can also have them open and close by simply asking Google or Alexa to open or close the blinds.
Smart Home Security Cameras:
Monitoring your home when you are away seems like a natural form of safety and protection for your home but what if you could use the same product to check on your kids after school or even simply when they are out of your sight. Cameras allow you to also check in our pets when you are a work making smart home cameras very versitatile as they provide safety, security and supervision of pets and kids all using the same product.
For example, I know many grandparents that use their smart home cameras instead of buying a new baby monitor as the Smart Home Systems offer video and audio. By simply aiming the camera towards the crib, you can have 24/7 access to your kids room, which allows you to also watch the baby monitor when you are away from home and have a babysitter.
Smart Home Photo Frames:
Stay connected as a family even if there is distance between you using this Wi-Fi cloud photo frame that can quickly update your life moments with your loved ones wherever you are. It helps to stay close to your family members, it is a perfect gift for the elder to feel connected with the young generation. It has Instant Wireless Sharing: Unlike other traditional digital photo frame, Classic 10 can instantly receive photos and videos via Wi-Fi network and You, your families and friends can share the moments to the frame from anywhere in the world and their automatically updated.
For example, we have a Smart Home Frame at my parents and both my brother and myself and our spouses have access to the photo frame so we can add photos from anywhere in the world and the frame is automatically updated. My mom loves it so much that she checks it daily for new photos of the kids and loved that when we were on vacation she got daily photo updates and could see how our trip was going.
Smart Home Lighting:
Colour bulb Smart Lighting brings so many endless options to your home as you can retrofit almost any lamp to have access to 16 million colours as well as warm and cool white light allowing you to adjust the lighting in your home to your comfort level. Smart lights allow you to schedule when to turn lights on and off according to daily or weekly routines, control with your smartphone or your voice and have remote access to your lights even when you’re away. Smart home lights connect to your existing Wi-Fi, no additional hardware is needed.
For example, you can use lighting as a way to set your childrens bedtime routines by having the lights turn off and then slowly turn back in the morning acting as an alarm clock. For example, setting lights turn to soft smart led light bulb with the 70% brightness at sunset time, or create a morning routine that turn on all your wifi lights in cool white at 7:00 am. Using smart lights also allows children to learn how to use voice activation to turn lights on and off even if they cant reach the light switches (my daughter is very short so for Thumper this comes in handy).
Smart Home Outdoor Lighting:
Become the coolest house on the block by having outdoor lighting that can be changed for Christmas, Halloween or any other occassion by the simple use of an app. You can freely control brightenss, color changing & timer from anytime anywhere. Allows you control outdoor lights string with your voice by Alexa for power on/off, brightness, and modes changing. With millions of color and 30 scene modes, you can choose colorful lights and perfect scene modes for vibrant nights. Great for bbq, party, swimming pool, etc. Special holiday lights(Halloween & Christmas) light up for your yard.
For example, can you imagine only putting up decorations once and being able to have orange lights for Halloween and then simply switch to Christmas Colours in the click of one button. You can also Smartly set the timer and various schedules by Tuya Smart App, never forget to turn off the led outdoor string lights, save energy & money. Make your life much smarter.
*DISCLAIMER: We purchased some of these products ourselves and were gifted the others. Regardless of how we recieved the items, we give our honest opinions of the products.
