Smart Nursery Solutions for Smarter Parenting

By Laura Bourland,Rise Writer

Last Updated: Aug 2, 2020

Preparing your home for a new baby is an incredibly exciting time for both new and experienced parents alike. Perhaps the most exciting part is designing and building the nursery, where your new baby will grow up.

As you narrow in on your nursery theme, there are hundreds of decisions to make. Parents must decide what color and type of paint to use, what to hang on the walls, safe and functional furniture, flooring for crawling and playing, curtains to block out the sun during naps, and so much more. But have you given thought to the technology you'll incorporate?

Today's parents have something previous generations never had: smart technology. Smart solutions like baby monitors, smart lighting, smart security, and smart assistants are designed to empower parents and make bringing a new baby home just a little easier. These smart nursery solutions are an excellent addition to any nursery, no matter what your decorating style is or what kind of home you live in.

Smart Baby Monitors

Every baby registry includes some version of a baby monitor, allowing parents the freedom to move about the house while the baby sleeps. Old baby monitors functioned as a radio, giving parents the ability to hear when the baby woke up.

New smart baby monitors take that peace of mind to the next level by adding live video and smart features such as parent alerts. New parents are empowered to rest more comfortably and know exactly when the baby needs them. Instead of rushing off to the nursery at every little sound, parents can see what baby is doing and decide to allow the baby to self soothe. They've also extended the range to improve functionality in larger homes, between walls and even bypass all our modern electronics.

Beyond video, smart baby monitors, like Nanit and Evoz, will send alerts to your smartphone, when the baby cries. It will even monitor breathing, motion, sleep schedules, and how often your little one wakes up. These smart features allow parents to stay connected to their babies without always having to be attentive to the monitor.

Adding a smart baby monitor to your nursery will enable you to work, do laundry, cook, watch TV, vacuum, and even take a nap without the worry of missing your little one's cries. These monitors also keep data, that can be used in discussions with the pediatrician and allow you to plan your days around your baby's unique and ever-changing schedule.

Smart Nursery Lighting

Smart light bulbs work just like traditional light bulbs and can be switched out in most fixtures easily. But unlike conventional light bulbs, smart light bulbs can be turned on and off by your smartphone, a smart assistant, or even automatically by the schedules you set.

Adding smart lighting to your nursery will enable you to turn lights off remotely to save energy. No longer need to worry if you forget or don't have the spare hand to flip the switch as you leave the nursery with your arms full. Similarly, you can turn them on before you get to the nursery to provide better lighting and avoid hazards like tripping over toys or bumping into walls.

You can set your smart nursery lighting to turn on at bedtime, and off again 20 minutes later when storytime is over, and your little one is drifting off to sleep.

Smart light bulbs are also available with dimming and color options to create a softer and more soothing lighting environment. In our colored LED lighting story, we discuss how different colored lighting has different effects. Orange lighting helps newborns feel at home and stimulates the production of breast milk. Green-tinted lighting can boost the immune system when the baby has a cold. Automation can be used to change the lighting color automatically to create a better sleeping environment, facilitate play, and improve learning function.

Smart Humidifiers

Dry air can have adverse effects on the human body, such as bloody noses, dry, cracked skin, and increased complications from illness or allergies. These effects can be worse for newborns, whose discomfort often results in less sleep for the whole family. While the EPA suggests indoor humidity levels at 30-50%, many children's hospitals set their air to 55%. Smart humidifiers are a popular solution for controlling humidity at home. Many smart humidifiers can also control vapor temperature and purify the nursery's air.

Smart Security

No matter how calm or experienced parent you are, almost everyone worries about the safety and security of their children. It can be incredibly scary to lay baby down to sleep in his/her nursery and walk away with confidence. Smart baby monitors significantly help ease that constant fear, but smart security adds another layer of protection.

New smart doorbells, smart locks, and smart indoor cameras and sensors can be self-installed, to keep your whole home safer and alert you immediately if anything changes.

Smart Door Locks

Smart locks, like Kwikset and August, can lock your doors automatically, so you never have to question if you locked the doors or not. They can also be connected to your smart assistant, enabling you to confirm that your doors are locked.

These smart locks also come with keyless entry options that make it possible to leave your keys behind when you take the baby out for a walk or to the park. They're also hugely beneficial for providing secure access to babysitters, friends, and family, and getting back in the house if you happen to lock yourself out without your keys.

Smart Doorbells

Installing a smart doorbell is also extremely helpful for new parents. Doorbells, like Ring or Doorbird, will automatically transmit a video feed of your front doorstep to your smartphone or smart video screen. It will also allow you to communicate with the visitor from your smartphone. Adding one of these devices makes it possible for you to continue rocking or feeding the baby while instructing the person at the door, be it a delivery person or a neighbor. You can even tell your smart-lock to allow a friend access while reminding them to enter quietly.

Smart Indoor Security

New smart cameras and motion sensors work just like traditional alarm systems but can be self-installed and connected to your smartphone or smart assistant. These handy devices give new parents eyes in all corners and hallways. It allows parents to spot disturbances immediately, or even call older children or pets back before they wake a sleeping baby. You'll never feel safer or more in control of your little one with smart security installed in and around the nursery.

Smart Assistants

Regardless of whether you choose to add lots of smart nursery solutions or none, the smart assistant is one you don't want to skip! Smart assistants like Amazon's Alexa, Apple's Siri, and Google Home empower new parents to more efficiently manage life, hands-free. Placed in the nursery, you can do many things with your smart assistant, like confirm the time of a doctor's appointment, play nursery rhymes, or check the weather. You may even instruct your smart assistant to show pictures of diaper rashes as you change the baby's diaper on devices with video screens. Most smart assistants also have built-in apps that can serve as a nanny to entertain older children with trivia and games and even read bedtime stories. Examples include:

Alexa Apps

Magical Adventure will tell your little one a story using his/her name.
Mighty trivia entertains older kids with clue-enhanced guessing games.
Baby Stats will track any information you share about your little one verbally or through connected smart devices.

Google Apps

Classic Stories will read short bedtime stories like Little Red Riding Hood and Cinderella.
Freeze Dance keeps kids of all ages active and entertained with dancing games.
Baby Shark Song will automatically play the popular song, Baby Shark.

Siri Apps

Baby Tracker will log data you share verbally or through connected devices.
Bedtime Stories & Meditation will read stories, play soothing sounds and guided meditations, and even track baby's sleep cycles.

Design a Smarter Nursery

New parents have a lot of options to consider in building a safe and sustainable nursery. You want the best for your little one and will go to great lengths to choose no-VOC paints, healthy cribs, and improve the air quality of your nursery. But no modern nursery should be without hugely beneficial smart solutions.

Regardless of whether you have a whole smart house or just a smart assistant, smart devices truly do make life easier. Smart voice assistants will empower you to parent smarter. Smart security will keep your little one safe and allow you to spend more time with him or her. Smart lighting will improve the nursery environment and save energy (and money). Smart baby monitors will help you and your partner sleep easier at night. The best part is, each one of these smart nursery solutions is designed to fit, match, and enhance any nursery style!

Disclaimer: This article does not constitute a product endorsement however Rise does reserve the right to recommend relevant products based on the articles content to provide a more comprehensive experience for the reader.Last Modified: 2020-08-02T15:12:26+0000

Article by:

Laura Bourland

Laura grew up in the California suburbs, far removed from environmentalism, but nature always has a way. She uprooted her life in 2015, moving to the countryside of Washington to live a more sustainable and simple life on 12 acres. She and her fiancee are learning on the job as they attempt everything from gardening and natural pest control to eco-friendly building and home improvement.

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