The Ultimate Gift For The Tech-Savvy Dad-to-Be

The Ultimate Gift For The Tech-Savvy Dad-to-Be

How to Introduce Your Pet to Your New Baby Reading The Ultimate Gift For The Tech-Savvy Dad-to-Be 6 minutes Next Better Sleep, Now Included.

At Fathercraft, my partner John and I get the opportunity to try out lots of baby monitors in support of our baby monitor reviews. After all the monitors we’ve tested (and just used personally — we have four kids between us), the Nanit always comes out on top.

It’s also the monitor that both of us use with our youngest kids (Ruby, who’s now almost 2, and Calvin, who just turned 1).

We did an in-depth Nanit review on our site, but here we thought we’d share just a bit about why the Nanit Plus is the ultimate gift for the tech-savvy dad-to-be in your life, based on hundreds of nights and naps using the Nanit across two households.

Fatherhood — the end of cool toys?

When we have frank conversations with dads-to-be, one of the concerns they often share with us is having less fun, and having less budget for ‘cool toys’. Whether it’s the latest iPhone, a Nest thermostat, or a drone, guys (and yes, we know we’re stereotyping a bit) like their tech. And when most guys think about ‘baby stuff’ they think about diapers, bottles, and onsies — stuff that’s decidedly low-tech.

The baby monitor is often the highest-tech item on registries. But, until recently, the baby monitor, which was invented in 1937, has felt like it was stuck in a previous decade of technology. In fact, we started our review of the Nanit Original by saying that all baby monitors we’d previously tried existed on a scale from “very bad” to “doesn’t completely suck”.

In the last couple of years, a couple of companies have tried to change this. And we’ve tested those monitors. What we’ve found is that even when you include modern technology, it’s hard to get it right. For example, we’ve tested monitors with great picture quality that have such a cluttered smartphone app they’re rendered nearly useless.

So, how does Nanit get it right? Let’s dive in.

What makes the Nanit the ultimate techie-dad gift?

That hard to describe, “this is what technology should be” factor

If you remember way back to the first time you held an iPhone, you’ll probably remember the feeling — almost like magic. And not the magic of ‘this is so complex I’m going to need a 50-page manual to figure it out, but the ‘wow, this is so powerful, but so easy.’

The Nanit has that same effortless powerful-yet-simple feeling. It’s also got the clean look of good tech.

Thoughtful features

Unlike other monitors we’ve tested, Nanit Plus isn’t stuffed to the gills with features, and it doesn’t need to be. There are really only a few things a monitor needs to do, and do well.

We’ll highlight just 2 of them here.

Bird’s eye view. I can’t emphasize enough how revolutionary the Nanit’s overhead view is. It sounds hyperbolic, but it’s a game changer. With a traditional monitor sitting on a dresser pointed at your child’s crib, there are inevitable blind spots, and the crib bars prevent anything close to a good picture of anything on a small scale, like your child’s expressions.

Neither of us can imagine going back to a traditionally-set-up monitor after experiencing this.

Photo sharing. I live in Denver, my extended family lives mostly in St. Louis. It can be hard to be that far away from grandparents, uncles and aunts. But the joy of sharing pictures of Ruby with her grandparents and great grandmother was truly priceless.

Smartphone & tablet integration

The first baby monitor my wife an I owned was a video monitor that billed itself as having great screen resolution. Great was a matter of perspective, I suppose. But we ended up spending a good chunk of time squinting at it, trying to figure out exactly what our daughter Kenzie was doing in her crib.

In contrast to this, the Nanit uses latest version of that iPhone (or Android if you’re into that sort of thing :)) to power the “parent unit” of your monitor. Which means images of your child come across in crystal-clear HD with all the glory of your smartphone or tablet screen.

Ease of use

The first time I opened the Nanit app, I knew exactly what to do, and exactly where to find the info I wanted. No choosing between 35 different alert settings (just a few, intuitive ones), no hunting for how to do key things, no icons that didn’t make sense, just a clean, easy-to-navigate interface.

The same was true of setting up Nanit in Ruby’s room, and connecting it to our wifi for the first time — the process was exactly what you’d expect from well-designed modern technology, and in stark contrast to the setup of a few other ‘smart’ monitors we’ve tested.

What you buy keeps getting better

I remember the first time I held an iPhone, but I also remember the first time my iPhone got a software upgrade. It was another magic moment. This concept is one of the big reasons Tesla is the envy of the car industry — a physical object you own can get better over time through software updates.

Nanit uses this same magic to improve a physical item. It’s the opposite of depreciation.

To wrap it all up… wrap up a Nanit.

So, got someone on your holiday shopping list who fits the bill of tech-savvy guy on the road to being a dad? Consider gift-wrapping a Nanit — coming from two guys in that demographic, he won’t be disappointed. (And neither would she, for that matter — plenty of tech savvy moms-to-be out there, too!)

Save up to 40% off during Nanit’s Black Friday Sale! This weekend only. Shop now.

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Our primary objective is to furnish readers with the most current, trustworthy, and actionable information concerning a host of parenting topics. We strive to empower our readers to make informed decisions by offering comprehensive and respected insights.

In pursuit of transparency and credibility, our articles incorporate credible third-party sources, peer-reviewed studies, and abstracts. These sources are directly linked within the text or provided at the bottom of the articles to grant readers easy access to the source material.

CONTRIBUTORS

Natalie Barnett, PhD serves as VP of Clinical Research at Nanit. Natalie initiated sleep research collaborations at Nanit and in her current role, Natalie oversees collaborations with researchers at hospitals and universities around the world who use the Nanit camera to better understand pediatric sleep and leads the internal sleep and development research programs at Nanit. Natalie holds a Ph.D. in Genetics from the University of New England in Australia and a Postgraduate Certificate in Pediatric Sleep Science from the University of Western Australia. Natalie was an Assistant Professor in the Neurogenetics Unit at NYU School of Medicine prior to joining Nanit. Natalie is also the voice of Nanit's science-backed, personalized sleep tips delivered to users throughout their baby's first few years.

Mackenzie Sangster is on the Brand and Community team at Nanit. She supports content development and editing for Nanit’s Parent Confidently blog as well as other marketing initiatives. Outside of work, she enjoys spending time with her friends, cooking, being active, and using the Pro + Flex Duo to keep an eye on her fur-baby, Poppy!

Holly Hays is a contributor and writer for Nanit, channeling her years as a mama and former magazine editor to create fun, useful content for fellow busy, trying-to-do-their-best parents and caregivers. Holly has written for a wide range of brands and media outlets (Ergobaby, HGTV, Manhattan Toy Company, OXO), loves to cook and read mystery novels, and leans heavily on her two daughters to keep her up to date on all the latest slang.

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