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Raising a toddler is a wonderful experience that most parents look back on fondly. But when you’re in the trenches of the "terrible twos," you might feel overwhelmed. Use these home automation gadgets to help lower your stress level, save time, and create a safer environment for your growing toddler.
Here are five SafeWise-recommended home automation products to help you happily survive the toddler years.
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The Amazon Echo is a smart speaker with Alexa, a helpful voice assistant, communicates with you through the Echo. Amazon Alexa interacts with you when you give her voice commands, allowing for hands-free control of your Alexa-compatible smart home devices. Alexa can also play music, answer questions, and perform thousands of tasks—like ordering pizza on family movie night.
Works with: Echo works with Fire Tablets, iOS, and Android devices, and it’s managed through the Alexa app.
How it helps: With the Echo, you can benefit from a number of parenting hacks.
For starters, you can tell Alexa to set a timer that reminds your potty-training toddler to visit the bathroom, or have Alexa tell them a personalized story while you clean up after dinner. As bedtime approaches, you can tell Alexa to turn off the TV and stream calming music.
Learn more in our guide to Amazon Alexa.
The August Wi-Fi Smart Lock makes digging for your keys a thing of the past. It installs over your door’s deadbolt and is controlled through the August Home app.
With August, you can create virtual keys to give guests like the babysitter temporary access to your home, and you can monitor when they come and go. You can also set the device to unlock your door as you approach and automatically lock once you’re inside.
Works with: August Smart Lock works with Apple HomeKit, Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant,† and other popular home automation products.
How it helps: Keeping your doors locked is always important, but it becomes a top priority once your little one starts to walk. A smart lock can help increase the security of your home, especially when paired with a monitored home security system.
Plus, the August Wi-Fi Smart Lock makes life more convenient and less stressful: if you’ve ever tried to unlock the door carrying bags of groceries and a feisty toddler, you know what we mean.
Learn more in our August Smart Lock review.
Your toddler wandering out the front door might be the ultimate worry. But don't forget about those tiny wandering hands. Keep kitchen and medicine cabinets off bounds with our best babyproof cabinet-lock picks.
Philips Hue White and Color Ambiance smartbulbs put a twenty-first century twist on Edison’s brilliant invention. Swap out your traditional lightbulbs for Hue smart light bulbs, then use the Hue app to wirelessly control and customize the color and intensity of the bulbs, set timers and alarms for individual bulbs, and recreate lighting environments you love. Pair Philips Hue with the Philips Hue Motion Sensor, and lights will turn on as soon as you enter the room and off after you leave.
Works with: Philips Hue works with Android and iOS platforms. It’s compatible with IFTTT, Amazon Alexa, Apple HomeKit, and Google Assistant technology and integrates with tons of smart devices we love.
How it helps: Create a calm atmosphere with Hue’s preset, relaxing color profile to help your rambunctious toddler settle down for a nap, then set the Philips Hue to gradually turn on their bedroom light when it’s time to wake up. Install Philips Motion Sensors in rooms your kiddo frequents so you never worry about them entering a dark area and getting hurt or scared. Who knew a lightbulb could help make parenting easier?
Learn more in our Philips Hue review or our smart light bulb review.
According to the EPA, the air inside our homes can be more polluted than outside air, even in big cities.1 The CleanForce Mega1000 is an indoor air purifier that catches and removes sources of pollution in your home, like airborne toxins, allergens, dust mites, and viruses.
How it helps: CleanForce can help you create a healthier home environment for your toddler, which can help them feel more comfortable and get a better night’s sleep—so you deal with less meltdowns. If your child has asthma or allergies, cleaner air might help reduce their symptoms.
The EPA advises that young people are particularly susceptible to the effects of indoor air pollution.1 This is one reason we recommend that parents use an air purifier to help reduce pollutants.
Learn more in our air purifier review.
Info current as of post date. Offers and availability may vary by location and are subject to change.
The Nest Learning Thermostat communicates over Wi-Fi so you can adjust the temperature in your home right from your phone using the Nest app. But that’s just the start of what this smart thermostat can do. After one week of using Nest as you would a traditional thermostat, it learns your temperature preferences and programs itself accordingly. Nest’s motion sensor determines when you’ve left the house, then triggers Nest to switch to Eco Temperature mode to save energy.
Works with: Dozens of smart products work with Nest, including Alexa, IFTTT, and Google Assistant. Nest is available for Android and iOS.
How it helps: Nest monitors and manages the temperature of your home, meaning you have one less thing to worry about. That’s a big plus when you’re parenting a toddler.
According to Nest, it can also help you save money by reducing your energy bills an average of 10% to 15%, and what parent doesn’t want to save money? The third generation of the Nest thermostat also boasts a large display that illuminates when it detects motion—making it a built-in nightlight for wandering toddlers.
Learn more in our Nest Thermostat review.
For added safety and convenience, consider pairing home automation with a home security system. Take a virtual tour of today's affordable smart home, then find the best smart home security system for your needs.
1. United States Environmental Protection Agency, "The Inside Story: A Guide to Indoor Air Quality," December 2021. Accessed on May 13, 2022.
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product. Safewise.com utilizes paid Amazon links.
Certain content that appears on this site comes from Amazon. This content is provided "as is" and is subject to change or removal at any time.
†Google, Google Nest, Google Assistant, and other related marks are trademarks of Google LLC.
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