From the time my first baby was born and the nurses hovered over us every 30 minutes taking his temperature and mine, I knew a child’s temperature was kind of a big deal. I also knew that my kid freaked out any time I approached with the evil silver stick - and that was just when I was headed for his armpit. Since I wasn’t about to take an anal temperature, I went for the digital ear thermometer, even though they’re slightly less accurate and not meant for kids under one year of age. I used it happily through two children until I discovered the Temporal Artery Scanner from Exergen. Good people, let me tell you - never spend a penny on another thermometer. I sure won’t. This thing is freaking awesome. Not only is it incredibly fun to use for both the taker and the take-ee (heh), it’s not at all invasive and it’s more accurate than any other thermometer on the market. With a simple scan from the center of the forehead to the hairline at the temple, you’ve got an accurate temp in just seconds.

(Watch this educational video if you want more info. Or just trust me - it’s cool and you want one. So do the people you’ll be buying baby gifts for.)

Check here to see where you can get yours in stores and online. FYI…in Canada, this product is called the AccuCare Temporal Artery Thermometer and it’s sold in Shoppers Drug Mart. (The Shoppers website is horrific so don’t bother looking for it on there. Just head to your local store and pick one up!)

Win it! We’re giving away a Temporal Artery Scanner (the US version, but anyone can win and they’re all the same save the name) to one reader! To enter, leave a comment on this post before midnight mst on September 8/08.

Additional entries available. See contest entry information and rules.

CONTEST CLOSED & WINNER EMAILED

From the time they wean, our babies start to grow further away from us in good ways and in some not so good ways. One of the biggest concerns for many parents comes when their child starts to venture out in the world and isn’t always within arms reach.

Whether it be daycare, field trips, a trip to Grandma’s or just a swimming lesson sans parents, there’s always a risk that something may happen when you’re not there and your child won’t be able to communicate. If your child is taken to emergency and is too young or is otherwise unable to tell the doctors his or her medical history, valuable time may be lost while they try to identify your child and then contact you.

Identity Pal is an all in one USB data storage device that speaks for your child when you can’t be there. It comes pre-loaded with completely customizable software. All you need to do is plug it in to the USB port of any computer and plug in any information you’d like your child to have in the event of an emergency? Contact information and allergies come to mind, but this software is so comprehensive that nothing will be left out. There’s space for legal documents, travel information and more. You can delete and add as necessary and the program is incredibly easy to use.

When a medical professional plugs it in to their computer, it will simply ask them if they own it or if they want to access the information and if they can click a mouse they can access what they need to help your child. The unit is waterproof and shockproof and retails for $50. If you’d rather use your own jumpdrive, you can download the full version of the software for $30 or a very bare bones version for free. I’d suggest hanging one of these on every school aged child’s backpack. Let the
Identity Pal speak when your child cannot.

Win it! We’re giving away an Identity Pal to one lucky TOP reader. To enter, email theopinionatedparent@gmail.com with identity pal in the subject line before midnight MST on March 21, 2008.

Get up to two additional entries into this contest!

1. Blog about this contest using one of the top three images found here.

2. Email theopinionatedparent@gmail.com with identity pal in the subject line and the direct link to your post (not to your main page, and in a separate email from your other entry).

AND/OR

Subscribe to our RSS feed. Send an additional email to let us know that you did this for your extra entry. Be sure to leave a valid email address so we can confirm your new subscription.

Maximum three entries total per person.

Contest Closed

By our TOP Tech Reviewer, and his budget conscious wife who fell in love with this product and ended up writing the review since she had hardly allowed him to touch it!

Is anyone out there like me in that you have thousands of great digital pics of your kids and very few actually printed? Once in a while we remember to order a few special ones bit it would sure be nice to be able to print one anytime without driving across the city to Costco to pick them up.

The last time I printed my own pictures I owned an old inkjet with $60 ink cartridges and the images had some lovely streaks and a few strange marks on them. Not really framing quality.

From now on, though, I’ll be printing with the Kodak EasyShare 5300 All In One. It’s the bomb! First of all, it’s only $200 which is rather amazing for something that not only prints awesome quality photos but also scans and copies. The ink cartridges are only $15 for colour and $10 for black ~ I do believe that’s the least I’ve ever paid for a cartridge of any kind. The box comes equipped with everything you’ll need. Even the ink cartridges and paper samples are included.

With the Kodak name behind a product, you can be fairly certain that you’re going to get good quality prints, but this printer did a seriously impressive job in about 30 seconds for a 4×6 print. My favourite part is still the cost. It cost me next to nothing to print a bunch of pictures and it happened right in my basement.

A scanner is easy to come by, but I didn’t realize how nice it was to have a functional photocopier in your home. It was great to copy recipes for friends, make copies of the kids’ schoolwork that I wanted to keep but were too messy to save the originals and so much more. It’s so easy to use that the kids can scan their own artwork and digitally enhance it to print for their memory books or to make into cards for the grandparents.

All in all, a great product at an even greater price!

It’s somebody’s lucky day because we’ve got one to give away! To enter to win your own Kodak EasyShare 5300 All In One, email theopinionatedparent@gmail.com before midnight tonight (10/22/07) with KODAK in the subject line and tell us what kind of project you’d like to use the printer for that uses at least 2 of the 3 functions. Congratulations Laurie!

Another awesome Mobi product from Zoom Distribution has entered the ranks of the TOP favourites.

The Digital Duck bath thermometer, available in Canada from Zoom’s retailers, has redeemed the bath thermometer industry once and for all.

You know those annoying temperature strips attached to a variety of goofy plastic things that float in the tub and change colour (kind of) according to the temperature of the water?

Well, do yourself a favour and throw them out. When you do, be sure to get yourself a Digital Duck. This thing rocks. Really.

The web footed base suctions to the edge of the tub unobtrusively. At bath time, just lift the duck from the base and pop him into the water. He’ll power on automatically, quack beep to let you know he’s working, and then within just a few seconds you’ll have an accurate water temperature to 0.1 of a degree. The Digital Duck alarms if the water is too cold or too hot, and the word ‘bath’ flashes above the temperature reading when it’s just right. Move the duck around the tub before baby gets in - it takes only a second to let you know about a dangerous hot spot. Leave it in there and it’ll warn you when the water gets too cold for comfort (if the baby doesn’t do it first!). The floating waterproof design means if doubles as a bath toy.

Temperature strips begone. The Digital Duck bath thermometer from Zoom Distribution is here to stay.

Two lucky TOP readers will win their own Digital Duck bath thermometer courtesy of Zoom Distribution. Email theopinionatedparent[at]gmail[dot]com with Duck in the subject header and tell us…Mobi makes 3 other thermometer products. Name one. Contest closes @ midnight MST on 3/30/07. Congratulations Betty M!

Through the fog of the newborn phase and into toddlerhood, many parents (me, anyway) have a hard time remembering even the most basic of tasks. Forgetting to eat and drink is common during new parenthood. Sooner or later, we all remember and it’s not such a big deal. Those basic baby care tasks are often just as hard to keep track of but are a much bigger issue if you forget. There were times when I wished I had a portable brain unaffected by the crazy hormones and sleep deprivation.

The Itzbeen baby care timer from Coast Innovations is one baby gadget I wish had entered the market before my son was born and one I’ll be using for any newborns in my future without a doubt. Invented by new parent Greg Sheldon and his wife when they had trouble remember how long it had been between feeding and changes, the Itzbeen’s function far surpasses it’s small price of $25. What do we love about it? Everything!