ELVIE BREAST PUMP

REVIEWED BY CHLOE VALIENTE

Looking for a great piece of parenting kit? Or struggling with breast pumping? Breast-pumping is one of the least lovable aspects of new motherhood. Until recently, it meant sitting (usually beside a plug socket) holding unwieldy, funnel-topped bottles over your breasts in what fast becomes a stress position. It is neither a fun nor a fascinating way to spend your time – especially with a new baby waiting in the wings and a million other things you could be doing. It’s even worse when you’re at work or traveling, and the noise of the pump draws the attention of everyone for miles around. A great piece of parenting kit.

Little surprise, then, that when London-based parenting kit brand Elvie released their revolutionary new breast pump, late last year, it promptly sold out everywhere. It is now an essential in every parenting kit.

The Elvie pump is a machine for the modern age, and puts all other breast pumps to shame. It operates almost silently. It has no protruding tubes or wires. It charges conveniently via USB before – get this – popping neatly inside a nursing bra and allowing you to pump completely hands-free. What’s more, it’s supported by a dedicated app that logs the time and duration of pumping sessions as well as the volume of milk produced, allowing you to keep better tabs on the entire shebang. The app also lets you control the pump – though just how much control you need is questionable, given that the Elvie switches automatically from stimulation to expression mode when let-down begins, then pauses when it senses the bottle is full. Clever and so very discreet – with not a catch or a ‘but’ in sight. Don’t look elsewhere, new mamas – the Elvie is everything.

£249 for a single pump or £449 for a double pump; elvie.com

BT SMART BABY MONITOR

REVIEWED BY JANA WALDE

An evolved version of the UK’s best-selling monitor, this new model adds smart home functionality, so you can hook it up to your Alexa or Google Home speaker and play a lullaby or check the temperature of the nursery using voice commands. The technological boost makes it easy to go about your business while keeping tabs on baby – as does the accompanying app, which lets you stream a live HD video feed to your phone and even chat to baby using two-way talkback.

Of course, the aforementioned HD video stream can also be accessed via the included screen module – a clever bit of parenting kit that also acts as a remote control, allowing you to pan and tilt the lens to improve your viewpoint from afar. And it even works in the dark, with remarkable clarity. A great product.

2.8 inch model, £129.99; 5 inch model, £149.98; shop.bt.com