Walk down any aisle in a baby store and you’ll be completely overwhelmed by the sheer number of choices.  How is a first-time parent to know which to choose?

Well it all comes down to reading the labels and considering the features of each.  Let’s use baby monitors as an example.  There are simple, inexpensive monitors that cost as little as $20.  And there are some that cost ten times as much!

The cheap baby monitors are audio only, and they don’t come with any advanced features.  And then there are the fancy monitors like the Lorex Live Snap, which includes video with up to 4 cameras, night vision, sound activated alerts, and the ability to take snap shot pictures of your little one that you can upload to Facebook and share with your friends and family.

The key is to decide what features you absolutely must have and which you can live without.  Then find the best model that has what you need at the best price.

I learned this lesson the hard way when my kids knocked my laptop onto the floor.  It was closed and sitting on a table and the kids went running by and after a big crash my laptop was knocked to the ground. 

My IT buddy was able to fix it for me and save most of the data but I had to get a new hard drive for about $90.  

Now when I’m not using my machine I keep it safely tucked away in a laptop carrier bag.   If it gets dropped or knocked around I know it will still be safe.

It’s called a Tiddy Bear. The commercial is great because you know this was invented by a couple of pervs who wanted to keep saying Titty on tv. Is it a coincidence that most of the women demonstrating the Tiddy Bear have a nice size chest? Or is just that large-breasted women are more prone to seat belt trauma?

PS – special thanks to Caroline Middlebrook for pointing out the plugin to embed YouTube clips into a blog. I had a hell of a time getting it to look right before I found her blog.