Continued from here, where we've been talking about parental 'must haves' like music systems with faces and such ...

And how about this amazing innovation ... a thermometer!

This funky little egg is a colour-changing digital room thermometer. Designed to promote safer sleeping for babies, and peace of mind for parents, it changes colour according to the temperature of your baby's room.

Just think of all the trouble it will save ... no more of those annoying glances necessary to check the mercury level on an old-fashioned temperature measuring device, or having to examine your own interpretation of comfortable air temp.

While we're examining the value of not examining without benefit of a device, I'm amazed that I've been able to raise four children without owning a Why Cry Analyzer! To think that I've relied on such flimsy tools as common sense, paying attention and not being a total idiot to decipher the meanings of my children's cries, when all the time I could have had this machine to do the translations for me ... and so scientifically!

It took the Australians to come up with this beauty, (pictured here with emphatic caption) though ... perhaps, though, because they have more germs ... ?

Supermarket shopping cart handles can be a prime source of germs and bacteria - not least the deadly Staphylococcus Bacteria.

Babies suck and chew on these handles. With the Beaneee Baby Shopper you can shop with your little ones secure in the knowledge that you are doing the best you can to protect them.

The Beaneee Baby Shopper is easily attached to shopping cart handles - providing a pocket for baby's snacks and toys, and also a secure zip pocket for parents wallet and coupons etc.

Wow! What an idea! Protecting your child against deadly bacteria AND a place to put those snacks every child must have while sitting in a shopping cart. I'll bet the store security guards are happy about the secure zip pocket, too!

And for a look ahead, here's an item that's just going through the patent process as we speak. I don't think it has a marketing name yet, but here's a description from someone who follows such things:

Got fat children that can’t control their eating pattern? Are they just eating and eating all the time? Getting fatter and fatter all the time? Sorry if the previous questions touched you somehow, but that is the only explanation I can think of after seeing this mouth cage that doesn’t let a person eat, only breath and speak.

Can I live without these items? Can you? Can our children?

Sheesh.

I think I just ran out of sarcasm. I didn't know that was possible.

Must be getting old ...