While many parents go the bare bones, no-frills route, we may be happy to note that there are new ways to equip ourselves. What with all the high-tech gadgets available, we aren’t entirely alone in caring for our babies.

Motherhood also often leaves women feeling burned out, disappointed at times, and confused about who they are anymore. As a writer on this topic and a mom at the same time, one of my major conclusions is that it’s not our reality that is necessarily so difficult, but rather the gap between our expectations and reality that drives us crazy. What creates this gap? It begins with the romanticization of motherhood, the buildup to the "big day" of childbirth, like the idealization of a wedding as opposed to the reality of a marriage. Mothers-to-be are marketed to like crazy, and I am concerned that high-tech gadgets have a particular role in this problem. The marketing of gadgets raises the bar of expectation even higher, and gadgets tend to promise new parents an unrealistic level of control and certainty. Well, these gadgets help but mommies shouldn’t be idealistic about them, ok? Here are some of the top picks:

 1. The Ultimate Wipes Warmer w/ Everfresh System

If you’ve ever wiped your boy down with a cold wipe and been greeted with a prompt stream of urine, then this gadget is for you. It’s also great for those middle-of-the-night changes where a cold wipe would give you a completely and totally awake baby, meaning more time getting baby to sleep and less time sleeping for you.

 2. Portable Video and Sounds Baby Monitor by Bebe Sounds

Sure, you could get one of those sound-only monitors, but when you can get a camera monitoring system that’s wireless for around $ 200, why would you settle for less? This set is handy because it’s small, handheld, sends clear audio and video, and has a color display, unlike most video monitors. Both monitor and camera can be operated on batteries or electricity, and it comes with 4 rechargeable batteries to get you started. You can also expand and use up to 4 cameras with the system.

 3. Remote Fever Monitor by Bebe Sounds

Sometimes it’s important to monitor your baby’s temperature frequently, which can be a hassle for an already sick child who needs sleep. This gadget clips to the front of a diaper and will sound an alarm if your baby’s temperature goes above the temperature you have preset.

 4. Express Bottle and Food Warmer by Avent

Sure, the microwave is a bit of a high-tech gadget, but it can create dangerous "hot spots" when warming bottles. This unit has a variable temperature control setting, and because it is from Avent it can accommodate wider bottles. And even when your baby is slowing down on the bottles, you can still get use out of the warmer by using it to warm baby food.

 5. Remote Control Symphony-in-Motion Mobile

If your baby enjoys a mobile to go to sleep or just likes to gaze upon waking, you know nothing spoils this pastime like having to go in and get it started again. With this model, you don’t have to worry about that any more as it is equipped with its own remote control.

6. Samsonite Baby Wardrobe Case

For the family on the go, this travel diaper bag has wheels and a compartment for everything. And it’s made by Samsonite, so it’s durable and guaranteed to last a very long time.

7. WhyCry Baby Cry Analyzer

OK, parenting isn’t always easy. And sometimes it’s hard to determine just why your baby is crying, especially in those early weeks. While I don’t think this it’s a great idea to depend on a machine to translate for your baby, I do think that this gadget could come in handy as a way to check your own instincts. The company boasts a success rate of over 90 percent, so it doesn’t hurt to have as a backup method for learning to read your baby’s cries.

8. BabyPlus "prenatal education system”

"Hey, I guess a regular baby isn’t good enough anymore. You need to produce a baby PLUS. This little pod is the latest gadget that a pregnant woman is supposed to strap to her belly to give her fetus a jump-start on academic achievement. The device "introduces patterns of sound to the unborn child in only the language he or she understands - the maternal heartbeat." The promised benefits include better sleep, better nursing, more self-soothing...right up to improved school readiness.

So many high-tech products claim and promise to take the uncertainty out of pregnancy or parenting. That idea although it’s neat may make us feel better now, but it please do not swear by it lest we get set p for disappointment later.

Parenting is an ongoing challenge. It is humbling to realize how much is actually out of our direct control. You can be a great parent and you will still run into problems, hurdles, and painful life lessons. I relished the mystery of pregnancy, the wonder of carrying around a little stranger whom I had not met yet. At first I didn’t wanna know whether my firstborn was gonna be a boy or a girl but later on, after all my prenatal care stuff I decided to find out. Thus, Keoni’s wardrobe, room stuff and things were all ready before he gave his first cry out into the world!

Motherhood as I found out may not conform to my expectations and wishes. From the moment you find out you are going to be a mom the worries and concerns in your head go wild. You wonder and pray...will they be healthy, will they be a good baby, will they nurse, and will they sleep...and so on. Then you wonder about their milestones and childhood development; it is a natural thought process every mom and dad goes through.

For those expecting, all I can say that yes, there may be baby gadgets out there to help but bottom line is that you do everything that is important for the health of your unborn baby. Take your daily prenatal vitamins and think of your child’s daily prenatal environment.

Parenting is an art as much as a science, and no gadget can trump the on-the-job training that each of us will receive.

For comments and suggestions: techiemommy@gmail.com