The Consumer Electronics Show 2015 showcased several new tech devices designed to help parents monitor the health and safety of their children, according to CBCnews.
Devices include baby wearables such as TempTraq, a “flexible patch” that acts as a digital thermometer. The Pacif-I pacifier charts a baby’s temperature and reports it to the parent’s smartphone app. The app can also alert parents when the child has roamed beyond a certain distance from the phone – set at 20 meters.
An infant seat, mamaRoo, has soothing movements that can be controlled directly through a smartphone. Intel introduced a baby car seat clip that ensures the child is properly strapped in and will warn parents in case the child is accidentally left behind in the car.
David Soberman, a marketing professor at the University of Toronto’s Rotman School of Management, described these devices as meeting a latent need – one consumers didn’t know they had.

Their usefulness remains unclear – will they be truly valuable or just another gimmick? Peyman Servati, a professor at the University of British Columbia’s electrical and computer engineering department, expressed doubt regarding the helpfulness of these new tech devices. However, he still remains confident that devices of this nature will serve important functions going forward, especially for patients tracking medical concerns.

The devices are not meant to stand in place of parental supervision. As noted by Matt Ream, the vice-president of marketing for TempTraq, “You have to do your due diligence … it’s not meant to be a substitute or a baby sitter.”