The Best Home Automation And Smart Tech For Busy Parents In 2022
This is a collaborative post
As a parent, the work never really stops. Tidying and cleaning, feeding, and school runs are a constant uphill battle, and it’s often a thankless duty. You’ll probably feel as though there isn’t enough time in the day to get everything done, as well as juggle a career and find time to rest at the end of the day, so finding any tips and tricks to help make these tasks quicker and easier is the dream. To help you find these solutions, we’ve put together some of our favourite home automation systems and smart tech for busy parents, providing you with ways to make your home work for you.
Robotic Vacuum Cleaners
Running the hoover around the house is a common chore, and while you could delegate this job to a family member, this can be reserved for night-time when everyone is in bed or during the day when everyone is at school or the office. This would be possible with the help of a robot vacuum cleaner. These little disc-shaped helpers will slowly creep along the floor, hoovering up dust and dirt while it navigates obstacles around your home. Of course, these robots aren’t sentient and merely work using trial-and-error with the help of sensors to detect drops and obstacles. At the same time, they won’t necessarily do as deep a clean as you would, having one around to keep on top of the majority of pet hair and everyday dust and dirt can be a great time saver.
Making Use Of AI Helpers
Trying to remember every single task throughout the day can be exhausting, and having a system to help with this is always useful. Smart devices like the Google Home and the Amazon Echo are nifty little AI speakers that can help you to set reminders without having to type away on your phone or write notes down to stick on the fridge door. You can set alerts to notify you of upcoming birthdays and meetings, school events and parents’ evenings, and even use it to write shopping lists and find out useful information about today’s weather and traffic news.
Of course, there are lots of other things these devices can do from the incredibly helpful to the downright silly. However, the latter can also be a helpful distraction for the kids too.
Automating Everyday Items
Having everything in your home running like clockwork can definitely speed up time, and although certain smaller tasks on their own take mere seconds, setting up multiple parts of your house to be automated can actually make everything feel much smoother and far more relaxing. For example, installing automated window blinds is a great choice for ease and efficiency, not to mention being able to open and close these blinds at the press of a button looks pretty slick.
This simple yet satisfying solution can really improve the appeal of your home, especially when guests come to visit. And while they aren’t officially integrated with smart speakers yet, there are ways that you can get around this to make them work with your Amazon Alexa. To find out how, visit Newblinds.co.uk.
Camera Doorbells
Running around doing daily chores or rushing to get the kids ready for school can be really hectic. And one of the worst interruptions during this time is unexpected visitors. When your doorbell rings you have the choice of answering or not answering. But this simple decision can mean either you miss an important parcel by ignoring the doorbell, or if you answer, you might get stuck talking to a neighbour for half an hour. This is where a smart doorbell comes in handy.
Fitted with cameras and oftentimes a speaker and microphone, you can answer your door via your phone, or just discreetly check to see who is there. This is a great way to avoid pesky salespeople and you can even answer while you’re away from home, directing deliveries to neighbours for example.
Smart Security Systems
As well as camera doorbells, which also work to give you peace of mind allowing you to check if anyone is hanging around outside the front of your home, there is now a wide range of smart security systems that you can make use of. Smart alarms linked to motion sensors, outdoor cameras, and floodlights, and contact sensors to detect open doors and windows are fantastic additions to any home, especially if you’re particularly concerned about security. These can be easily adjusted from afar using your phone, which can even be used to activate and deactivate the system at the press of a button.
Smart Appliances
There are so many different appliances to add to your smart collection to give you even more of an efficient edge throughout the day. A smart coffee maker that you can program to provide you with a hot cup of coffee when you wake up is a wonderful treat; smart thermostats are a great way to ensure nobody has left the heating on all day while you’re out at work; and smart fridges can provide you with information about what ingredients you’re running low on so you’re not caught out when it comes to dinnertime.
