Technology

The best deals on the baby gear I recommend to my friends

Published

2 hours ago

November 28, 2024

The best deals on the baby gear I recommend to my friends

This time last year, I was pregnant with my first child and extremely overwhelmed by the sheer volume of decisions to make. Should we buy a rocking chair or a glider? Which bassinet should we get? What how-to book, white noise machine, or magical schedule would make a newborn sleep? I spent a lot of time asking friends, searching Reddit, and reading blogs to try to figure out what things I would actually need — and then which specific products to buy.

I did not exhaustively test every product against the competition (having a baby is very all-consuming), but I can tell you what gear I frequently use and love with my son, who is now eight months old. A lot of these products get nice discounts on Black Friday and Cyber Monday, so it’s a great time to shop if you’re expecting.

Deals on bassinets and sleep accessories

Before we had our baby, I planned to be a chill parent with a chill baby who would sleep well without needing expensive gadgets. This went out the window very quickly when I got a baby who hated being still and wanted to walk or bounce 24/7. First, we bought this Norwegian gadget called the Sleepytroll to attach to our bassinet and DIY ourselves a cheaper Snoo. It soon rocked itself to death, its motion gradually weakening over time. After a particularly rough few nights, we broke down and bought a used Snoo on Facebook Marketplace. We would have saved money spent on our original bassinet, the Sleepytroll, and small sleep sacks if we had just bought a Snoo to begin with.

Picture of a Snoo bassinet on a white rug surrounded by baby toys.

A smart bassinet that soothes your infant with motion and white noise.

The Snoo is a smart bassinet that plays white noise and rocks your baby, ramping up the intensity if your baby keeps crying. I have heard from friends that it does not work for every baby, but when it works, it really works — and you have truly magical moments when it successfully puts your baby to sleep. You can control the intensity manually and get nice sleep logs in their proprietary app — though Snoo’s parent company, Happiest Baby, has come under fire this year for introducing a new subscription fee of $19.99 / month for the main app functionality after nine months. While infuriating, I was so desperate for sleep that I still would have bought a Snoo. Also, look out for return policies; some parents prefer to buy their Snoos from Amazon to avoid Happiest Baby’s steep $199 restocking fee.

A pack ‘n play that is easy to set up and can be used for older toddlers.

If you plan to travel a lot, you may also want to invest in a portable crib or pack ‘n play. We went with the Guava Lotus, which came recommended because the mattress sits on the floor and doesn’t have a weight limit — meaning you can use it longer. It’s very easy to set up and collapse, secures the crib sheet safely to the supports, and has a nice carrying bag with backpack straps.

$40

A nice little rechargeable white noise machine for your baby’s crib or stroller.

When your baby grows out of the Snoo, white noise is still an incredibly effective sleep aid. We set up an old Sonos One in our nursery, but as the “White Noise Baby Sleep” playlist has completely wrecked all of my Spotify recommendations, you may want a standalone white noise device instead of a Bluetooth speaker. We got this rechargeable little puck for traveling, and it works well and charges on a standard USB-C cable.

Baby carrier and stroller deals

An expensive but great lightweight car seat that transforms into a stroller, fantastic for city living and travel.

If you plan to travel a lot with your baby, have a small car, or live in a city where you’ll be frequently using mass transit, you should consider getting the Doona as your main infant car seat and stroller. It is an incredibly light all-in-one car seat with stroller wheels that fold into the seat itself, so you can easily transition between sidewalk, car, train, and plane without carrying a separate stroller that you need to gate check or shove in your trunk. It’s expensive, but the build quality feels great, it rides very smoothly, and once you get the hang of it, it’s very easy to transition between modes. My only complaint is that it’s easy to accidentally lock the wheels while walking. And because of its small wheel size and lack of hand brakes, it is best used on sidewalks and flatter terrain.

A solid choice for baby-wearing that distributes the weight to your hips.

There are lots of stylish baby carrier options out there, but we were sometimes walking our baby four-plus hours per day, and so we prioritized ergonomics over style. We have and love the Beco 8, which puts the weight on your hips like a backpacking backpack and has a shoulder strap. It has a newborn insert for very small babies that can be removed as your baby gets older and can face forward and a nice little sunshade that can snap onto the shoulder straps.

A soft and cozy baby wrap that’s especially nice for c-section recovery.

In the first few months, I also used a Solly Wrap as the Beco 8’s hip support was too close to my c-section scar. It’s pricey for what is essentially just a long, soft piece of fabric, but I found it very easy to use and great for getting things done around the house while my baby napped on me. Around three months, though, my baby got too heavy and squirmy and I preferred the additional support of the Beco 8.

A solid, very capacious diaper bag that clips to your stroller.

Any old backpack can become a diaper bag, so you don’t necessarily need to buy anything new. We got this Skip Hop backpack because its squat shape gives it more carrying capacity and makes it easier to find things. It has plenty of space for diapers, wipes, spare outfits, burp cloths, toys, and bottles; and has beverage holders on either side that can accommodate adult water bottles. I do wish it had a chest strap for hiking, but if you will mostly be using your diaper bag with a stroller, it can clip to the handlebar and is a solid pick.

Deals on bottle warmers and changing table accessories

A very nice, easy-to-use bottle warmer.

If you plan to pump or formula feed, it’s nice to have an easy way to warm bottles. Our baby will drink room temperature bottles, but he definitely prefers nicely warmed milk. (Who wouldn’t?) This warmer sits on our counter, looks reasonably nice, and works well.

A well-designed wipe dispenser for your changing table that lets you grab a wipe one-handed.

My favorite changing table accessory is the OXO wipe dispenser, which has a press-to-click open that enables you to grab a wipe with only one hand. This is critical when dealing with the dreaded blowout. I also remember to properly close it far more often than a regular wipe pack, so I don’t accidentally dry out the wipes.

A set of very useful spatulas that suction to your changing table and keep your hands from getting sticky when applying diaper cream.

The weirdest and best baby gift I received was a set of baby bum spatulas. I was initially skeptical, but these are amazing for applying Aquaphor or Desitin during diaper changes with a lot less mess.

Baby toy deals

Because this is The Verge, I’ll stick to toys with batteries. These have been my son’s favorites — music, in particular, is a big hit with him. Any musical toy may eventually drive you insane, but these cycle through enough tunes that I am still dancing along to them with our son.

A musical penguin toy that cycles through surprisingly boppy remixes. It flaps its wings with high-contrast black-and-white spots that will mesmerize your baby.

A cheap, great little teether and music maker that has amused my baby for hours. It is not technically on sale, but I am still including it because at less than $10, it is still a good deal.

Deals on other random baby stuff I loved

Hand holding Thermapen One thermometer into a grilled steak.

An instant-read thermometer that promises speed and accuracy.

As first-time parents, we were nervous about getting the exact right bath temperature. We happened to have the very nice Thermapen One in our kitchen for cooking and baking, and hijacked it for our first several months of baths with our newborn.

A cute, warm baby hat that actually stays on.

This is the only baby hat that has ever stayed on my son’s head for more than three minutes, and we now own it in every size. It’s cute, it’s warm, and something about the construction helps it actually stay on — especially compared to the stocking-style hats that seem to scrunch off immediately.

A baby bouncer that will captivate most babies, with a washable cover that extends its lifespan.

We were a little mystified about why the ubiquitous BabyBjorn bouncers are so expensive, especially the $60 toy bar accessory — but our son loved it. The cover is washable, so we just bought one on Facebook Marketplace for $100 that had the toy bar included. Especially in the first six months, our baby would spend at least an hour a day in his bouncer, contentedly watching the action and bouncing while we ate meals and caught up with friends.

A nice, easy-to-install baby gate with an adjustable cat door to let pets roam freely.

When it came to baby-proofing our house, we had a bit of a conundrum: how to keep our baby in but let our elderly cat out to her litter box and food? We found this nice option with an adjustable cat door from Babelio, which seems to make some of the more popular baby gates on Amazon. We have three installed now. They were easy to install on both stairs and doorways, and they work very well. They open and close easily when you grip the two buttons on the top and bottom of the handle, and the door can be propped open at a 90-degree angle after our baby is in bed.

An expensive but very comfortable glider with an electronic reclining function and USB-A and USB-C charging ports for your phone.

A glider is really nice for nursing, soothing a fussy baby, and establishing bedtime routines. After testing a few, we really preferred the smooth motion of a glider to the tipping feeling of a classic rocking chair. We splurged on the Babyletto Kiwi, which has an electric recliner function, and it is awesome. We intend to use it in an office afterward, though, and it might not be worth the money just for a nursery. The performance fabric has held up well even after some epic spitups.

Technology

Amazon’s VP explains how to protect yourself from holiday impersonation scams

Published

3 hours ago

November 28, 2024

Press Room

Amazon’s VP explains how to protect yourself from holiday impersonation scams

Black Friday is around the corner, and by the time you finish your Thanksgiving leftovers, Christmas will already be knocking. That might be an exaggeration, but what’s not is the rise in impersonation scams as the holiday season approaches.

With shopping in full swing, Amazon becomes an especially big target. Expect to see bad actors pretending to be trusted contacts, trying to access sensitive information like Social Security numbers, bank details or Amazon account credentials.

To help you enjoy a scam-free shopping experience this holiday season, we spoke with Scott Knapp, VP of Worldwide Buyer Risk Prevention at Amazon, to learn how scammers impersonate the platform, what Amazon is doing to fight holiday scams and how you can stay safe.

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A woman shopping on the Amazon app (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)

The most common Amazon impersonation scams

Amazon is the world’s largest e-commerce platform, and it becomes even more relevant during the holiday season. With so many of us hunting for deals, scammers are well aware and ready to take advantage. They often use impersonation scams to trick shoppers into handing over card details or other sensitive information.

“During the 2023 holiday shopping season (Black Friday through Christmas Day), the most commonly reported impersonation scam by Amazon customers involved fake order or shipping confirmations claiming that payment was required in the U.S. There was nearly a 1.5x increase in reports of this scam from three weeks prior,” Knapp said.

Another common impersonation scam around this time involves fake purchase alerts for popular tech products. Knapp said that Amazon saw about a 13x spike in customer reports compared to three weeks earlier.

A woman shopping on Amazon on her laptop (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)

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What is Amazon doing to keep customers safe?

It’s clear that many scammers are trying to target Amazon customers, so I wanted to understand what the company is doing to keep them safe. I asked Knapp a bunch of questions about how the e-tail giant is staying ahead of the latest online holiday scams, and you can read his responses below.

How is Amazon working to take down phishing websites and phone numbers used in impersonation schemes?

“Our goal is to ensure that customers are protected when they shop on Amazon. That is why we are initiating the takedown of scammers with public-private partnerships to hold bad actors accountable. We have a team – including machine learning scientists and expert investigators – who protect our store and consumers from fraud and other forms of abuse.

“In 2023 alone, we initiated takedowns of more than 40,000 phishing websites and 10,000 phone numbers being used as part of impersonation schemes. We can take down reported scam phone numbers the same day and phishing websites in just a couple of hours. We also partner with law enforcement across the globe to ensure scammers are held accountable, including having referred hundreds of bad actors to authorities.”

Can you explain how Amazon’s email verification technology helps identify phishing attempts?

“We’ve made it harder for bad actors to impersonate Amazon communications through implementing industry-leading tools, including the adoption of a secure email capability to make it easier for customers to identify authentic emails from Amazon and avoid phishing attempts. Customers using Gmail, Yahoo, and other common email providers can be confident that when they receive an @amazon.com email with the smile logo in their inbox, that email is really from us.”

Can you explain Amazon’s A-to-z Guarantee and how it protects holiday shoppers?

“When customers shop in the Amazon store, they can do so with peace of mind knowing that we stand behind the products sold in our store with the A-to-Z Guarantee.

“When a claim is filed, Amazon combines our advanced fraud and abuse detection systems with external, independent insurance specialists to analyze filings, take on the investigative work for our selling partners, present valid claims, and deny unsubstantiated, frivolous, or abusive claims. By doing this work on behalf of sellers, we save them from having to investigate these claims on their own. Innovating this process enables customers to shop confidently, which in turn drives selling partner success.

“Amazon’s protection applies to physical products purchased in our store worldwide, and in the unlikely event that customers experience issues with timely delivery or the condition of their purchase, whether purchased from Amazon or one of our approximately two million selling partners, Amazon will make it right by refunding or replacing it. Whether during the holiday shopping season, or anytime throughout the year, customers can confidently shop Amazon’s vast selection of amazing products with the A-to-z Guarantee.”

Image of Amazon website (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)

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How can Amazon customers stay safe?

1. Watch out for red flags: Some telltale signs of an impersonation scam include requests for account or payment information and creating a false sense of urgency. Amazon will never ask for your password, payment or bank transfer through phone, email or any external website. Scammers might reference a purchase (real or fake), a giveaway, a prize or claim that “your account is locked,” urging you to click a link, make a payment or buy a gift card.

2. Verify the email: For any questions related to an order, always check your order history on Amazon.com or via the “Amazon Shopping” app. Only legitimate purchases will appear in your order history. If you are ever unsure about the legitimacy of an email, go to Amazon’s website or app to access the Message Center and review authentic communications.

In addition, you should always check the sender’s email address by hovering over the “From” name and verify it’s a genuine Amazon email, which will come from “@amazon.com.”

An Amazon email (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)

3. Beware of phishing links: Avoid clicking on random links, especially in messages about shopping deals, order confirmations or account issues. Scammers often use fake links to mimic legitimate retailers and steal your information.

The best way to safeguard yourself from malicious links is to have antivirus software installed on all your devices. This protection can also alert you to phishing emails and ransomware scams, keeping your personal information and digital assets safe.

Get my picks for the best 2024 antivirus protection winners for your Windows, Mac, Android and iOS devices.

4. Don’t fall for “too good to be true” offers: Scammers often lure victims with irresistible deals, such as huge discounts on popular products or “exclusive” offers. If an offer seems too good to be true, it probably is. These offers might be tied to fake websites or phishing attempts designed to steal your personal and financial details. Always double-check the legitimacy of any deal before making a purchase. If you’re unsure, visit the official Amazon site or app to search for the product and compare prices.

5. Use a personal data removal service: Scammers can obtain your information from various online sources, including data brokers, people search sites and public records. Using a data removal service can help reduce your digital footprint, making it harder for scammers to access your personal information. This proactive step can be crucial in preventing identity theft and minimizing the chances of falling victim to scams during the busy holiday season.

While no service promises to remove all your data from the internet, having a removal service is great if you want to constantly monitor and automate the process of removing your information from hundreds of sites continuously over a longer period of time. Check out my top picks for data removal services here.

6. Report suspicious activity: If you encounter an impersonation scam, your best course of action is to report it to Amazon. Knapp says, “The more consumers report scams to us, the better our tools get at identifying bad actors so that we can take action against them and protect consumers. If consumers suspect that they have encountered a scam, they can report suspicious communications to us at amazon.com/ReportAScam, so that we can protect their accounts and refer bad actors to law enforcement to help keep consumers safe.”

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Kurt’s key takeaway

Scammers will do their best to ruin your holiday season, but most of their tactics can be easily avoided with the right tools and a little common sense. Be cautious of unsolicited texts, emails or phone calls offering deals, discounts or asking for your personal information. If you’re shopping on Amazon, track everything through the Amazon app and reach out to their customer support for any concerns or questions.

What features or tools do you wish online retailers would implement to enhance customer security during peak shopping times? Let us know by writing us at Cyberguy.com/Contact.

For more of my tech tips and security alerts, subscribe to my free CyberGuy Report Newsletter by heading to Cyberguy.com/Newsletter.

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Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson is an award-winning tech journalist who has a deep love of technology, gear and gadgets that make life better with his contributions for Fox News & FOX Business beginning mornings on “FOX & Friends.” Got a tech question? Get Kurt’s free CyberGuy Newsletter, share your voice, a story idea or comment at CyberGuy.com.

Technology

Mark Zuckerberg had dinner with Donald Trump at Mar-a-Lago

Published

10 hours ago

November 28, 2024

Press Room

Mark Zuckerberg had dinner with Donald Trump at Mar-a-Lago

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg met President-elect Donald Trump for dinner at Mar-a-Lago on Wednesday.

“It’s an important time for the future of American Innovation,” Meta spokesperson Andy Stone said in a statement shared with The Verge. “Mark was grateful for the invitation to join President Trump for dinner and the opportunity to meet with members of his team about the incoming Administration.”

While it’s unclear what the two men discussed, the meeting suggests Trump may be softening his view of Zuckerberg. He has said the tech billionaire should be jailed for Facebook’s role in the 2020 presidential race and his personal donations to mail-in ballet initiatives.

He was also one of the many tech CEOs to congratulate Trump for winning the 2024 election, saying in a post on Threads that he’s “looking forward to working with you and your administration.”

Technology

Sharing is not always caring: 7 dangerous things to post online

Published

10 hours ago

November 28, 2024

Press Room

Sharing is not always caring: 7 dangerous things to post online

Too many people share just about everything online. That’s a one-way ticket to Scamtown. Some info makes you an especially prime target. Keep these close to the vest.

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1. Your relationship status

Widows and widowers are big targets. Crooks want to get their grimy hands on inheritance money. Take Rosalie Douglass, who tried her hand at online dating and listed “widow” as her relationship status. Two different scammers connected with Rosalie and swindled her out of a staggering $430,000.

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Pro tip: If you’re a widow or widower, keep it off your dating and social media apps. You never know who’s watching.

2. Your vacation plans

Tiffany posted about her family’s upcoming Carnival cruise on Facebook by sharing shots of her tickets. She didn’t think about the fact her booking reference number was included. The same day, a scammer created a new Carnival account using Tiffany’s confirmation number. The scammer canceled her booking and ruined her $15,000 trip.

Widows and widowers are big targets for scammers. (Reuters)

Pro tip: Announcing your vacation plans before or during your trip screams “Rob me!” Take tons of pics on your vacation, but don’t share them until you’re home.

3. Videos of you talking

Artificial intelligence tools make it cheap and easy for anyone to create a deepfake video. Recently, on TikTok, a woman named Sam said a shady brand stole her face and used it to promote a product. The brand did it all with a video from her social media account and some deepfake software.

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Pro tip: Limit the personal information you share online, especially high-quality photos and videos of you talking. For most folks, setting your social media accounts to “private” is the way to go.

4. Expensive electronics you’re selling

A South Carolina man listed a limited-edition PlayStation on a Facebook buy-sell-trade group. The “buyer” he met up with pulled out a gun and made off with the PlayStation, plus the man’s phone, wallet and watch. Scary.

Watch out for scammers on Facebook. (AP Photo/Patrick Sison, File)

Pro tip: If you’re selling anything pricey, meet in a public space during the day and bring a friend. Your local police department’s parking lot should scare off anyone who intends to rob you.

5. Personal walking, hiking and biking routes

Fitness apps with GPS track way more than workouts. I told you about the Secret Service agents who spilled the locations of President Biden and the first lady, President-elect Trump and his wife and Vice President Harris. In case you missed it, the agents used Strava to track their movement and apparently didn’t realize anyone could see those routes.

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Pro tip: If you use a fitness app, change your settings to private. You can disable GPS altogether, but that shuts off the functionality you use the app for in the first place.

6. Your kids’ school or activities

You’re proud of your kiddos and want to share their milestones online. Sorry, but posting photos in front of your kid’s school or sharing their weekly soccer schedule is not smart. You truly never know who is watching.

Fitness apps with GPS track more than workouts. (iStock)

Pro tip: Don’t post specifics about your kids’ schools, day care centers, sports teams or even the clubs they attend. When you do share, keep it vague and avoid anything identifiable in the background.

7. Your work details

The real danger here is setting yourself up for a scam. Spear-phishing scams target one person with highly personalized information. Mid- and high-level employees are big targets since they may have access to a company’s finances.

The more specific details you post, the more fuel you give a scammer. This includes where you work, your role, projects you’re working on or really anything else.

Pro tip: Limit the details you share about your job. Keep posts about career achievements vague or share only with friends and family.