Your new baby is on the way, and suddenly your spare bedroom is overflowing with all the essential gear you've been told by everyone you need: car seat, stroller, crib, Boppy. Now it's time to crank up the geek factor a bit. Some gadgets and apps will complete this picture, making the new experience of parenthood a little less daunting and a lot more fun.

Labor MateLabor Mate
You're starting to have contractions, but aren't sure whether it's time to grab the packed bag and huff it to the hospital. This iPhone app makes it easy to time your contractions and log their frequency. Just press a button when a contraction starts, then press it again when it ends. Then you can view the patterns of your contractions in an easy format and decide whether childbirth is imminent. So simple, yet so incredibly helpful.

BebeSounds Deluxe Prenatal Heart ListenerBebeSounds Deluxe Prenatal Heart Listener
$20 street
Anxious moms- and dads-to-be often look forward to their doctor appointments, just so they can hear the powerful, pounding heart of their baby on the monitor. This device allows you to listen to that heartbeat at home, and it's portable and easy to use. Just don't jump to alarming conclusions if you don't hear the heartbeat; for 20 bucks, this device is nowhere near as sensitive as the monitor in your doctor's office.

Goodnight Sleep TrainerGoodnight Sleep Trainer
$29.99 list
The crazy sleep patterns of infants are enough to drive sleep-deprived parents to tears. Books can help, but this easy-to-use timer device teaches you how to train your baby to fall asleep on his or her own, sleep longer, and on schedule. Following the Ferber Method, the device guides you through the process of letting your baby "cry it out." You just push a button once you put the baby down, and it tells you how long you have to "hang in there" before you can pick him or her up. It tracks how long your baby sleeps, and allows you to upload the sleep logs to the Web so you can monitor his or her progress.

MobiCam AV Wireless Audio/Video Monitoring SystemMobiCam AV Wireless Audio/Video Monitoring System
$149.99 direct
There are plenty of audio monitors out there, but in case you want to also be able to see your baby while he or she is sleeping, this system is worth a look. You can carry the handheld monitor with you easily from room to room, and it offers a color image, as well as night vision. You can also connect the system to your TV, and with the MobiCam AV Internet kit ($74.99 direct), you can view live, streaming video of your baby from the office, via the Internet.

Finally, a bouncy seat that actually mimics the motion of a parent, rocking a baby in her arms. Most seats on the market vibrate or swing mechanically back and forth, but the mamaRoo bounces gently up and down and sways back and forth. Five motions are available, including "car ride" and "tree swing." The mamaRoo also includes five built-in nature sounds as well as a port for your iPod.

The InfantThe Infant's Sleep Sound Lamb
$29.95 list
The soothing sound of Mommy's heartbeat would lull a baby in the womb to sleep. This cuddly, plush baby sheep mimics the heartbeat sound as heard from the womb for newborns and attaches easily to a crib or co-sleeper via Velcro strap. It also offers other soothing sounds, including rain, ocean waves, and whale calls.

White NoiseWhite Noise
Here's another, less expensive option for calming a baby to sleep with ambient noise. This iPhone app offers 40 sounds, such as heartbeat, wind, train, sprinkler, and the ever-popular sound babies can't seem to get enough of—vacuum cleaner. You can set the app to shut off at a certain time, and also adjust the pitch, to make it higher or lower, faster or slower.

Giimmo Night LightGiimmo Night Light
$19.99 direct
This rechargeable, energy-efficient LED night light comes in a variety of cute animal models. Each animal's belly switches colors every several seconds, offering a pleasant and reassuring—though not overstimulating—glow to the room as a young one is drifting off to sleep. The LED light does not produce heat, making it safer for a nursery, and it turns on and off with the simple touch of your hand.

Pure Digital Flip Mino HDPure Digital Flip Mino HD
$229.99 list
Read our full review
There are several terrific options in the pocket HD camcorder category these days, but for new parents, this is our pick. Its slim form factor and dead-simple design—one red button in the middle; press it to record—are exactly what you need to make sure you capture baby's first smile, first coo, first spit-up, and so on. Plus, there's no USB cable to keep track of; a digital USB arm flips out and plugs directly into your PC for uploading your HD videos.