Music soothes many a crying baby, enabling them (and you!) to rest. To bring music to the crib, there are a few good options for CD players and iPod docking stations.

Not all digital cameras are well-suited to the unique challenges of taking pictures of babies. First, babies don't sit still to smile and pose for a camera, so your camera should take the picture immediately after you've pressed the button ("shutter lag"� or "processor lag"�) and also allow you to take a second shot quickly. Second, many babies, especially sleeping ones, are not big fans of flashes, so your camera should take high-quality pictures in low light. Third, features such as face recognition and image stabilization help ensure that none of your "perfect"� shots end up blurry and unusable. Rapid improvements in technology mean that you can get all of these features in a compact digital camera that takes great pictures for $250 or less. For skilled photographers, high-quality digital cameras with traditional (SLR) lenses for $1000 or less outperform models from only a few years ago that cost many times more.

Most cameras come with a "starter"� memory card that can only hold a handful of pictures. It is well worth buying a card to expand your camera's memory, especially as prices have dropped dramatically in recent years. Make sure to check that the extra memory format is compatible with your camera (especially if you buy a Sony). To learn how many pictures you can fit on to a memory card, check out this handy table: http://www.camerafarm.com.au/camera/customer/pages.php?pageid=22.

Many first-time parents are too doting, harried or tired to take out the camcorder. If you are looking for ways to save money, consider borrowing a camcorder to see how much you'll use it before deciding how much of an investment you want to make. There are some excellent options for around $800-1000, with variations in recording media (tapes, flash drives, hard drives and dvds), features and price. And if you see yourself recording your child's life like a professional filmmaker, there's an outstanding option for $3300 for you, too. In 2007, two extremely compact, inexpensive (under $200) and easy-to-use camcorders -- the Flip and the Small Wonder -- took the market by storm, selling over a million units. Their lack of features may be a vice to video enthusiasts but are a virtue to everyone else: they are so easy to use that you are much more to actually take some video. And since most people mainly want to capture moments like their baby's first rollover, crawl and steps and not edit a Hollywood-quality movie, these are terrific options for almost everyone.

Different models of camcorders use a wide variety of storage media formats (such as flash, Memory Sticks, MiniDV tapes, and DVDs). Make sure to buy the compatible media.