Car seats keep kids safe, but are surely a pain to travel with. For kids 2-3 years old or older, there is a legitimate alternative, which is a DOT-approved vest that the child wears as a harness. The child + harness is then strapped into a regular seat belt. The pioneering safety vest is Ridesafer. It comes in different sizes, for larger kids too. When not worn, the vest shrinks to a small, easy to pack lump about the size of a folded jacket, fitting into your bag. This makes it perfect for taxis, ubers and rental cars. It also makes it perfect for grandparents, who may not want to keep their back seats perpetually occupied with car seats. We’ve found the Ridesafer easy enough to put on and off, and with some patience to buckle in – but still faster than loading a kid into a car seat. (I would lean toward getting a size larger, it will still work as well.) — KK

Camille Hartsell, my colleague and research librarian,  put together this helpful guide titled "Tech stuff for Ten-yr-olds". Her detailed write-up includes the specific devices her kid uses, how they are used, apps allowed and settings put in place. It’s both thoughtful and thorough, and a useful resource for any parent seeking strategies for regulating their child's screen time. — CD

I learned some valuable techniques and got a lot of wise guidance for cultivating a happy family from the book The Secrets of Happy Families (2013). Much of it I wished I had known earlier when our family was younger. There’s a bunch of self-improvement advice out there, but not much on family-improvement, so this is highly recommended. — KK

Now that I am a grandfather I interact with kid stuff again. There’s a new generation of drinking cups for toddlers way beyond sippy cups. Munchkin cups ($6) use an ingenious weighted straw that deliver liquids to a child in any cup orientation with zero spillage. They are a hi-tech marvel, with 47,000 reviews on Amazon. They really keep liquids tight. — KK

Among my circle the most recommended new baby book is The Happiest Baby on the Block which presents the 5-S sleeping framework. It outlines five suggested guidelines for getting infants to sleep well. Our daughter and all her new-parent friends have used these principles successfully. I’ve been very impressed how quickly and well our infant granddaughter sleeps. A lot of this info is online by now, but the book is easy to read and handily organized. — KK