The 10 best deals at Walmart's anti-Prime Day sale, according to a mom
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Here’s a poorly kept secret: I don’t actually like shopping all that much. I’m a busy lady with twin toddlers and a full-time job, so “insanely hectic” only begins to describe my days.
My shopping goal is pretty much always the same: Find a product that solves my problems, performs as advertised, and lasts a long, long time so I don’t have to shop for a replacement soon (or ever). Oh, and of course I'd like to get said product at a rock-bottom price.
So I've been waiting for Walmart's anti-Prime Day sale (aka Walmart's Deals for Days event) with a list in hand. And boy, does it deliver. Here are 10 of the best items on sale — life-changers, all of them.
If you have kids or pets — or kids and pets — you know that cleaning is always on your to-do list. So why add floors to those tasks if you can help it? And why rely on some unpredictable human to pick up the slack? Since robots in the home are fairly ubiquitous these days, treat yourself to a tiny helper in the form of the iHome AutoVac Nova.
It can map your home, mop your floors, automatically empty its refuse bin and dock itself for a recharge. You can also control it from your smartphone via the app. When the Nova detects carpeting, it enables HyperDrive Plus for a more focused clean. Speaking of "smart" tech: Right now it’s $200 off, so it’s a good time to try out some modern cleaning technology.
We recently switched from disposable plastic bags to silicone bags for food storage, and I have to say I’m a total convert. It feels really good to minimize our plastic use, and they've made the fridge more organized overall, making it easier for us to see what we actually have for dinner.
These Novashion silicone food storage bags can be used in a refrigerator, a microwave; they can even be baked in an oven and heated or disinfected in boiling water.
Another ingenious touch: They have a small handle for hanging and draining water, perfect for prepping produce. They come in five colors, and are available in a 30- or 50-ounce size, which is big enough to hold a multi-day supply of your favorite comestibles.
Speaking of food prep: The last thing anyone — especially a parent — wants to do when they get home from work is figure out what’s for dinner. The Instant Pot became a favorite appliance for many because it lets you solve that problem way ahead of time. This one, the Viva, acts as nine appliances in one: a pressure cooker, slow cooker, rice cooker, yogurt maker, cake maker, egg cooker, saute and sous vide pot. It’ll even clean itself up and put itself away (kidding, but one day…).
It’s easy to use the one-touch control panel to default to programs for ribs, soups, beans, poultry and even desserts. And it’s designed to be simple to clean with stainless-steel sides and a dishwasher safe lid. The six-quart version is marked down to $59 right now, so if you haven’t already jumped on the bandwagon, now's the time to climb aboard. .
As a mom, I drink coffee the way marathon runners chug water, and I only have a plain old drip coffee machine. If I had a nice espresso machine, I’d probably be tossing back a concerning amount of caffeine. But if you have more self-control than me, or kids who actually sleep through the night, you should check out Gevi's 15 bar espresso machine.
Discounted $25, the Gevi looks like a professional unit, from the stainless steel exterior to the milk frother wand. The handy double temperature control mechanism can make sure that both your espresso and your milk stay at the ideal temperatures so you get the best espresso, mocha or latte. It also has a slim profile so it won't take up a ton of counter space.
Owlet is the only company that makes a smart wearable for babies. Their smart "sock" is really a baby bio-monitor that attaches to an infant's foot in order to read heart rate, breathing rate and pulse oxygen levels, which you, in turn, can easily access and track on your phone. Alerts sound on both your phone and the device's base station if any reading is concerning. Both my twins wore them when they were released from the NICU and I can attest to the peace of mind we felt having that data handy.
Because it’s worn at night time, the Owlet socks can also track sleep data, which can be particularly invaluable when you’re figuring out how to best get your baby to sleep soundly. The Smart Sock 2 is currently $50 off, and is FSA and HSA eligible.
There are few things more frustrating than trying to hold a wiggling baby still so you can take their temperature using a standard digital thermometer. Skip that hassle entirely with a forehead thermometer, which gets its reading from the temporal artery in the forehead. You don’t even need to make contact with the skin directly; Dr. Talbot's can do its thing from almost two inches away, allowing you to be reassured and your baby to stay sound asleep.
Now available for just $25, Dr. Talbot’s forehead thermometer can take a temperature in just one second with the press of a button. It also has a fever warning indicator, and you can use it on the biggest babies (i.e., the adults) of the house as well.
This may be the most "mom" thing I’ve ever said, but there are few things I love more than a good storage basket. I have a wide variety of bins and baskets throughout my house, and they are always in use with baby toys, laundry, books, mail or other household items.
At 14.9" x 10.6" x 9.4", these Auchen storage baskets are big enough to be used in any room from the kitchen to the bathroom to the garage. The lightweight canvas has a waterproof PE coating, which makes it easy to wipe clean, and the whole basket can be collapsed and flattened so it'll take up next to no space when empty. They’re available in over 50(!) patterns and are only $8 right now, so stock up and get tidy!
There are a lot of reasons to have a play yard handy if you have kids; it makes it easy to create space for them in a variety of locations and you can easily sit nearby while they frolic in safety. Our play yard has come in handy indoors and out, for kids and pets, and is a snap to set up and take down.
The My Play portable play yard from Regalo is now $50 off, which is a good deal for an item that will help you keep tabs on the little ones while simultaneously being able to eat a meal with both hands again. It’s 26 inches high and 62 inches wide, and is approved for kiddos up to 24 months. It has a nylon bottom that is easy to wash and can be easily folded up to carry with you.
Trying to find a stroller that can accommodate two kids and that doesn’t weigh a million pounds isn’t the easiest task, but it is possible. Moms of twins have discovered that in-line (i.e., one-in-front-of-the-other) models are far superior to the side-by-side variety, because they’re easier to get through doorways. Know what's also superior? Paying nearly half the usual price for one!
Baby Trend’s Sit N Stand Double Stroller weighs only 32.5 pounds and comes with a car seat that can snap into the stroller. Older kids (of up to 40 pounds) can sit or stand in the rear seat, and the basket underneath provides some handy storage space. And both the car seat and the stroller have 5-point safety harnesses. Grab one now for just $278.
Trying to decide if it’s worth the risk to wake a sleeping baby in order to check on them is an agonizing decision for a parent. It’s well worth it to snag a quality baby monitor with smart features so you can check on them directly from your phone without any chance of disruption.
Sense-U’s monitor streams 1080p HD video at a 140-degree wide-angle view and has night vision and 4x zoom. The feed goes directly to your smartphone so there’s no need to carry or charge an extra display. Your footage is protected with enterprise-level AES 128-bit encryption and the camera features a private mode that allows you to switch it off remotely at any time. At $99, it’s one of the most inexpensive smart monitors available, and it doesn’t require any subscription service or monthly charges.
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