If you’re tired of hearing your neighbor’s bedtime stories coming through your baby monitor, invest in the sleek Philips DECT Digital Baby Monitor. It’s the first on the market with the technology used in portable phones to eliminate interference. Besides a clear connection, you get two-way communication and the remote ability to regulate the baby’s room temperature, play lullabies, and turn on a night-light. On Amazon.com it’s $179.

If a crying baby is the last thing you want to hear loud and clear—as it is for most air travelers—check out Bose QuietComfort Acoustic Noise Cancelling Headphones. Plug them into an MP3, CD player, or in-flight audio system, and you get rich sound with minimal background noise. Two sizes, $299 and $349, at bose.com.