Tune in to your child's needs without repeated trips to the sickroom.Walkie-Talkies get put to many uses in the Bleau household in North Oxford, Massachusetts, but they come in especially handy on sick days. Mom Judy sets up 9-year-old Lauren in her upstairs bedroom and can still go about her normal routine downstairs, confident that Lauren can reach her whenever she needs anything -- or even when she just wants to chat. "It saves us a lot of frustration," says Judy. Carla Steele of Mount Airy, Maryland, uses her old baby monitor for the same purpose. It's helped the family through son Dylan's recovery from a broken knee, Mom's back surgery, and Dad's kidney surgery, as well as run-of-the-mill flus and stomachaches. "We have an intercom system, but if you're in bed, you can't get to it," says Carla. And unlike walkie-talkies, the monitor also lets parents hear when a child is stirring.
