Our Family Favorites
In a house with six kids, the gear that matters most is whatever quietly handles the daily chaos: packages, school lunches, weeknight dinners and crumbs. The one we'd buy again first is the Ring Battery Doorbell Plus: it shows the whole porch, alerts us to every package and visitor, and runs on a battery with no wiring to install. Here's the one we'd buy again first, plus the rest of the list.
Ring Battery Doorbell Plus
This is the doorbell we actually rely on. The taller view shows the whole porch, we get an alert for every package and visitor, and the battery means no wiring to install.
Check price on AmazonA family favorite has to be used constantly, work for more than one age in the house, and be reliable enough that we’d recommend it without a caveat. Price matters less than how often it gets reached for. If it ends up in a drawer after a month, it doesn’t make the cut.
For reading and listening, the Kindle Paperwhite and AirPods Pro 2. For school days, the Bentgo Kids lunch box, the Owala FreeSip bottle, and the YETI Rambler tumbler for coffee on the school run. For the house, the Instant Pot Duo for weeknight dinners and the Dyson V11 cordless stick vacuum for the daily messes.
The Ring Battery Doorbell Plus at the top is the one we’d buy again first. It’s the simplest way to keep track of a busy front door.
What else we considered
Also considered
Amazon Kindle Paperwhite 16GB (newest model)
Our oldest says: The Paperwhite goes everywhere and the battery lasts the whole trip.
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Also considered
Apple AirPods Pro 2 (USB-C)
Mom loves: AirPods Pro 2 are the everyday earbuds nobody in the house will share.
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Also considered
Bentgo Kids Prints Leak-Proof Lunch Box
Mom loves: five compartments that don't leak into each other, and little hands can open every one.
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Also considered
Owala FreeSip Stainless Steel Water Bottle, 24 oz
A leak-resistant bottle you can sip or swig from, and it keeps water cold all day. Easy to tell apart when everyone has their own color.
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Also considered
YETI Rambler 20 oz Tumbler with MagSlider Lid
Coffee stays hot through the school run and the lid slides shut. It survives being dropped by kids, which matters here.
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Also considered
Instant Pot Duo 6-Quart 7-in-1 Pressure Cooker
The weeknight dinner backup: pressure cooker, slow cooker and rice cooker in one pot. Six quarts feeds a family.
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Also considered
Dyson V11 Cordless Stick Vacuum
Mom loves: The Dyson V11 is the grab-and-go vac for every daily mess.
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