Slings, bouncers, play yards, Excersaucers, jumpers – are all of these so-called "baby gadgets" necessary? While many parents feel they can't live without them, some parents abandon the mainstream gimmicks for a more hands-on approach. What about you – could you rely on just a sling? Or would an arsenal of "helpers" make parenting easier? If you choose to use an infant seat while cooking dinner to keep your little one happy, does that predispose you to shifting your baby from one gadget to the next all day long?

These are the types of questions the following mothers had to ask themselves when choosing how to shape their baby's environment. What will you decide?

Debra Ackels of West Hartford, Conn. uses baby gadgets almost every day with her 6-month-old son, PJ, and feels they greatly benefit both her and her baby. She owns a baby carrier; a jogging stroller; a travel system; a Snap-and-Go stroller (the car seat snaps into the stroller); a play yard with bassinet, changer and canopy; bouncers; Excersaucers; Johnny-Jump-Ups; baby gyms; a swing; a monitor; a mobile and a special nursing pillow.

Ackles uses these items throughout the day in various ways. "He uses the Exersaucer in the morning while I am making him breakfast and in the late afternoon to keep busy when he is tired," she says. "The baby gym is used when he gets up (before I am ready) to play alone in his room. The pillow is great for breastfeeding and propping him up to sit and the mobile puts him to sleep. He naps and watches Baby Bach and Baby Mozart videos from the swing. The monitor is on during naps and when he is in bed before me – not at night. The bouncer seat is great for when I am in the shower."

When Ackles is out and about, she has many helpers. "The Snap-and-Go stroller that the car seat fits on allows quick in and out of the car without waking him, and it is small for the mall and crowded areas," she says. "The jogging stroller is easy to push for walking and Rollerblading." Not only is the baby carrier great for while she's cooking dinner or for when she's cleaning, "it is also great at parties so he can see everyone and be close to me. [It also] fits in my diaper bag so he can be transferred to that from the car seat if the stroller isn't appropriate for the place I am going. I use the play yard when I travel for the night and in the yard with the canopy."

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