8 innovative gifts you didn’t know you needed

By JESSICA DAMIANO Associated Press There are gifts and then there are gifts the ones inventive enough to surprise and delight the recipient A few are fun others practical They all aim to improve how we do or enjoy things Consider adding these innovative gifts to your shopping list There s something here for every budget Elevated luggage This image provided by PROPS Luggage shows the brand s carry-on suitcase with its built-in luggage-rack legs extended and showing its unique side-opening lid PROPS via AP Invented by a mom of four who sought to cut down on hotel-room chaos Props carry-on suitcases have luggage racks built right in Like a folding table each suitcase has legs that unfold easily to elevate it off the floor You could even use it as a snack table or laptop stand at the airport Other features include an interior compression packing system an integrated TSA-approved combination lock a telescoping handle two -degree spinning wheels at each corner and carry handles on three sides Available in five colors x x width expandable to A smart collar This image provided by PetPace shows a dog wearing a PetPace health-monitoring collar PetPace via AP Like a fitness tracker for pets the PetPace V smart collar is an AI-powered health-monitoring device that tracks pets locations via GPS and monitors their vital and biometric signs Using AI analytics and machine learning the smart collar gets to know your dog or cat over time collecting information on activity body temperature pulse rate and so on The mobile app tracks and displays subtle changes Users also get free access to a veterinarian via chat and the ability to share a link with their own vet to provide historical physiological and behavioral content - plus subscription fees which start at per month Secure shade This image provided by Anchor Works shows an AnchorOne Classic umbrella installed in the sand Lindsay Sydenham Anchor Works via AP If there s a beach lover on your list the AnchorOne Classic Beach Umbrella System will keep them confident and safe from the inconvenience and danger posed by wind-borne umbrellas Setting up the umbrella takes about five minutes and an anchor filled with sand keeps it from blowing away in winds up to mph An adjustable tray keeps snacks drinks and cellphones off the sand and the umbrella s -foot canopy has an Ultraviolet Protection Factor of Available in five colors Carry bags are included for both the umbrella and anchor Cuddly calm This image provided by Pause With Panda shows a child hugging a Pause With Panda emotional sponsorship tool for kids Pause With Panda via AP Talking dolls and stuffed animals have been around for decades chosen even read books and tell stories But Pause with Panda uses interactivity for more than entertainment providing kids with exercises designed to help them regulate their emotions and practice mindfulness The cuddly panda s services guides children through audible age-appropriate pauses including ones aimed at reducing anxiety improving attention building emotional awareness growing compassion and supporting daily routines and transitions like bedtime Care providers can monitor on the accompanying mobile app Topics can be customized for anxiety sleep and ADHD and adults can even record their own pauses for children to hear Suitable for ages and up including a storybook and stickers Sparkle anywhere This image provided by Aerflo shows the Aerflo portable soda-maker system which produces carbonated water on the go Aerflo via AP Sparkling water and seltzer lovers know they can either pay for the bottled stuff or use a kitchen-counter model to carbonate liter-size bottles at home Now Aerflo a portable soda-maker system lets them make fizzy drinks on the go Fill the stainless steel and BPA- lead- and PFAS-free plastic bottle with water attach a mini capsule to the cap and screw on the lid Then tap the cap to release beverage-grade carbon dioxide into the water and give the bottle a shake repeating as desired for more bubbles The set includes a -ounce bottle four refillable capsules which carbonate four bottles apiece a three-capsule advance affair and a prepaid shipping box for zero-waste capsule exchanges Airborne audio This image provided by HARMAN JBL shows a woman using JBL Tour One M SmartTX headphones and the included transmitter to connect to an in-flight entertainment system HARMAN JBL via AP A large number of in-flight entertainment systems still require users to plug wired headphones into an airplane s one- or two-pronged audio jack And the system s lack of a Bluetooth option leaves greater part folks with wireless earbuds or headsets with two options Buy a cheap pair from the flight attendant or sit in silence The JBL Tour One M Smart TX headphones change that You plug the included touchscreen Bluetooth transmitter into the jack and the device will connect to the headphones allowing you to listen to high-resolution -bit audio with or without noise cancellation and move about freely The system also connects to other audio sources like computers cellphones and older TVs and allows two listeners to connect to one transmitter for shared listening The Zoom-certified headphones let you control how much of your own voice you hear on calls Available in three colors A frigid friend This image provided by HomePlunge shows a HomePlunge bathtub water chiller HomePlunge via AP Die-hard cold plungers know that tap water isn t frosty enough to provide the chilling effects they seek and standalone cryotubs can take up too much space in small bathrooms Enter HomePlunge a portable water-cooling unit that can transform any bathtub into an ice bath The wheeled unit rolls up to the tub and has a hose arm that draws in water cools it and then returns it to the tub reaching set temperatures as low as degrees F in - minutes When you ve had enough roll the modular chiller out of the way until the next session which you can schedule in advance via the accompanying mobile app Flushed for the holidays This image provided by Charmin shows a Charmin Forever Roll on a stand The giant roll promises to last a full month in an average two-person household Charmin via AP Toilet paper original and inventive You bet It may get specific laughs when they open the box but Charmin s new supersize Forever Roll just might be the greater part practical gift you ll ever give Although it won t live up to the forever hyperbole in its name each giant roll measuring foot in diameter weighing pounds and providing sheets of -ply septic-safe toilet paper promises to last a whole month in an average two-person household The starter kit includes two Forever Rolls and a brushed stainless-steel stand with refills sold separately