Baby Monitor Reviews

2008

Baby Monitors- What to Look for?

Hi, I’m Judy and my husband and I just welcomed a bundle of joy into our lives. Our little baby boy is only a few months old, and throughout his rather short lifespan, we’ve been looking for the perfect baby monitor to help us monitor him when we can’t be there, looking into his crib.

Throughout this time, I’ve come to know what I should be looking for when purchasing a baby monitor. How about I share all I know with you now? :)

Best Baby Monitor & Baby Monitor Reviews - Quick Guide

Baby Monitor Reviews - Best Baby Monitor

Baby Monitor Reviews - Best Baby Monitor

Baby Monitor Reviews - First Things First

One of the first questions you should ask yourself when considering purchasing a baby monitor is what kind to purchase. There are a few types out there.

  • Sound monitors only monitor sound. If your baby monitor need only help you as a tool for knowing when your child is crying or not, then this kind should suffice. Really good sound monitors are very sensitive, and you can even hear your precious one breathing at night!
  • Motion sensing monitors also monitor motion, and some monitor sound as well. This kind of baby monitor is very desirable if you have a premature baby or special health concerns. By placing the motion-sensing pad under the baby, any motion will be picked up and if movement stops, you’ll be immediately alerted. This kind also gives peace of mind to new parents who are really worried about Sudden Infant Death syndrome (SIDS) as these motion sensors are so sensitive they can detect the breathing of an infant no problem!
  • Video baby monitors are the latest kind. However, the technology being developed isn’t very good yet in my opinion, plus they are expensive and make you look like an overly paranoid parent, so these are best left on the shelf.

OK, I know my type. Now what?

Once you know what type of baby monitor you want, you can start shopping around! There are some things you should be looking for in your baby monitor that will help using it an enjoyable experience both for you and your baby :)

Price range is an important factor, especially for new parents who might already be overwhelmed with decisions to buy so many other things, diapers, clothes, car seats, baby food and a lot more. There are budget baby monitors and there are expensive, premium ones. Depending on what you need, you should go to the store and ask the sales people if you can try the baby monitors out to find one exactly suited to your needs.

I think trying baby monitors is a must because you don’t know what you can put up with. Maybe you’re ok with a little static; maybe you want to throw your receiver against the wall the minute it begins to make scratchy background noise. Maybe you don’t like how the monitor itself looks like, or you don’t fancy the brand. Maybe the little light on the display bothers you in the middle of the night.

You never know what your deciding factor will be until you go to the store and try a few. You can also ask other parents to see what they’ve been using and why to help you make a more informed decision. Besides that, you should totally check out the reviews I’ve written on some baby monitors that I think deserve the praise, because they are really wonderful to use!

Best Baby Monitor - Quick Guide

Graco iMonitor - Best Baby Monitor
 The baby monitor I’m currently using in my home, which I picked as the best simply because it’s quite affordable and offers a good balance of functionality and quality to price.

Philips SCD 589 DECT Digital - Baby Monitor with the Least Interference
 I picked this one as the baby monitor with the least interference because it uses DECT technology and has 60 channels to choose from, which totally prevents interference, albeit at an expensive price tag. (It’s also really cute, to boot!)

Graco Ultra Clear II - Best Budget Analog Baby Monitor
 My very first baby monitor. Cheap and you get what you pay for at the price, a basic baby monitor which monitors sound in your baby’s nursery. Also quite practical to travel with, I think.

Angelcare Movement Sensor with Sound Monitor - Best Motion Sensing Baby Monitor
 I chose this baby monitor as the best motion sensing baby monitor because of my friend’s rave review of her own. Seeing it used in her own home and looking at the calm assured expression on her face convinced me that the motion sensing technology in this baby monitor will give many a first time parent the assurance they need to leave their child in the nursery when they need to.

Baby Monitor Reviews

Baby Monitor Review - Features to look out for

A few tips when thinking of what features you’ll need the most: A really handy feature to look for in baby monitors is a little light on the receiver which will signal to you when your baby is crying. This is really useful, because if you have visitors around but still want to keep tabs on your baby without subjecting your guests to your precocious infant’s yelling, then simply mute the receiver and watch out for a blinking light!

Also look for a baby monitor with several channels to choose from just in case of interference. In today’s modern houses, many devices in the home operate using radio waves, so the chance of interference is quite high unless you purchase a DECT baby monitor, which guarantees no interference! After all, you wouldn’t want to respond to a cry only to find out that it was your neighbor’s baby in the end. Or worse, overhear their private conversations if you’re both using the same channel or the same baby monitor.

If you think one receiver is not enough, then by all means get two. One for you and one for your partner so that either one can respond to a cry in a moment’s notice. But do remember to check what kind of battery the receiver is using, as well as the battery life of it to make sure it won’t suddenly run out of juice when you’re in the basement doing laundry.

Getting a baby monitor with a night light feature might also prove useful. Other than using it to comfort older children when the time comes for them to move to bigger beds, a night-light will help you when you come to check on your baby in the night, by showing the way. Personally, I find any and all indicators to be really good when using a baby monitor, because I need all the alerting I can get. If you get caught up in something, the best monitors have light and sound to alert you so that you’ll drop your task and run to your baby.

Baby Monitor Reviews - The final word

I’ve written down all I can think about to help you make a decision on purchasing your own baby monitor. I think it all boils down to knowing exactly why you want to buy a baby monitor, and balancing that want with the notion that using one might seem overtly paranoid. In actual fact, I think using a baby monitor helps strengthen the bond between parent and infant, and of course, if a very good safety precaution as well.

Do keep my tips in mind, and if you need to know more, you can read the other articles that I’ve written about baby monitors which can be found on this website. Furthermore, I’ve also reviewed some baby monitors myself. You can find these baby monitor reviews here too. I hope you find what you need :)

Baby Monitor Reviews Blog

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