You might think that the purpose of a baby monitor is to watch your baby sleep, but the real purpose is to let you sleep. If you have a way to hear or see when your infant needs assistance, then you can hopefully try to grab some shut-eye of your own without worrying you won’t be there if junior needs you. Here’s what you need to know before you make a baby monitor purchase.
Types of Baby Monitors
Audio Monitors: Audio baby monitors allow you to hear your baby while in another part of the house.
Video Monitors: Video baby monitors allow you to both see and hear your infant. Video monitors may be in black and white or color.
Wi-Fi Remote-View Monitors: This latest addition to the monitor scene, Wi-Fi baby monitors use a camera, smart phone or tablet to monitor your child and allow you to access the feed via the Internet or an app.
Movement Monitors: The purpose of movement monitors is to track the minute movements your child makes while sleeping and alert you if these movements stop. Some movement monitors come with audio or video monitoring as well.
Key Features: More is not always better. Decide which features are the most practical and useful to help you keep an eye (or ear) on your baby.
Analog vs. Digital: Both analog and digital baby monitors transmit via a radio frequency.The difference is that digital baby monitors encrypt this signal so that other people with baby monitors or other receiving devices can’t pick up the signal. Digital baby monitors are a bit more expensive, but they do prevent you from hearing another person’s baby crying on your baby monitor – a bit freaky.
Frequency, Reception & Interference: Different electronic devices in your home utilize different frequency bands – 49 MHz, 2.4GHz, 5.8 GHz, etc. For the clearest reception, look for a monitor that operates on a different frequency than other wireless devices you may have (cell phones, wireless phones, routers, Bluetooth devices, etc.). Keep in mind that depending how close they are, your neighbor’s wireless devices could cause interference too. For the best reception and most secure frequency, look for a baby monitor with DECT or Digital Enhanced Cordless Technology. These baby monitors are more expensive, but use a special 1.9GHz frequency that the Federal Trade Communication set aside for voice-only communications.
Range: Take the range listed on the box with a grain of salt. The advertised range and the actual, real-world-using-it-in-my-house range can often be very different. Your best bet is to focus more on frequency than range and to be sure to keep your receipt in case the monitor you buy can’t even transmit from your upstairs to your downstairs.
Number of handsets: Two handsets can be nice since in your sleep-deprived stupor you may forget where you put one of them, but one handset is usually adequate for most families.
Two-way communication: If you want to do more than just hear or see your baby in the next room, look for a baby monitor with two-way communication. This feature allows you to soothe your baby with “goooooo to sleeeeeep” or “shhhh” without having to go into the room. It can also be handy for catching mischievous toddlers in the act of climbing out of the crib or other no-nos.
Sound lights: Sound lights provide a visual notification of noise, allowing you to see that your baby is crying, even if you’re vacuuming, in a noisy room, or watching The Voice extra loud. With the exception of very inexpensive baby monitors, they should come standard.
Sound activation: While novice parents might think you want to hear your baby all night long, the truth is that the baby monitor picks up all sorts of sounds that do not require your attention – arm flops, contented sighs, sleep giggles, etc. Regular baby monitors will pick up each and every one of these sounds and amplify them into your sleeping ear. Get a baby monitor with sound activation however, and all the inconsequential noises that happen while a baby sleeps won’t disrupt your sleep. But any cry and awake cooing will activate the monitor and let you know that baby is up.
Additional – If you want more bells and whistles, some pricier baby monitors come with temperature read-outs, humidity reports, built-in nightlights, nature sounds or lullabies.
If you’re looking at video monitors, here are some addition features to consider.
Adjustability: Getting the camera in the right spot can be one of the trickiest parts of setting up your video monitor. Be sure to look carefully at how the camera attaches. Does it need a flat surface to stand on? Can it clip onto furniture or shelves? Does it allow you to adjust the height? A camera is useless if you can’t install it in the right position.
Pan, scan and zoom: Video cameras that allow you pan, scan or zoom will offer you greater flexibility to see your child and can be especially helpful as your baby becomes older and more mobile in his crib.
Number of cameras: If you have more than one child (or are planning to), you might want to consider a two-camera video monitor system which allows you to monitor multiple rooms at the same time. There are also single-camera system that allow you to add on additional cameras as needed.
Color, B&W or Infrared night vision: While a video monitor with a color screen will provide a clearer view of your newborn, it will also come with a higher price tag. Do look for a monitor with quality night vision as this is when you’ll be using the baby monitor the most.
Clarity of picture: The image clarity will depend both on the screen size and image resolution. Look for a screen between 2.4” and 3.5”.