When you have infants at home, you can’t your eyes off them, not because they are adorable, but to ensure their safety. However, it is not possible to keep an eye on babies all the time, which is why baby monitors came into inception. A baby monitor is the best bet for parents to monitor the activity of their baby or babies when they are in another room doing other important tasks. If you too feel the need of having a baby monitor, then you can go through the reviews of best baby monitor consumer reports that I’ve created using my knowledge and experience. With thousands of baby monitor models available on the market, you’ll easily get confused. Therefore, help yourself and pick a baby monitor from the list of five that I present to you.
Reviews Of 5 Best Baby Monitors
1. Infant Optics DXR-8 Video Baby Monitor
The Best Seller on Amazon and top of my list of baby monitors, this is an incredible unit that gives you a breathing space to do other things rather than taking care of your little one. Sporting an incredible zoom lens, you will be able to see your baby up close even if the position of the monitor is far away from the crib. The monitor can be used to remotely adjust the camera. Moreover, the monitor has a backup of around 10 hours, so you don’t have to wake up in the middle of the night to charge the monitor.
Though the 10 hours backup is obtained when the monitor is in power saving mode, yet, it ensures efficient monitoring. When the monitoring is done with the screen turned on, then the backup reduces to 6 hours. This monitor allows you to talk to your baby; however, it will not sing lullabies for your baby, so you’ll have to do it on your own. I would recommend this baby monitor to all those who are looking for a basic monitoring system that has all the essential features.
2. Video Baby Monitor with Camera and Audio (HB32)
When you aim for a baby monitor that has got more than a basic baby monitor, you will get plenty of options. Hello Baby Monitor with Camera and Audio (HB32) is one such model, which comprises of a number of useful features to make the life of stressed parents like you easier.
Let’s start with the 3.2” LCD Screen of the monitor, which in my opinion will let you see of all the activities happening around your baby in a crystal clear manner. To complement the large display of the monitor is a highly efficient 2.4 GHz Wireless Technology. Besides these, the monitor is powered with digital encryption and frequency-hopping technology, which ensure the safety of babies. The same features will be present in high-end security camera systems as well. The monitor is also equipped with temperature monitoring sensor and a night vision, which gives you the ability to check whether your baby is doing alright at night.
Moreover, you can also check the temperature of the room in which the baby is present, and make adjustments accordingly. This baby monitor comes can transmit signals from 960 feet, which covers a big area of the house. The inclusion of a 2-way talkback intercom in the monitor plays eight sunny lullabies to make your baby sleep well. The monitor can be added with four cameras at a time to scan the movements in the room from all angles. However, you will not be able to store the recorded videos and audio feeds, plus the camera is also not an IP camera, which connects to the smart devices.
3. Nanit Plus Smart Baby Monitor
This is among the most advanced baby monitors that you will get to see on the market. It makes use of computer vision to track the baby’s movements and tells you what it means. You get an alert on your smartphone, which acts as a portable monitor, so whenever your child is awake, crying or has fallen asleep, you’ll get alerts on your phone. Such features were only confined to home security camera systems before, but now it is available in baby monitors as well. Depending upon the duration of your child’s sleep, the monitor will assign a sleep score, thus making it easier for you to know as for how long your child was sleeping. A number of other statistics are also obtained by the system, giving you a precise analysis as to how your baby is doing.
However, that is only possible if you’ve downloaded the Nanit Insights app on your smartphone, which is free for a 1st year but costs $100 from the 2nd. The monitor is apt in sending live audio and video streams of your child, so you can take a trip to the local store to buy some stuff for the home without worrying about your baby because you can see him/her live on the screen. The monitor comes with 2-way audio, a nightlight, temperature and humidity sensors.
4. VTech DM221 Audio Baby Monitor
Many parents opt for audio baby monitors, which is why I was interested in keeping one on my list. This audio baby monitor by VTech is perfectly balanced when it comes to features and pricing. Where most audio baby monitors have similar kind of features, this one surely is nothing like them. It makes use of DECT Technology, putting the traditional analog technology into the trash bin. What this ‘DECT’ technology does is, it beefs up the security aspects of the monitor and reduces interference. The functioning of this baby monitor resembles a lot like walkie-talkies that we used to play with when we were kids. It is a 2-way communication device, so you can get in touch with your kids or they can call you up anytime using this monitor. The portability of this monitor makes it eligible to be carried along on trips.
5. Owlet Smart Sock 2 Baby Monitor
This is another non-video monitor, but it will not make you feel as if it is missing it. To ensure the comfort of your baby while he/she is sleeping, this baby monitor tracks the baby’s heart rate and SpO2 (Oxygen level in blood). If there is something wrong in the heart rate or the oxygen level, the unit immediately notifies you. Though you will have to download an app on your smartphone to get all the details, but once you get the app, you get into a better position to monitor your child’s activities. You will receive alerts in real-time, which allows you to react in a quick manner, had there been any severe issue. The monitor comes with a base station that changes color when an unusual activity is recorded by the unit. Owlet now comes with its own 1080p HD video camera that you can use independently or with Owlet Sock.
Which Type Of Monitor Is The Best?
Well, there is no thumb rule to determine the best baby monitor because every person is looking for a different set of features. Therefore, the best baby monitor for you would be the one that fits your requirements in the best way. You will find audio monitors that allow you to hear any sound coming from your baby’s room. Then, there are video monitors, which provide you with video footages of the room in which the baby has been kept.
Video monitors are further divided into two types, which are; standalone monitors and smartphone-based models. Where traditional models come with walkie-talkie like a receiver that you can take with you in order to check as to what is going on in your baby’s room. The modern type of baby monitoring systems come with live video streams to the smartphone, tablet or computer, using the company’s app.
How To Select A Baby Monitor?
There are a few parameters that I’ve taken into considering while determining the best baby monitor, which are:
Range: While selecting a baby monitor, you must pay attention to the range it covers. The signal transmitted from the monitor will have to go through several walls and will cover several feet of distance, so the range should be good.
Display: The display quality of handheld monitors and the ones that come with video-streaming smartphone apps is good. It all depends upon the Wi-Fi signal strength and internet speed, so if the internet is fast, then there won’t be any issue in the display quality of videos. The difference will come in the full-color daylight and black & white night outlook, but then, the quality deteriorates during the night in all units.
Audio: The majority of baby monitors come equipped with ‘Push-to-touch’ feature through which parents can talk to their children remotely. However, the audio quality will be determined by the clarity of the words are heard on the other side. It is also important to check other audio features like a pre-programmed lullaby.
Battery Life: A monitor should have a battery backup of 6-8 hours with the display on and 10+ hours in power saving or sleep mode. If you are getting a baby monitor with such a battery backup, then go for it.
Features: Baby monitors come with a wide range of features these days, such as speed and sound detection, pan and zoom, sleep timer, temperature and humidity sensor. These have become common features, so make sure the baby monitor you’ve shortlisted has these. Some baby monitors are equipped with heart rate and oxygen monitoring sensors as well.
Setup & Safety: A baby monitor that is easy to install and setup is always preferable to buy. Moreover, a baby monitor should be safe to use because, at times, children will touch the monitors, so they shouldn’t be part that could hurt them.
Wrapping Up
Baby monitors are in great demand because there is nothing more important for parents than the safety of their kids. Not all baby monitors are same, as some are audio-only monitors while others come with a display. If you are looking for an enhanced protection of your baby, then you can opt for a video baby monitor. If you want to track a few medical parameters of the baby as well, then that is also possible with today’s baby monitors. I’ve covered all the types of baby monitors in my best baby monitor consumer reports, so the ball is in your court. Make a decision and simplify your life.