Baby Monitor Comparison - Which Baby Monitor is Best?

A baby monitor is a device that allows you to keep an eye on your baby if / when you can’t be present. The most common type of baby monitors are video and audio monitors, however you can also now get breathing and motion monitors. This article covers video and audio monitors, rather than breathing and motion monitors.

Using a baby monitor is a personal preference. Many parents will do without a baby monitor, especially if they have a small house or will be within earshot of their baby most of the time. A monitor is an added expense which isn’t always necessary, however, there are some situations where a baby monitor is a good idea. Consider a baby monitor if:

1. You have a large house and won’t easily be able to hear your baby from the other end of the house. A monitor can alert you quickly when your baby is in distress, because of this, it can allow you to relax more as you don’t need to constantly check on your baby.
2. Your baby’s bedroom is a long way from yours. Being able to hear and see your baby can make night time easier for parents. For example, if you can use your voice to soothe your baby through the monitor, you may not need to wake up fully, get out of bed and go to your baby, meaning more rest for the parents.
3. If you have another child at home but want to hear your baby quickly and clearly when you’re with your other child.  
4. If you’ll be spending time outside (e.g. gardening, hanging washing, etc) and want to be able to hear when the baby is awake as soon as possible.
5. You’ve moved your toddler to a big bed - you can quickly and easily check if your toddler is still in bed (hopefully asleep) where they’re supposed to be!

If you’re on a budget, an audio only monitor is a good option as you can hear if the baby is in distress or has woken up happy from a nap or overnight. Audio monitors are usually two-way, so you can also talk back to your baby to soothe them via the monitor if need be.

If you’re wanting added reassurance or you’re wanting to extend the use of your monitor to when your child has grown, a video monitor may be a better choice. And they tend to be more common than audio only monitors. Video monitors tend to cost more but usually have more features such as room temperature monitoring as well as the obvious video.

Some parents feel a video monitor gives them more peace of mind as they can visually see what your baby is up to. You will easily be able to tell if the baby is distressed or just settling down before sleep (for example). This also means you can learn about baby’s sleep cycles without potentially disturbing the baby.  

A video monitor can give you added peace of mind when you can’t be in two places at once. You can simply check the live feed to see what baby is up to. They are more common than audio only monitor’s. Video monitors may also be more helpful if you’re wanting to learn more about your baby’s sleep pattern or cycles and you will be able to see when bubs drifts off to sleep or if they’re playing in their cot for a period of time before bed. This can then help you adjust their awake times or nap times.

As well as video monitors with a handheld console, you can now get monitors that can be connected to your smartphone. So, if you know you’ll be away from home a lot, but still want peace of mind about baby, an app controlled monitor may be best. You’ll be able to log in from your device wherever you are and check on baby. This is particularly great if one (or both) parents travel frequently or if baby is in the care of a nanny or family member.

You can choose a wifi-enabled baby monitor or one that works through radio waves. It depends on the features you’re looking for. Many parents are concerned about security with wifi monitors, so if you prefer a Wifi monitor, it pays to ensure the security is tight and your monitor can’t be hacked. Baby monitors are no less secure than any other Wifi enabled device. As with your smartphone, computer or other Wifi enabled devices, take care with your passwords to keep your monitor secure.

If you’re going to install a baby monitor, make sure any cords / cables are at least 1m away from the baby’s cot, out of reach, not loose or pose a risk of entanglement. Read more about safe sleep.

The range of features varies across device however, some useful features to consider are:

• Can the camera angle tilt/change so I can see more baby’s room?
• Is there a temperature monitor so you can dress baby correctly for bed, ensuring they’re not too hot or cold?
• Types of alerts - you may want to only be alerted for cries or turn alerts off completely. Having the flexibility to set your own alerts can make a difference to the amount of sleep you’re getting overnight, so it’s worth checking!
• Talkback - having a talkback feature allows you to soothe the baby from afar. Sometimes all it takes is a few soft words from Mama or Papa for Pepe to be calm enough to settle
• Sounds - here at The Sleep Store we highly recommend White Noise to help settle babies and help them sleep longer. Some monitors have built-in noise and lullabies. Whilst a baby lullaby might sound nice, white noise is much more effective for settling a baby and masking other background noise, so look for a monitor with white, brown or pink noise.
• Multiple cameras - it’s likely you’ll only need one camera to monitor your first baby, however, if you’re planning on growing your family you may want another camera in your older child’s bedroom. If that’s the case, look for a monitor that allows multiple camera’s with one parent controller.

If you're looking to monitor your baby, but want a multipurpose camera, that can be used in the future or isn't tied to a parent unit, you could look at the Uniden Guardian App Cam Home+ Camera. Slightly different to a traditional monitor, this camera has excellent resolution, 355° pan and is fully App controlled (i.e. there is no parent unit). It features pre-motion recording, privacy masking & cloud back ups. It doesn't have features such as room temperature monitoring like traditional baby monitors, but it's a great option for families wanting camera's elsewhere around the home (e.g. the front door for security purposes).