Leaving your newborn alone can be nerve-racking. Your mind goes into panic mode and all you can think is, What if? A good video monitor can put your worries to rest. Our reviews of baby video monitors should help you choose the best baby video monitor on the market.
Best Baby Video Monitor
The Motorola MBP36S Remote Wireless Monitor has a 3.5 Inch Color and LCD Screen, a remote controlled camera pan, tilt and zoom and infrared night vision. You’ll feel as if you’re in the room watching over your little one. Not only can you see and hear your baby, but you can also talk to him or her to soothe with your voice when he or she wakes up in the middle of the night.
Five included lullabies can help put your child to sleep, also, and a temperature monitor lets you know that baby is slumbering under the perfect conditions. The monitor alerts you if there is low battery, which is a simple recharge away, or if you have moved out of range, which is up to 590 feet away.
If you’ve purchased more than one camera separately, you can easily watch all of your cameras on this one monitor at the same time with picture-in-picture and auto switch features. You can also hook the receiver up to a computer to record the footage while you sleep or take care of other business around the house.
What we like: Super clear audio can be heard over your daily household chores.
Top 5 Baby Video Monitor Comparison
Compare the top 5 baby video monitors based on chosen features.
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Baby Video Monitor Reviews
It is important to feel comfortable with any piece of machinery you are operating. That is why we’ve checked out some of the top baby video monitors and have come up with informative reviews.
Infant Optics DXR-8
The lens on this monitor is exchangeable, meaning that you can change the viewing angle to your liking using the normal setting, the optical lens, or the wide angle lens (sold separately). Zoom in and pan the room or crib with just a few clicks on the remote control. The full color LCD screen is 3.5 inches and is set on a compact unit with a retractable antenna. It has a sound activated LED display and the battery lasts for 10 hours on power-saving mode and 6 with the screen on.
What we like: The LED sound shows the baby’s sound level even when there are other sounds louder in the background.
Samsung SEW-3037W Wireless
The stream from this monitor is secure and free from interference. Watch the high quality LCD screen of 3.5 inches while you pan, tilt and zoom with a remote control that can also turn on a built-in nightlight when baby is frightened of the dark. With 2-way talking features and a quiet mode for you to remove all other background noise, both you and baby will feel comforted. The monitor also comes with a flip stand and a belt clip for easier portability.
What we like: The round shape of the navigation control makes panning and zooming much easier.
Summer Infant Baby Touch Digital
Add this monitor to your list of touch screen devices. It runs on 2.4GHz wireless digital technology, making it a top choice for the technologically savvy. The 3.5 inch portable video monitor features a color LCD screen, and 2-way audio communication with sound activated LED lights. Night vision is automatically in black and white. It has great sound quality and a long battery life, and it alerts you when the battery life is low or you are out of the 400-foot range.
What we like: If you have multiple cameras, the scan feature allows you to hear sound from one camera while you watch on another.
Infant Optics DXR-5
The DXR-5 camera uses FHSS technology to securely encrypt video and audio data to your monitor, so you know that no strangers have access to your feed. The 2.4 GHz transmission gives you a static free, interference free transmission for up to 150 feet in enclosed areas. It has a sensitive built in microphone and a white noise eliminator that works when the noise level reaches below a predetermined level for more than 10 seconds. The monitor automatically goes into battery saving standby mode after 3 minutes of quietness, but turns itself back on when it detects sound.
What we like: Just the basics for a monitor, but done perfectly.
How to Select the Best Baby Video Monitor
Picture Quality: The most important part of choosing one of these for your baby is the quality of the image. If the image is blurry, you won’t feel that you are adequately keeping an eye on your little one, so make sure to check the resolution and reviews before you buy.
Screen Size: While you may think a bigger screen is better, sometimes, the bigger the screen, the worse the quality of the photo. Make sure you take that into account as you shop.
Sound Quality: You want a clear sound the entire time you are using the monitor. Check reviews about interference and WIFI to make sure that the sound quality is crystal clear all the time.
Range: The range of feet that the feed can be carried is very important as you go about your household activities. If you have a two or three story house, you are going to want to be able to keep watch on your baby in the nursery from the living room.
Other Features:
- 2-Way Talk: This feature is important when it comes to soothing your baby to let him or her know that you’ll be there in a moment if they happen to wake up in the middle of the night upset, or to tell your toddler to stop trying to crawl out of the crib in the morning.
- Pan and Zoom: Of course, at times, you want to be able to zoom in on your baby’s adorable face. Panning is also important if you want to pan the room to make sure nothing is amiss, however, make sure that your camera doesn’t only pan when it’s in zoom mode, because that would defeat the purpose of getting a 360 of the room.
- Battery Life: A longer battery life is always a good thing, so you can leave the monitor on all night and morning if you need to. Rechargeable batteries are also a handy feature, especially if there is no outlet where you want to put the camera.
- Temperature Reading: Many monitors set an alarm if the temperature of the room is too hot or too cold.
- Lullabies: Another handy feature is an offering of lullabies or other soothing sounds. Many are operated by the remote you keep with you, so you don’t even have to get out of bed to soothe your child back to sleep.
- Nightlight: If baby is afraid of the dark, many monitors offer nightlights. Another plus is that the extra light will help with the camera’s night vision.
- Smart Phone Features: Many monitors offer an option of streaming to your smart phone or other device. While this is a great feature, don’t bother spending the money if you don’t truly think you’ll be using it. If you travel or are away from home a lot, this can be a great way to watch your baby while you’re away.
Types of Baby Monitors
- Video: The focus of this article has been on video monitors, which are great for giving you an extra set of eyes while you’re out of the room. They have audio as well and can show you what your baby is up to, and they often come with a range of extra features, like temperature alarms or lullabies.
- Audio: Audio monitors are more common due to their reasonable price for their purpose of allowing parents to listen out for signs of distress from their baby. The down side is that they most likely don’t come with any extra features other than sound control, and they are more susceptible to interference.
- Digital Audio: With better technology than a normal audio monitor, the encrypted signal delivers the feed without the chance of picking up your neighbor’s phone call, or your neighbor listening to your baby cry by accident.
- Motion-Detection: These offer peace of mind for many parents who fear Sudden Death Infant Syndrome because the monitor sounds an alarm if it detects no movement after a designated period of time.
Smartphone Compatible: These monitors transmit sound and video from a camera in the nursery to your phone, so you can check on your baby from anywhere in the world. Perfect for parents who maybe travel often for business. However, while convenient, these devices are often subject to glitches or failures due to connection issues.