The Best Baby Monitor “What to Go Looking for and How to Choose the Right One

As expecting parents, we were inundated by the amount of new stuff we needed to get and things we had to fret about. One item we knew we couldn’t survive without was a baby monitor and we knew we would have liked a video baby monitor. If you are expecting a kid and are doing research on whether you want a monitor and which one you can buy, this manuscript should help you pick the best baby monitor.

First, if you are wondering whether to buy a monitor, I’ll make it plain that from my own personal experience, a baby monitor is probably the 1 item to help sleep at night. When your newborn baby is in the crib for the first time, it is intensely reassuring to be able to hear baby breathing and if you have a video baby monitor, the ability to actually see your baby whenever you need, without going into the room and potentially waking her up, is great. I read lots of baby video monitor reviews and many moms and dads agree on this point.

Once you’ve decided you need a monitor, the quantity of choices in the market is really overpowering. There’s audio only motion detectors, video baby monitors, options for digital versus. Analogue, options for night lights, lullabies the list actually does go on. Here’s a list to keep under consideration when shopping for the best baby monitor:

At what frequency does the monitor broadcast? Similar to radio waves, wireless networks and wireless phones, a baby monitor has to broadcast its signals (audio and video) at a certain frequency sometimes in MHz or GHz. Common frequencies are 900MHz or 2.4GHz. The number 1 complaint for any baby monitor is that it interferes with other wireless home devices like cord-free telephones, wireless PC networks, wireless games machines and so on. Some monitors have multiple channels and can instantly find the best channel to send out on and avoid interference. We recommend you test any baby monitor right out of the box to establish if you are going to have any interference.

Does the baby monitor broadcast a safe, personal signal? Some analogue monitors transmit on the same frequency so if your neighbour has bought the same video baby monitor you have, they might be able to see within your child’s crib and vice-versa. If privacy is important to you, ensure you purchase a monitor that broadcasts a secure signal.

Is the system expandable? Some baby monitors can expand to accommodate up to 4 cameras which is helpful if your family is growing or you simply would like to observe more than one room.

What’s the range of the monitor? Most monitors come with chargeable batteries (making it actually compact) and makers claim that audio and video can be broadcast to the remote unit with ranges up to 300-500 feet. If you live in a two story house and the signal has to go through many walls, expect this range to reduce.

What are the other features I should have a look for? Dependent on how much you want to spend, it’s easy to get a bigger, colour screen, multiple cameras, 2-way audio (talk to baby), a temperature readout, motion detectors, the facility to play lullabies and night lights. It all depends on your budget and what features you would like to have.

Jonah Smith writes baby monitor reviews for the internet site WeReviewBabyMonitors.com which provides resources for mums and dads attempting to find the best baby monitor.