Baby Monitors

It's impossible to spend every moment at your baby's side. Baby monitors  allow parents to keep tabs on children without having to hover over the baby's crib. These devices can also be used to monitor the activities of older kids and even seniors who need at-home care. Baby monitors come with at least two parts: the transmitter that sits in the crib or nursery and the receiver unit. Some brands offer an additional receiver unit as part of the set so that one can remain in the parent's bedroom while the other can be carried throughout other rooms in the house. Video monitors give parents the ability to peek in on a child without disturbing the baby's sleep.

Audio Only

Audio and Lights

Audio/Video

Baby monitors have benefitted from recent technology. While previously there were only audio monitors,  now video monitors  allow you to watch your baby as well as hear them. Keep in mind that the video screens are small (only a couple inches wide) and don't offer high definition pictures.

The most recent advances in monitors are motion detectors  that can warn you if the baby has stopped breathing or hasn't been moving (which can be a sign of SIDS). These models are appropriate for parents with a premie or with a child with health problems. Try BebeSounds Angel Care. 

Major Concerns

Price: Purchasing the latest baby gear can add up to a large bill, so cost is a major issue for new parents looking to purchase a monitor. For most families, the basic models will be fine. The technology is reliable and practical. However, those who have more money to spend might opt for one of the new high-tech models for added convenience.

Reception: Essentially, baby monitors are like a walkie talkie. If you remember using these toys as a kid, then you have a good idea of how a baby monitor will sound. Some of the less-expensive monitors can be noisy, while the best models come close to eliminating static and other background noise.

  • Interference is a major problem with baby monitors (just like with cordless phones). Interference is hard to completely avoid since today's homes are usually chock-full of electronic devices like Cell Phones, TVs, etc. Some of these electronic devices can negatively affect the performance of the baby monitor. Be mindful of product reviews that negatively portray a particular model simply because of interference.
  • Power is the most important feature to shop for if worried about interference and sound reception. Basically, the more power the monitor offers, the less static and interference there will be and the further you can travel with your parental unit. 2.4GHz  models will inherently sound better than 900MHz  ones (the same is true for your cordless phone). You may find some audio-only models with 49MHz, but these are very susceptible to static and interference.
  • Multi-family devices do better when it comes to reception since they are designed to battle interference coming from the neighbors electronic devices. These products usually feature a better range than regular models.

 Video Review

 

Submitted by: hunrya
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