I would absolutely keep it. It will come in handy when your LO is older. My son is 19 months now and sometimes he will wake up and cry for a minute or two and then put himself back to sleep. Like a PP said, I can just turn the video on (I usually leave just the audio on when we go to sleep) and see that he's just fine. If I just had the audio monitor, I'd likely go in there too soon and wake him up. I loooove mine.
I am going to be a 3rd time mom and couldn't have lived without the video monitor. It was important to me to be able to see if my 3 year old was poking at the new baby or in there bothering him. It was more peace of mind that if the baby was sleeping in his room and that my older son was not there trying to pick him up. If they gave it to you, keep it. Its worth it, like others said maybe not right away but when the baby is a little bigger.
You might consider returning both and getting the angel care movement sensor monitor. It is extremely sensitive to movement and the alarm goes off if it doesn't sense any movement after 20 seconds. It's FABULOUS! It has given us such peace of mind when you first bring baby home, especially with the risk of SIDS. Ours is also an audio monitor that is also extremely sensitive. We have the monitor on the window sill near the crib and hear the dogs next door when we don't even hear them downstairs. At first I thought I would be disappointed not having video--but in video you can't see the baby "breathing" (especially when they are first born and so tiny)--at least with the movement sensor you know your baby is breathing and moving just fine! The new movement sensor comes with some more bells and whistles, including two-way radio so you can talk to your baby and a room temperature gauge. I have since bought this monitor for a few of my friends who were expecting and they all loved it. You can find it on Babies R Us or Buy Buy Baby....I think regular video monitors--although pretty neat or more novel than something like the movement sensor...good luck with baby!
My husband and I both love our video monitor and would not want to live without it!! It is a relief to be able to click the button and see what my daughter is up to, even now at 19 mos....if not when she was a baby we would probably have peeked in constantly.
We take it on our vacations and when we are visiting with friends and family we can know her status (awake, almost asleep, and out) without going back and forth.
It was also nice when she was a newborn and people came over. If she were asleep in her crib, people could take a look at her on the monitor and be satisfied until she woke up. So that way we weren't traipsing people in and out of the nursery and disturbing her.
Our second is due in August and we intend to get another video monitor. What I really want to find is one you can attach the stream of video to a website, so I can check in on them at work!
Everyone I know that has kids has a video monitor and they all recommend getting one. We ended up getting one as a gift and although we haven't used it yet, we've tested it out and it's so cool! I know we're going to be so happy we have it.
i've heard from quite a few people that it's actually pretty easy for someone to tap into a video monitor and be able to see into your house. if that is a concern for you i would definately check into that. besides, audio monitors work just fine. i especially like the portable kind you can hook to your pants or whatever. useful when doing housework.
I just saw at a baby safety seminar they have baby movement monitors!!! An alarm goes off after 20 seconds of no movement! I'm def getting one! Along with an audio monitor. I don't feel the need for the video monitor.
I'd keep the video monitor and return the audio. If she's super quiet I'm going to want to go check on her. I know as soon as I open the door she will wake up. With the video monitor I can see that all is okay without waking her up.
Our family feels the same way. My mom could vacuum when we were little and we wouldn't wake up. She also never had the convenience of a video monitor (just like all of yours) and we're all just fine.
My major concern picking out a monitor was getting one with multiple receivers. One to keep in our bedroom and one in the main part of the house. I do understand the convenience of the video though and if I find $200 laying on the street or find a good deal on ebay I may change my mind. Until then we'll stick with the old school audio )
Personally, I think video monitors are a bit much. I could see myself not getting any sleep at all because I'm freaking myself out staring at my sleeping child on the screen just waiting for something to happen. If it were me, I'd just rely on the audio and instincts and return the video for something else you need more.
This! I think video monitor are insanely creepy.
Eleanor Noelle - 18/05/12
Claire Elisabeth - 16/-5/10
Re: audio vs. video baby monitors
My husband and I both love our video monitor and would not want to live without it!! It is a relief to be able to click the button and see what my daughter is up to, even now at 19 mos....if not when she was a baby we would probably have peeked in constantly.
We take it on our vacations and when we are visiting with friends and family we can know her status (awake, almost asleep, and out) without going back and forth.
It was also nice when she was a newborn and people came over. If she were asleep in her crib, people could take a look at her on the monitor and be satisfied until she woke up. So that way we weren't traipsing people in and out of the nursery and disturbing her.
Our second is due in August and we intend to get another video monitor. What I really want to find is one you can attach the stream of video to a website, so I can check in on them at work!
Our family feels the same way. My mom could vacuum when we were little and we wouldn't wake up. She also never had the convenience of a video monitor (just like all of yours) and we're all just fine.
My major concern picking out a monitor was getting one with multiple receivers. One to keep in our bedroom and one in the main part of the house. I do understand the convenience of the video though and if I find $200 laying on the street or find a good deal on ebay I may change my mind. Until then we'll stick with the old school audio
)
This! I think video monitor are insanely creepy.
Eleanor Noelle - 18/05/12 Claire Elisabeth - 16/-5/10
How does that work? watching TV in the bathroom, I mean... is there a specific frequency or what?