STM opinion on video monitor?

hidingangel82

Hey ladies, we're trying to decide between video monitors, and at Target, for the money, it seems to be a toss up between Vtech Video & Audio Baby Monitor and Summer Infant In - view Digital Color Video BABY Monitor.
Do any of you have experience with these brands OR these models even, and care to weigh in?
also, have any other features that are a must VS those that were a bust? Any other suggestions?
Thanks in advance, and happy bump day!

ETA details details, derp

moroccojade

I never saw the point of these.  Maybe if you have a HUGE house and you are on level 1 and the baby is up on level 4...  perhaps it would be useful?

Otherwise, sleeping babies aren't much fun to watch.  If they holler, you will hear them on an audio monitor.  If, erm, they aren't breathing the alarm will go off on the movement sensor monitor.  I guess if you have a toddler who likes to climb it would be nice to see if the little monkey is still in the crib or not.... 

But otherwise, I just don't get video monitors.  (But am open to being educated.)

angelajo19

We have a Summer Infant video monitor and have been using it for 17 months. It still works great and we LOVE having a video monitor! It's extremely helpful knowing whether I need to go in and comfort or not. It's just nice being able to peek in on LO and not disturb her.

montella1064

I have a Summer Infant one for DS and have no complaints. It's super convenient and I'll definitely be using it for this little one too.

mslynn2012

We have a Motorola something or another. 2 cameras and 1 monitor. It was/is great as we can see when DS is crying (it lights up) and if he's just laying down crying (going to settle himself back to sleep) or if he's standing up crying (needs us).

Our video monitor BY FAR was our best purchase. We have 1 camera upstairs in his room and the other downstairs. With DD on the way now we will just have one in each of their rooms.

Good luck with whatever you choose.

Maelara

I have a v-tech video monitor and freaking love it! It's picture is super clear and the screen can split so you can have one monitor and two cameras. Very helpful! I got mine off of airmiles. If you use airmiles, maybe try there first!

Lilwatz

I'm a FTM, so feel free to ignore this at your whim!  But, I asked a mother of two for advice in general and we've decided to do what she did.  We are getting standard V-tech audio monitors and a drop cam.  The drop cam is web accessible so we can view it from our iPhones or computers or whatever.  (My husband works in computer security and he even approves of the wireless protocols!!! <--this is hard to do...).  When our daughter is bigger we can use it anywhere really--monitor the front door, etc...

ShelleyElla22

I have a summer video monitor but a different model. While I love having a video monitor to be able to see what is going on without actually going in the room, I have had some issues with it. Summer has had two battery recalls in the 3.5 years I've had it, the casing on the monitor has cracked in multiple places (on 2 different monitors), and I've had issues with it randomly shutting down, needing to restart the monitor, etc. I would love to have the option to pan or zoom because sometimes your LO is just out of sight!

SarahHeck

These things scare the crap out of me! Especially the web accessible ones. Because of this....

https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/security/man-hacks-monitor-screams-baby-girl-n91546

Maybe more tech savy people could protect themselves from hackers better, but I don't trust my abilities and it gives me the creeps.

Dimples0101

We have a Levana monitor and I absolutely love it. We didn't get it until DD was a little older (maybe 9 months). Like PP said, it's great to know if we need to go in there or if she's going to go back to sleep on her own. I'm not sure if they all have this feature, but ours plays music, which has been a Godsend. I would highly recommend one with music.

ccam

We have the Motorola and love it!  I never thought it would be so important to us, but it's one of our favorite purchases. We'll be adding a 2nd camera for this LO. 

2ndGeneration

moroccojade said:

I never saw the point of these.  Maybe if you have a HUGE house and you are on level 1 and the baby is up on level 4...  perhaps it would be useful?

Otherwise, sleeping babies aren't much fun to watch.  If they holler, you will hear them on an audio monitor.  If, erm, they aren't breathing the alarm will go off on the movement sensor monitor.  I guess if you have a toddler who likes to climb it would be nice to see if the little monkey is still in the crib or not.... 

But otherwise, I just don't get video monitors.  (But am open to being educated.)

  I don't either. I'd probably stare at it obsessively anyhow and get no sleep!

Lilwatz

2ndGeneration said:

moroccojade said:

I never saw the point of these.  Maybe if you have a HUGE house and you are on level 1 and the baby is up on level 4...  perhaps it would be useful?

Otherwise, sleeping babies aren't much fun to watch.  If they holler, you will hear them on an audio monitor.  If, erm, they aren't breathing the alarm will go off on the movement sensor monitor.  I guess if you have a toddler who likes to climb it would be nice to see if the little monkey is still in the crib or not.... 

But otherwise, I just don't get video monitors.  (But am open to being educated.)

  I don't either. I'd probably stare at it obsessively anyhow and get no sleep!

FTM, so again, no experience.  But many of my mom friends say the video monitor is peace of mind.  I guess babies can be very quiet at night so if you don't hear them through the monitor, you can see their little chest rising and falling.  They say that it keeps them from panicking and from entering the baby's room and possibly waking them up to make sure they're ok.  

MrsDL

I didn't get one with DS - just and audio - but a few people I know have the Summer Infant and love having it.  PP is correct - you'll hear the baby.  I'm thinking about getting one with #2 just because when trying to sleep train, I'd either feel compel

Lilwatz said:

2ndGeneration said:

moroccojade said:

I never saw the point of these.  Maybe if you have a HUGE house and you are on level 1 and the baby is up on level 4...  perhaps it would be useful?

Otherwise, sleeping babies aren't much fun to watch.  If they holler, you will hear them on an audio monitor.  If, erm, they aren't breathing the alarm will go off on the movement sensor monitor.  I guess if you have a toddler who likes to climb it would be nice to see if the little monkey is still in the crib or not.... 

But otherwise, I just don't get video monitors.  (But am open to being educated.)

  I don't either. I'd probably stare at it obsessively anyhow and get no sleep!

FTM, so again, no experience.  But many of my mom friends say the video monitor is peace of mind.  I guess babies can be very quiet at night so if you don't hear them through the monitor, you can see their little chest rising and falling.  They say that it keeps them from panicking and from entering the baby's room and possibly waking them up to make sure they're ok.  

So I didn't get one with DS because I had read they are a waste - we had a sound monitor.  Depending on the model, it's still very difficult to see the baby's movement and especially their breathing - as far as SIDS goes, you can't stay awake all night staring at it and that can happen while you're asleep.  That said, I was a paranoid freak about SIDS and bought a motion monitor (pads go under the sleep surface (mattress) - we used in the pack n' play in our room and then in the crib - an alarm sounds if not mircro motion is detected after 15 or 30 seconds.  That was a good investment because we did have trouble sleeping. 

A lot of my neighbors had the web-based cams and I think we're going to get one for this baby specifically for sleep training when the time comes.  I found with DS, he would cry and I would feel compelled to check every single time.  Most of the time if I had left him alone, he would have gone right back to sleep but I felt the need to check to see if he was OK.  Had I had the monitor, I could have just checked from outside his room and not disturbed him. I learned that you have to let them cry a little to self-soothe, but once you go in to check on them, they cry for you, want to be held, etc.  This whole thing really disturbed that whole process because once I heard him cry, there was no way I could just let it go on without checking.  So to me this would be the biggest benefit and it is a benefit - I had a baby who wanted to be held constantly, didn't learn to self-soothe (because I pretty much didn't let him) and that led to sleeping problems we still deal with at 3 years old.  You live and you learn. 

As far as security - technically people with cellular or cordless phones might be able to tap into a sound monitor.  Like pp said, make sure you get an updated model, have the appropriate firmware.  However I think the pros outweigh the remote possibility of some freak talking in on your baby.  As long as you use it when YOU are home with the baby - I will say I have two neighbors who used them and would leave the house - lock the doors - and go a house or two up to socialize outside, etc.  That is something I would NEVER, EVER do, because it's one thing to have a freak tap into it while you're home, it's another when you're not there to physically be protecting your baby.  Most daycare centers don't use them for this reason - I asked when we toured and the response I got from all of them was "if you can go on the web and see your baby while he's here - so can other people."