Product Spotlight: Baby Monitors

sammierose464

All this sleep talk has me thinking baby monitors...
Sorry for a second spotlight in one week, but it's on my mind!

Lisa3379

We have the Infant Optics DXR-8. For the most part, it’s been great. The picture is pretty clear day or night, it has a temperature reading, easy to use, etc etc. You can speak through it, which is sometimes fun to do to totally weird out the kid, haha. 

One complaint is that the battery is almost completely shot, but we have the monitor plugged in all the time anyway, so whatever. Another thing (super minor) is that DS somehow changed the temperature to read in Celsius instead of Fahrenheit, and it’s not very intuitive to figure out how to change it back. Full disclosure: haven’t bothered to read the manual. Anyway, we’re now accustomed to know that 21-23 degrees is normal for his room 

Overall, I’d recommend it. I like having the separate monitor instead of using my phone to watch the baby - that seems like a pain in the ass to me. 

sliztee

IT'S LIKE YOU READ MY MIND WITH THESE SPOTLIGHTS, @sammierose464!!!!

I've been researching this shit all day.

krzyriver

We have the Summer Infant Wide View 2.0. I like it and it's worked well for DS. We had 4 cameras linked to it at one point. We did NOT want a wifi one that could be hacked and didn't like having to use our phones as the monitor anyway because it feels like the app takes forever to open when you're in a rush to check.

Now that we'll have 2 under 2, we want one with a split screen option. We fell in love with the Levana Willow, but they seem to be out of stock everywhere. I'm researching more options, but we might just buy a second Summer Infant one and have one kid on each monitor at night. I get annoyed if the screen is too small anyway, so I don't know if I'd like the split screen option unless the monitor was huge!

hellopartyof5

I have 2 wifi cameras that I look at on my phone. I have the nest (exoensiveish) and yi (Chinese copy that's cheaper) I actually like the yi better. I love being able to check on the kids no matter where I am. I get notifications when they move/ make noise depending on the sensitivity setting I put it on. I think this is a great option for people that can easily hear their kids (basically if your rooms are next to each other) if not, I'd grab a cheap audio monitor too just so you don't have your phone on all night. 

tinattt23

@Lisa3379 Luke just somehow turned ours to Celsius! I googled it and the answer popped up right away. You had to hold down a random button. I want to say the shortcut button? And our battery crapped out, too. For a while it was working if I just unplugged the battery and replugged it back in. But now that stopped fixing it. I just ordered a new battery for like $8 that got her today. Hopefully it works.

I’m torn if I’m going to keep our Infanf Optics or not. I purposly picked it because it can support multiple cameras. But I didn’t pay attention at the time that it doesn’t do split screen. It rotates between the two every ten seconds or whatever. I’d kind of like to be able to see both at the same time. But not sure if it’s worth buying a whole new system. 

SawyerRichardson

I never used a monitor with DD. My house is small enough that if she cries I can hear her in my room or in the living room. I never thought it was necessary. But then again I live by the saying "less is more" when it comes to baby stuff.

I may get a camera monitor when we move DD into a toddler bed just to make sure she isn't tearing shit up in there. But we will see.

krzyriver

SawyerRichardson said:

I never used a monitor with DD. My house is small enough that if she cries I can hear her in my room or in the living room. I never thought it was necessary. But then again I live by the saying "less is more" when it comes to baby stuff.

I may get a camera monitor when we move DD into a toddler bed just to make sure she isn't tearing shit up in there. But we will see.

I was the same way at first and I honestly don't recall why we ended up buying one. I think DH wanted it and I was really confused as to why because our house was tiny. Now I can't imagine life without it because DS cries in his sleep a lot. It's so reassuring to be able to see that he's ok. It's also super helpful at naptime cause I can see if he's actually awake and I need to go in and get him.

tinattt23

@SawyerRichardson I’m jealous. You can totally hear crying anywhere in our house, but I’m neurotic about baby sleep. Even at 15 months old, I must stare at the monitor until I’m sure he’s asleep. And peak at it any time I hear him make a sound during the nights. I blame PTSD from when he was a terrible sleeper. 

pumpkinpancake

We also have the Infant Optics DXR-8. I have no complaints about it, other than they don’t sell the screen/monitor part separate from the camera (we knocked ours off the table like a year ago, and the screen cracked so it was basically unusable. Had to buy a whole new camera + monitor set just to get the new monitor part). Otherwise, it’s been a great monitor. Pretty clear screen and good night vision, good sensitivity for sounds, and I like the temperature sensor on the screen. Sometimes the signal cuts in and out, but not sure if that’s the monitor or just the placement in our house. 

Lisa3379

@pumpkinpancake we have some signal issues too, but mostly when we are using the microwave   

KFrob

@SawyerRichardson I'm the same.  DD was with us until like 5 months, and then we moved her to the room across the hall from us so I never felt the need.  And @tinattt23 that is also part of the reason I don't want one.  I would drive myself crazy!

knottieamusements

Thoughts on audio only vs video monitors?

krzyriver

@knottieamusements I think it depends on your house honestly. An audio only monitor is useless to us because we can hear him anywhere in the house without it. My mom had an audio one in her house forever and she was perfectly happy with it. I honestly only got one because H insisted... and I think I was enough of a control freak in the beginning that I eventually felt I needed to see what was happening anytime there was noise coming from his room.

tinattt23

Oh and it’s not a huge deal, but I wish my monitor showed the time on the screen. 

@knottieamusements We have video, but like I said, I’m neurotic when it comes to sleep. That said, I couldn’t have sleep trained without it. I need to be able to see him when he’s crying. By watching him, I’m more comfortable knowing if there’s actually something wrong (like a limb stuck in the rails). And I can tell by what he’s doing while he’s crying how likely he is to settle down and go to sleep or if it’s just a no go. If I couldn’t see him, I’d always worry that there was actually a real issue that needed my attention so I’d go in there every time he made a sound. 

sammierose464

With what @tinattt23 said, I'd probably want a video monitor. I'm a light sleeper and he'll be in the room next door. I'd probably wake up with every sound and worry, so it'll be easier to have a monitor I can see what he's doing on.

gmartinez14

DH and I had DS with us in our room until about 6 months, at which point we moved him to our living room (were in a 1 bd apt then), and He was/is a HORRIBLE sleeper, so we got a monitor.  Felt like I could FINALLY relax and see if he was just sleep crying or really awake.  
Used it till he was big enough to climb out by himself.
This time around, once baby moves to his/her own room, will definitely use one again!  

pumpkinpancake

@knottieamusements I was originally thinking I only wanted an audio, but DH convinced me to get a video one and now I would only consider video. It was so comforting in the early days to be able to see him sleeping (or not) in the crib, and when we were teaching him to fall asleep on his own, it was helpful to see if he was just crying for attention or if something was actually wrong. Also, we have a really strange kid in that when he wakes up either from nap or in the morning, 9 times out of 10 he’ll just sit up in his crib but not make a peep. If we had an audio only monitor, we’d never know he’s actually awake, so for us video is essential. 

cdepperschmidt

We have a Summer Infant video monitor. We only have one camera, but we have the option to hook multiple up. It’s not WiFi so we don’t have to worry about it getting hacked.

I would say video over audio. Then when you hear you LO you can tell if they’re just fussing in their sleep or awake. Also, video is nice for toddlers because then you see what they are doing, turn on the microphone and it’s great.

krzyriver

Also, a video monitor is priceless for when you need to poop!!! I put Trolls on and turn that camera on and pop a squat. I can keep an eye on him and run with my pants around my ankles if he needs me. When I gotta go, I GOTTA GO!

momoflogan20

We got a monitor for our baby shower and used it a few nights realized you could hear every tiny little noise and I ran in his room all the time and it was nothing. We don't use it and feel its not a priority for this next one if your babys room is right beside yours.. You will hear the cries I'm a super light sleeper now I hear every noise my kid makes its so annoying. My bf sleeps like a rock through most crying and I have to wake him to feed the baby sometimes 

BLyn627

I was really hoping just to buy another camera for our motorola, but the audio just went out it. We've had it and used it for 5 years straight from DD1 to DD2. With two under two (and DD2 being a wild one already at 16 months), I want one you can hook up two cameras to. I have heard the Infant Optics DXR-8 is really good and it gets the best reviews on Amazon, but I was hoping not to spend close to $300 for the system and an extra camera. It's good to hear some other options and reviews. I'll be looking into ones suggested.

mesamyt

Lazy mom hack. Instead of a monitor we FaceTime between iPads. I just mute my end. 

ashin121

@Lisa3379 I have the same. I love it. My only complaint is the battery. You can complain to the company and get a new one. there's a known complaint about the short battery life. We've already turned it in once and it died again. We are not currently using it because my son is 2 now but I don't think we will need it much for our second one because we won't be as paranoid . Don't mind that it's plugged in. 

knottieamusements

@mesamyt - Yeah, I’m serious considering just getting another Amazon Echo Spot.  But there are reasons to not go that route. 

tinattt23

Bump

krzyriver

Funny this got bumped today, we just whipped out our new video monitor! It's a Project Nursery one. Not the wifi kind because those freak us out. The video quality is amazing! We learned with Z that we NEED to be able to see him. He cries a lot in his sleep. Instead of going in every time and waking him up, we're able to look real quick to see if he actually needs us or if he's fine and will go back to sleep on his own.

princessandthegator

krzyriver said:

Also, a video monitor is priceless for when you need to poop!!! I put Trolls on and turn that camera on and pop a squat. I can keep an eye on him and run with my pants around my ankles if he needs me. When I gotta go, I GOTTA GO!

Ugh now I'm trapped in the box. But THIS! We have a motorola video monitor that we still use if one of us needs to shower and we're alone with DD. I preferred video because I could just look and make sure she was ok, I don't know that I'd ever go back to just audio. 

sammierose464

Bump

knottieamusements

Have these on my mind today, so bumping the thread. 

jenchoo

I let my husband decide because he’s a bit of a tech guy. He wanted to get the nest because we already have the thermostat and smoke detectors. Until baby is born, it’s set up in our living room and gives me fun notifications when a tree cast a shadow or a dog is barking outside. We can both use our phones to check and I have an old iPad mini that could be a dedicated monitor if we feel the need. It also works like a google mini so you can talk to and through it. Very tiny bonus: it knocked five bucks PER YEAR off our house insurance.

sammierose464

I was considering the nest. I just looked to pull up the one we decided on and it's not on our registry... Oops. 

wolfpackgrl718

@Lisa3379 We have the Infant Optics DXR-8 and have the same exact issues. The battery sucks. My LO turned it to Celsius too! haha. I think you just have to hold down one of the buttons like @tinattt23 said. It took me awhile to figure it out (I was too lazy to get the manual. haha). 

I think we'll probably just end up getting a second camera for the new nursery. I'm obsessed with checking on LO now, but I dont NEED to. So it will be fine for me to keep it on the new baby and switch over for a minute if I need to see my daughter. I'd LOVE one that you can connect to your phone. But I dont know if i want to do a whole new system? And then I'd like to have a monitor for people who babysit, without them having to download an app. So I dunno the best answer. lol

sliztee

I think I'm gonna go with the Amazon Cloud Cam. Hoping it'll go on sale for Prime Day!

magdaaaa

i had decided on the infant optics - but now wondering if maybe it isn't the best way to go with the battery issues?

also, just ordered the owlet... anyone else planning on using this? i remember with DD (almost a decade ago) that i would wake up every hour to make sure she was breathing... hah! a friend of mine with a new baby says the owlet has saved her sleep!

SweetSweetTooth

We got the Arlo. Amazon had a free tablet offer with it still. Using it now to watch the dogs. 

Lisa3379

@wolfpackgrl718 haha yeah, I think right after I posted that I bothered to google it and fixed it.  

We’re going to get the second camera and then just toggle back and forth between the two rooms. I’m tempted to get the second monitor just to put one on DH’s side of the bed as a way of saying “no, I’m serious when I say I will need help if both happen to wake up at night.” 

nmadjeski

We didn't have one with DS because we were in a tiny appartment when he was born. I'm not sure what kind of monitor to get now. Theres so many choices and SO doesnt think we need one. 

@mommy_myers I started researching the omelet last night and I really think I'd like to get one this time.

sliztee

Feet omelets! Delicious.

nmadjeski

Ugh I really need to proofread my posts! Haha

knottieamusements

Has anybody used an owlet?  Thoughts?

https://owletcare.com/