Product Spotlight: Baby monitors

mrosek91

Hi everyone! This week we're spotlighting baby monitors. 

What baby monitors do people have? What functionalities of your baby monitors do you use? Just audio-visual or do you also play lullabies or talk to your babies? And in a larger sense, what were your guidelines and recommendations for choosing one? Range? Image quality? The attraction of WiFi-enabled apps on your phone? Connection security? Would or did you choose the same one for a second baby and beyond? Please share!

Prior and upcoming Product Spotlights

yellingbanana

We’ve always used the Summer brand monitors. It was a big deal getting a monitor with video 14 years ago, and it was so exciting! Of course the monitor has changed over time, but I still use ours from almost 4yr DS during work hours as a SAHM nanny. 

However, my BIL was living with us for a while a few years ago. His son was 2 at the time, and he had a fancy monitor that had an alarm if something was wrong with baby/toddler. My nephew was sleeping, and had a seizure, was choking on his tongue and the only reason we knew was because of the monitor. Luckily my BIL ran up and we called 911 because my nephew wasn’t breathing and was blue. We didn’t know at the time he was having a seizure. So monitors can be very helpful. 

I’ve considered getting one of those Owl baby monitors that goes on their ankle. But it feels so invasive. If our baby has any health problems I will get it in a heartbeat though. 

texas_t

I am getting the Owlet this go around.  We had the Snuza in the past, which we loved, but I feel like it's more a reactive tool than a proactive one.  I'm getting older, more tired, and have two other kids to pay attention to, so any help is appreciated, lol.  My friend recommended the Yi home cameras on Amazon I tossed it on my registry because I like the look of them.  We didn't have a monitor with our last because he slept with us for so long, but again, having 3 kids, I have no idea where we'll be!

ec1212

We registered for the Nanit because our friends love it so much - it has alerts and analytics and doesn't require wall-mounting anything. I would have been just as happy getting a couple Nest cams for the bedroom and living room for the same price (would use an Amazon kindle or buy a used iPad to hook up as an always-on monitor for us), but I can buy the Nanit with my flexible spending account if no one winds up buying it for us.

spartan4life

We have the infant optics video monitor and I like it, but we have already replaced the battery twice and now the charging cord is giving us problems so I think we will get a new one before this baby comes. We are thinking of the Owelet cameras.

We had the Owelet sock for DS and it was probably one of the only reasons I slept. We started him in his own room right from the start so it was really nice having it when he was downstairs and we were upstairs. This time we are all upstairs but will use it again. I lent it to my best friend to use for her baby and if she isn't done with it by the time we are ready, I will 100% buy a new one. DS was a good sleeper so it was nice to be able to quick check his heart rate if I woke up and he was still sleeping. We used it until he was about 10 months and started to pull it off.

ec1212

Just got this insta ad - for mamas doing the Owlet!!

littlelibelula

We were given a Motorola, sound only, that we never tried, it lives in it's box. A friend lent us a Summer video monitor, we used it a little during naps. But the baby has always sleptin the same room as us so we never felt the need accept for naps while we were busy in other rooms.

Has anone had success with any free phone apps? O paid?

texas_t

@ec1212 Ugh! I've been grappling with going ahead and buying it, but I'd hate for it to sit in a box for 6 months and then something be wrong with it, ya know? Blargh.  

ec1212

@texas_t just test it on all those other humans you live with. 😂

texas_t

@ec1212 I'll put it on one of my dogs 

mrosek91

@texas_t they have a one year warranty, so if it really is damaged they should take it back. I am of course speaking with all the knowledge google gives me, and have no personal experience.
There will probably also be post-Christmas sales, President's day sales, Memorial day sales, etc... But no idea if they will be as good.

texas_t

@mrosek91 and anyone else interested.  I spoke with a chat rep for Owlet and asked them if it was ok to buy it now and not use it until May and this was their response: 

Hello and thank you for reaching out to Owlet, Terri. I would not recommend doing that, since all electronics have a shelf life on them, when sitting around unused. However, it would have a 1 year warranty from the day your register in the app, so if anything is wrong it could be replaced. I would also recommend looking at our storage directions in the FAQ's section.

So, I'm gonna wait. 

gusgus14

We have an iBaby that we still use for our first and we are going to get two more iBaby cameras for the twins. They are video monitors that track temperature and humidity and you can set up motion/sound alerts. You can also speak through them from an app on your phone and play music but we don't use those features. We like it but sometimes wish we had gotten one with a separate display instead of the app on our phones although the app was handy for me on days I wanted to check in during nap time if I was working and DH was at home. We thought about switching things up this time but ultimately decided to stick with iBaby.

mkc3888

Last time we had a summer infant monitor.  I'm not sure what I did with it.  I think this time we're just going to get indoor security cameras.  Maybe Blink and an echo show.  We could use our phones when around the house and the echo show on the night stand.  I'd like to get 2 or 3 cameras.  1 in each kids room and one in our office/possible play room and sewing room when I return to the office post covid.  

ckmb_1250

We had a VTech video monitor that I liked but it stopped working after 2 years. We replaced it with a cheapy one and I miss the zoom in feature and ability to move the camera from the parent unit, especially now that my daughter flops around so much while sleeping. Both monitors effed with our WiFi though, when they’re on our WiFi sucks! 

asf0613

re Owlet--i want to buy one on sale for black friday, but DH insists we wait because new models are always released and he wants the latest and greatest. 

related but TW loss:

i bought mine last year on black friday at BBB, got a voucher for like $100 in store credit with purchase too-it was a steal! wound up returning it after we suffered our loss though.  i really want to rebuy this year on same deal and maybe return and keep that promo credit again....hmmmmmm

mimser

So I was go  a get a basic Vtech Audio. But now that I read all your posts, I'm really not sure...

mkc3888

@mimser I might get an audio only monitor as well to not have to have my phone on all night.  But I think indoor security cameras paired with an audio only is the way to go.  

mimser

I'm torn! Would some high tech device make me feel more nervous or less? We plan to have baby sleep in a bassinet in our bedroom for the first 6 months. Then the nursery is right across our room.

gusgus14

@ckmb_1250 the zoom feature helps me so much in those earlier days when I want to check breathing without having to risk waking them up!

ckmb_1250

@mimser an audio monitor wouldn’t feel safe at all for me. Quiet doesn’t = safe in my head! 😩

Maybe  I’m somewhere in the middle because I considered the Owlet but thought that might make me more nervous/obsessive so decided against it. 

mrosek91

@mimser we don't have a monitor. Baby is right across the hall, I'll hear them.
I know it's pretty rare these days, but we've been through three babies already and it works for us.

spartan4life

When we had DS, I felt like the technology (video monitor and Owelet) made me way less nervous. I didn't have to go in his room and risk waking him up to know he was breathing. We also had a sound only monitor we could take with us when we traveled. We just bought a cheap one and we used it several times.

yellingbanana

I like the video monitor because I can usually see them breathing. But I also have a Nest camera in the ‘baby’ room, and have some alerts on. So when my toddler wakes up, my phone buzzes with ‘person in Lucas’s room’. 

mimser

@mkc3888 I read the summer infant's battery doesn't last, audio and video quality are not great. What is your experience?

yellingbanana

We had two summer infant monitors and the old one the battery lasted a year and then we had to leave it plugged in all the time. But my ‘new’ one I got 4 years ago, and have been using since, stays charged just fine. I still leave it plugged in on my night stand though, when using most monitors they usually only stay charged for a couple of hours until they need to be plugged in. 

mimser

Ok thanks @yellingbanana!

mkc3888

@mimser. I didn’t use it much because we ended up cosleeping. So I can’t really give a good or bad review. We ended up losing it. 

asf0613

so my mom went and bought us the Owlet which was so nice, but turns out it isnt compatible with our wifi.  we have a 5ghz network through our mesh router (maybe? something like that? im not good with tech) and Owlet has to be on 2.4ghz.  Owlets solution to this is to change wireless settings on router, but that means we would lose our speed and connectivity (everything including lights in our house are 'smart' so not really an option for us.)

i am so upset because the Owlet was the thing i was most excited to use! I know @EC1212 is registering for Nanit, but does anyone have experience using it? i love the idea of something that will monitor breathing, heartrate or both.

ruby0902

This is a helpful thread! I'm just lurking and don't really have anything to contribute, but as a FTM, I really appreciate all these different product highlight threads. 

ec1212

@asf0613 I wound up going with the Nanit over a much more affordable option because one of my best friends loves hers and because I’m a data & analytics nerd and I’ll appreciate seeing how much sleep he’s getting and some patterns. They don’t use the breathing monitor accessories with it but she loves it. 

Here are some screengrabs she sent me
when she was trying to convert me. 😂

mrosek91

@asf0613 DH is in IT, and says every single modern router has the capability to run both at the same time. He said if you give him the make and model then he can provide a link with details on how to do that.

nsk489

Can anyone recommend a monitor with good long range? I'm looking for something that I can carry with me if baby is sleeping when I need to go outside to check on the animals.
We live in a rural area with awful wifi (although they are currently installing fiber on our street, 🤞 it is up and running soon!) so I'm not sure if any of the video monitors will work well for us, or if we should stick to just audio. Admittedly I haven't even begun to look into monitors!

asf0613

@mrosek91 sending you PM—thank you!

mkc3888

My mom got me 2 blink cameras and an echo show for Christmas. So I’ll be using that as a baby monitor in conjunction with an audio only monitor. I wanted 2 cameras so I could have one in my 4 year olds room and the nursery. Plus it has 2 way audio so I can talk to my daughter through it too. I’ll probably get it set up this weekend. I put the echo show next to my bed and will use my phone to view from around the house or even out when I return to work and want to check in while my mom is watching the kids while I’m at work.