Baby Monitor

MommaB16 · August 2015

Question for this STM's out there to help us FTM's out. (I really love this app especially for this)

My hubs and I really like a Motorola baby monitor that has a night vision, and movable camera, and then has a tablet like screen for the parents. We don't like that it's ..... $299. Lol, of course.

I'm wondering what brands STM's have had and loved. About how much you spent. And pros and cons of different monitors. Do we NEED the camera. Should we chill out with all this technology and go 'old school'

and gasp, just get an audio monitor?
Thanks!!

Monilee1017 · August 2015

I went old school with just audio but the baby was in our room the first 3 months and when the baby moved to his room it was on the same floor as ours. So I didn't see the need for it.

cawalp · August 2015

FTM, just putting in my opinion. I will be skipping the monitor all together at first as baby will be in our room for about 4-6 months and then will be in the room right next to ours. May end up getting a simple audio one at that point but most likely not.

apinkpelican · August 2015

I have a Vtech with a camera. I've been really happy with it and will get another camera when LO #2 comes. I like to be able to see DD to make she is alright. It was more important in the beginning to make sure her swaddle was still in place. Now that she's older I like to see her when she's fussing around to see if she's really up or if she's still sleeping. I think it saves me a lot of trips down the hall

MrsB915 · August 2015

@MommaB16 The monitor we have is similar to the one you're describing except that ours has a smaller parent unit with, I think, a 3.5" screen.

We like being able to see ds after we put him down without having to go in the room. It allows us to see it ds is soothing himself, fussing in his sleep or needs our attention. Our monitor has the option to add another camera which we will be doing when this lo arrives. It will also be nice to have as he transitions to a big boy bed!

blue**eyes · August 2015

We have a basic angelcare audio monitor but also have a night vision security camera that streams directly to the tv in our bedroom. I think it's been great having a camera. As my son got older, we could see when he was getting into things instead of sleeping or playing before sleeping.

mysquishy18 · August 2015

We have the Motorola version with the 3.5 inch camera (or something like that) and still use it today. My daughter is 2. It helps being able to tell if she's crying/making noise because she needs us or because she's simply playing while winding herself down for bed. I would recommend it and we'll just be adding a camera to ours.

Jessdub10 · August 2015

I still use our video monitor for our 3 yr old daughter. The feature I really love is the "talk" button which lets me tell her to get back in bed if she wakes up too early!

62406 · August 2015

We went old school with DD who is 4. Her room is 5 feet from ours so we usually heard her without the monitor. It was nice for times when we'd be outside during nap time or at night. We are thinking about getting a video one for this baby as they will be sleeping on a different floor and not right next door.

TinyDancer51510 · August 2015

apinkpelican said:
I have a Vtech with a camera. I've been really happy with it and will get another camera when LO #2 comes. I like to be able to see DD to make she is alright. It was more important in the beginning to make sure her swaddle was still in place. Now that she's older I like to see her when she's fussing around to see if she's really up or if she's still sleeping. I think it saves me a lot of trips down the hall

Your babysitters will appreciate the video monitor as well. I speak from experience. ;-)

MommaB16 · August 2015

Our baby will most definitely be in our room for the first few months, and who knows how long after that. Our room is the only room on our 1st floor, the 3 other bedrooms are upstairs. So it's down the hall, up the stairs and down the hall again to get to baby once baby is upstairs.

ashin121 · August 2015

I registered for Infant Optics DXR-8 Video Baby Monitor With Interchangeable Optical Lens, White/Biege.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00ECHYTBI?colid=1JDPHX3L27SG4&coliid=I3CMDRMVNM2M9W&redirect=true&ref_=br_it_dp_o_nS_ttl#customerReviews

I initially registered for the Motorola but when I started reading the reviews it wasn't that good (3.5 stars) whereas this one had 4.5 stars with over 1800 reviews. Some of the reviews compare the Motorola as they had both and bought this one because the Motorola either broke on them or the feed wasn't clear.

Its $100 cheaper. If you still want the Motorola, look on amazon, it's $199

JNGettinMarried · August 2015

I have a Summer video monitor... what sold me on it is that it came with 2 parent units which is perfect for our 2 story home. One stays upstairs on my nightstand and one floats around downstairs with us. So convenient to not have to remember to bring it back and forth with us all the time. The drawback to this model is that you can't add a second camera (which I need now for baby #2) and that there's constant audio feedback when it's on, but I've gotten used to that when sleeping.

daninikicoli · August 2015

We have a Summer Infant video monitor and love it. My son is 2.5 and I still use it. I love the talk feature so I can sing/ talk to my son. Ours was on the expensive side, but I know they have less expensive ones on Amazon... They do all the same things except no night light and it's not touch screen, which are totally not needed. I mean the night light is pretty great, but you can just buy one separely.

I still just stare at my sleeping baby all the time, I can't imagine not having my video monitor.

BarrettJ89 · August 2015

I also have a Summer Infant video monitor. We love it! 5 volume settings, night vision, talk feature, and zoom. Now that I'm pregnant again, we will be investing in an additional camera (it can connect to multiple cameras) for this baby. We paid $150 for ours.

laineylove78 · August 2015

+1 for the Summer Video Monitor. I love the talk feature, and the zoom, we will be getting an additional camera to hook up with new LOs room. Another thing I really love about it is the fact that it has a temperature of the room on the screen. It really eased my mind in both summer (AC) and winter (heat) months making sure DDs room was a good temp. Also sometimes she'd be making noise and not ready to get up, this way I can see what she's doing and a lot of times if I leave her in there she'll go back to bed.

aml2137 · August 2015

I used/use a Motorola video monitor with our son and will with #2. I think it's the 35S model (came with 2 cameras and was around $200 after I used a buybuybaby coupon). We had the 35 version but the sound stopped working on the parent unit shortly before my DS second birthday. I guess that's a common complaint with Motorola monitors. One thing I will say is that before I got the replacement monitor that I use currently I tried the new fancy version that motorola came out with not long ago. It connects using wifi and has an app you can download on your phone/tablet. I highly recommend NOT getting that version. In plain terms it sucked. It had a very big delay in the video and sound and is super annoying to set up the wifi to work correctly, especially if you travel with the monitor.
Most parents I talked to like the motorolas or drop cam monitors. Best advice is test it out in store and check for delays.

mamakculb · August 2015

I had a Summer Infant video monitor as well, and I loved it! My sons bedroom is upstairs from ours, so during the night I definitely needed a monitor, and during the day it was nice to watch him on the video if he was just fussing or crying enough to actually get out of bed. My monitor also displayed the temperature in the room which was really helpful for me to know if I needed to turn off his fan in the bedroom or not, as I was always worried if he was overheating or too cold not having a blanket. My monitor broke recently from hubby dropping it, so in a pinch we bought the cheapie Babies R Us brand and the picture quality is awful. My SIL has a Motorola and hers is also great quality like Summer Infant. With baby #2, I plan to get a double video monitor in either Motorola or Summer Infant once baby is out of my room and in their own.

ashs88 · August 2015

We just used an audio monitor with DS and plan to do the same with this baby. We didn't see the need for the video. We very quickly learned what his different cries and sounds were so we could easily tell if he really needed us or if he was just making noises/talking to himself. I personally think a video monitor would be more of a distraction than a benefit for me. I'm also not sure how portable the video ones are. We have two "parent units," one we keep in our bedroom upstairs and one downstairs in the main living area. I love being able to take one of the parent units with me when I go outside to do yardwork during naps.

ainverso · August 2015

I have a lorex baby video monitor and love it. It can have 4 cameras on one screen for multiple rooms . Battery life is good and distance is good outside for range. It has great night vision, zoom and sound. It has a 2 way sound system so I can talk to him at night if need be.

jrouge12 · August 2015

Just going to get a simple audio one. And that's really just for when we travel. Our apartment is small enough that we don't need one for everyday use.

jeanbug12 · August 2015

I got a simple audio one when DS was born, it was fine and nice to have during naps. But when he was 10 months old we found a really awesome deal on an older model summer video monitor so we got that, it was great! I am so glad I had it for the toddler years and don't think I could go back to the plain audio one now!

Honeyb416 · August 2015

I love being able to see DS on the monitor. I intially got the infant optics 3.5 inch screen one but didn't like it and returned it. I got this one instead and really like it...a few minor issues you will read about in some of the reviews but it still does what it's supposed to. It is very helpful if/when you plan to sleep train which we did at 9 months....helps to know when to go in or when to wait. And it's a great price for the features it has.

https://www.amazon.com/Foscam-FBM3501-Wireless-Digital-Monitor/dp/B00DNBA82S/ref=sr_1_1?s=baby-products&ie=UTF8&qid=1440467705&sr=1-1&keywords=foscam+baby+monitor

Krisdee123 · August 2015

Is there one that works with an app on your phone or iPad?

ainverso · August 2015

krisdee123 said:
Is there one that works with an app on your phone or iPad?

There are a few that do, Motorola makes one, Lorex baby makes one, and I'm sure more. Really all You need for that is a camera with a secure network that you can log into. Check with any store like best buy or radio shack, exit and they can help u find a nice camera that will work like that

Firsttimer16 · August 2015

Has anyone used the angel care monitor?! Just bought one but now after reading these posts feel I may want a video one!

mamakculb · August 2015

Firsttimer16 said:

Has anyone used the angel care monitor?! Just bought one but now after reading these posts feel I may want a video one!

My friend had one and liked it, but she did complain of lots of false alarms when her daughter shifted off of the pad. If you are a really anxious parent or have a baby with health issues I think its great, but may not be for everyone.

mamakculb · August 2015

ainverso said:

krisdee123 Is there one that works with an app on your phone or iPad?
There are a few that do, Motorola makes one, Lorex baby makes one, and I'm sure more. Really all You need for that is a camera with a secure network that you can log into. Check with any store like best buy or radio shack, exit and they can help u find a nice camera that will work like that

Just make sure that your network is secure before broadcasting via the internet. There are lots of stories about people hacking into baby monitors for fun through unsecured networks. Most monitors are as simple as changing from a default IP address.

Firsttimer16 · August 2015

kristanoah said:

Firsttimer16 said:

Has anyone used the angel care monitor?! Just bought one but now after reading these posts feel I may want a video one!

My friend had one and liked it, but she did complain of lots of false alarms when her daughter shifted off of the pad. If you are a really anxious parent or have a baby with health issues I think its great, but may not be for everyone.

Thanks so much! We got it on a great offer - it was our first purchase so may get something else yet!!

Emmiiily · February 2016

It's easier to just use an app, try the baby monitoring app by Annie!

bbrownlee1 · February 2016

We just got a cheap audio one again for baby #2. They both slept in our room the first couple of months. I just don't see the need for the video personally.

TRA0816 · February 2016

If you do end up getting a video one..check Groupon..that's where we got ours. 2 videos cameras and a 3 x 5 monitor for $150. It wasn't name brand though. It was 'Defender'. Works well for us

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