Hi ladies! I can't remember if we have had a thread relating to baby monitors yet, I know there was some talk about it in a registry thread a while back but I thought maybe a specific thread could be helpful.
We started slowly adding things to our baby registry over the last few weeks but I feel kind of lost on where to start with monitors! Any advise? Do you recommend one with video? Does yours have the wi-fi connectivity? Any advice is greatly appreciated
Re: BTDT moms- Advice on baby monitors?
We started with a Sony Baby Call, which is no longer made. I got it for the voice activation because I think that is a nice feature when you are asleep, BUT the white noise we used kept it activated all the time anyway.
We got a video monitor later on (6 months?) because we had so much trouble with frequent wakings so it helped to see if she was really awake or just making noise. I think it's probably best to just go that route from the beginning. I've heard too many horror stories from friends about their wifi being hacked and strange men talking to their baby....we wouldn't go that route.
But our video monitor only lasted about a year so now we have a cheapie sound only I got at a second hand store. DD is 3 but we still use it because we can't hear her at night.
DH: 36
Married 5 years
DD born 8/30/13
#2 expected 4/25/17
1) The Infant Optics when it was on, it would mess with our wi-fi making it slow and not work and we couldn't stream Netflix or stuff like that after baby was asleep.
2) Dogs barking (we have tons in our neighborhood), storms, strong winds would set off the monitor and then wake me up even though the baby was sleeping. It seemed to be very sensitive.
3) Noise carries through our house so I can hear right away if the baby's awake.
4) The first 3 months I shared a room with the baby and didn't need the monitor.
So I'm in the camp where it was nice to have for peace of mind but really didn't get enough use out of it to justify the cost.
Also, @wagnerw and @Koukonei what are the issues with using a Wifi connected monitor? People hack them? To watch the baby??? Eeek!
DD1 born 5/24/10.
Missed M/C at 14 wks Feb 2012.
DD2 born 5/14/13.
Missed M/C at 9 wks July 2015.
DH: 36
Married 5 years
DD born 8/30/13
#2 expected 4/25/17
I'm a weirdo, the odd man out, I know.
DH: 30 year old pneumatic electrical engineer
BFP: June 25, 2016 and MC: July 3, 2016
DD2: April 16, 2017
BFP: November 30, 2018 EDD: August 14, 2019
The issue with WiFi cameras being hackable comes when people do not activate the installed security measures. Our camera, and to my knowledge most WiFi enabled cameras, can set it's own passcode to be able to access it. When people leave the passcode as the default, other people can hack in fairly easily. It's especially easy to hack in when your WiFi network is unsecured, but that's a whole other security issue entirely (seriously...secure your WiFi!). DH is very technologically inclined and did a TON of research on this before we decided to go with a WiFi enabled camera.
TL;DR: If you're using ANY WiFi enabled device, make sure that your security measures are in place to keep people from hacking in.
6.5 years so far. Still works perfectly.
DD1 born 5/24/10.
Missed M/C at 14 wks Feb 2012.
DD2 born 5/14/13.
Missed M/C at 9 wks July 2015.
However I do think we are going to purchase the Snuza to attach to DS diaper for the first few months for peace of mind because we put DD in her crib in their nursery after being home just a few days. We plan on doing the same with DS, so I've heard good things about them.