Product Spotlight: Baby Monitors

meggyme · August 2018

Feel free to bump these back up as you find new products.

STM's what monitor did you use? Are you adding a camera/unit? FTM's what monitors are you looking at? What are you looking for in a monitor?

dtspmama · August 2018

We use the Motorola MBP36 and have been pretty happy with it. Now that it's getting older the signal drops occasionally, but not often enough to warrant a new purchase. It was easy to add a second cam (and we'll add a third for this babe).

meggyme · August 2018

We went old school and had a Vtech audio monitor. I kind of want a video monitor that I can have 2 cameras for, especially since we will be transitioning DD to a twin mattress soon. But then I tell myself, if she's in a twin she can get in and out by herself so I don't have to listen for her to get her out of bed in the morning/after naps.

DH is determined not to buy anything new for #2, but I can't help but want all the cool toys!

kristimh80 · August 2018

I'm clueless when it comes to monitors, but my SIL has one that connects with Amazon Alexa that she likes. So my husband has been researching those. I'd like one that I can pull up on my phone as well so if grandma is watching baby, I can check in.

lovesclimbing · August 2018

We'll see if we get one. I kind of wish we'd had one with D, it would have been nice to check during naps if she'd actually made the noise I thought I heard, but it wasn't a huge deal.

So if anyone is wondering if they really need one, no, you don't, although I'm sure they come in handy.

A monitor is low on the priority list. If we get one, I absolutely will not get one that connects to wifi, because those have been known to be hacked and then weirdos are watching your child. Plus - non wifi ones are probably cheaper!

meggyme · August 2018

@lovesclimbing that's what I'd want too. This is the main one I keep looking at: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00ECHYTBI/?coliid=I3ODDC6NJDPF0H&colid=3AVJYKWFCS7E2&psc=0&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it

meggyme · August 2018

For anyone that isn't sold on buying a baby monitor or only needs one occasionally, there are also apps where you can turn your phone/ipad into a baby monitor. They're especially good for traveling.

This is the one I use. It says you can use it over wifi or cellular, but I've never had any luck using it other than with a wifi network. you basically load it onto your iphone and ipad (should only have to pay once if you have the same account on both) and pair the parent /child devices. We used this as our only video monitor for awhile. No fancy IR camera so it doesn't really work for video at night, but it worked fine for naps and as an audio monitor otherwise.

https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/best-baby-monitor/id432791399?mt=8&ign-mpt=uo=4

kristimh80 · August 2018

Thanks @meggyme! I love that idea, we have old ipads that could be used for this and be 1 less thing to have to worry with.l

lovesclimbing · August 2018

@meggyme, I've looked at that one too. Idk if having a monitor is worth spending $165 to me though. We'll see.

lelkcot · August 2018

We had Infant Optics for DS and loved it. Lasted pretty well (the screen on the handheld had some random dark pixled spots, but was still very usable) we got 3 years out of it before DS yanked the camera off the bed while we were on vacation... Has great range, we could basically walk around the entire yard and still have signal. Battery life was ok. The PTZ was great because DS is a very active sleeper, so you could always adjust the camera if he’d squirmed out of view. https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00ECHYTBI/ref=mp_s_a_1_3_s_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1535481363&sr=1-3&keywords=video+monitor

We also have the Summer Infant In View, which was much more reasonably priced, but definitely lesser quality. We’ve had lots of issues with the camera being “out of range” despite not having a large house. Planning to re-buy the Infant Optics for lo #2!

mountainmama3r · August 2018

I agree with @lovesclimbing I didn’t use a baby monitor with my first. My house is even smaller now so I won’t need one if I’m in the house. I do however like to garden outside in this house which puts me kind of far away so I may get one for when I’m outside. Which will just be the cheapest basic one.
My sister had a baby 9 days ago. Her pediatrician said you will hear your baby if they need you and that video monitors stop the baby from self soothing because parent intervention. I co sleep with my son until he was 1.5 so I’m not one to talk, but that’s what my sisters pediatrician told her in Southern California.

mamakate1616 · August 2018

I am definitely on the other end of the spectrum lol!
- Arlo video security camera (now they have some that are baby monitor specific). We have a couple of these around the house and love them, especially being able to check in when we are away. My understanding is different WiFi cameras have different settings and this one is not hackable because is closed or something. Also I think having a password on your WiFi helps with that but I am definitely not an expert. This one is compatible with Alexa though we sometimes have an issue getting our Show to display her room.

- some sort of Summer Infant video monitor. I wanted to be able to just have a screen with her on it all the time without having to open an app and this worked well. It was decent enough and on a great sale when I bought it but 2yrs later and the parent handheld thing won’t hold a charge. Will probably buy another type next time

- also had a vtech audio monitor that had a better range than the summer infant video.

- semi related: owlet baby vital monitor thing. We were gifted this by SIL and we absolutely loved it. I let her use it for her 2 kids and if it’s not working anymore I would probably be willing to buy a replacement

meggyme · August 2018

@mamakate1616 Imve heard good things about the owlet. We had the little clip on breathing monitor that i cant remember the name of. The very first night home it fell off and alarmed, waking everyone up in a panic. I returned it after that.

I have a friend that had the AngelCare motion/video monitor. She liked it and might even still use it with her 3yo.

swanbrooner · August 2018

I was turned off by the price of baby monitors when I was pregnant with DD. I ended up going with a $30 WiFi camera off of Amazon that let me log in from my phone or iPad. I found out a few months ago (when we first started using it heavily) that these are so easy to hack. There are tons of forums online and YouTube channels devoted to teaching people how to do it! It was very clear on one instance that someone else was operating my camera when I went in to check on DD. It was likely hacked through the camera’s IP, not like someone was using my WiFi locally.

I unplugged it that day and bought a closed system digital monitor. We have the Summer Infant Pixel and I have no complaints.

kristimh80 · August 2018

@swanbrooner Oh my goodness...how scary! Glad you caught it so soon.

hummingbird35 · August 2018

@meggyme the infant optix is the one I want too! Baby Bargains called it the best of 2018 https://www.babybargains.com/best-video-baby-monitor/ We were gifted the Lorex video monitor with my son and it worked fine in the house but the range was terrible. Like if I was outside it wouldn't work even if the bedroom was 10 feet away. Also it had to be plugged in all the time because the battery was crappy. There have been plenty of times where I wish I had a trustworthy monitor (especially for vacations, baby napping at a friend's house, etc) so the price is worth it for me. We're not buying a whole lot of stuff for #2 anyway. & since my son refused to ever sleep in his crib I want a video monitor... DS napped on a mattress on the floor and I needed to know when he got up.

mschanandlerbong1214 · September 2018

We have the infant optix. We’ve had it for 4 years now. We had to replace the camera about a 6mos ago though when it just stopped connecting to the handheld. Handheld has some weird pixelated spots and the charging cable is very loose but again, it’s 4 years old. With some wiggling it still works fine.

Not sure we’ll need a monitor for this kid yet since he’ll be sleeping directly next to me at night. If he naps well in his crib during then day then we’d probably consider upgrading our IO to a newer version.

kschyala · September 2018

I love the infant optix. We had a Motorola at first. It completely broke and customer service was no help. We paid a lot for that one and it was terrible quality.

mamakate1616 · September 2018

Is this the one you guys are talking about? Looks pretty cool! The Arlo has a wide angle but I do wish we could move it around.

Infant Optics DXR-8 Pan/Tilt/Zoom 3.5" Video Baby Monitor with Interchangeable Optical lens https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00ECHYTBI/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_C.OIBbY6PXSFE

meggyme · September 2018

@mamakate1616 yes, I think that’s the same one. It’s also expandable, so you can add a second, third, etc camera.

kschyala · September 2018

@mamakate1616 yup that’s the one! Love it

ashley14598 · September 2018

We bought one after DS was born (like 3 days after because DH was nesting hard)! Apparently that can be a thing lol! He was sleeping in our room so we had no need for one yet but he went to Walmart the day after we came home from the hospital and came home with it. It was up and ready to go about 5 mins after he walked in the door. Anyways...

-it’s a summer infant one of some kind. I’m sure it’s an older model as it $75 on clearance at Walmart. It works fine and we still use it to this day. I’m sure the quality compared to some isn’t great but we can definitely see him at night and during naps so it’s great for what we need. I have no idea if it has attachments for a second monitor I kinda doubt it.

-A friend recently told me that she got a very expensive WiFi one for her shower gift she was very excited about! But one day while she was changing her son the entire camera turned to look at them. She obviously freaked out turned it off and hasn’t used it since. Just be careful with WiFi type monitors.

chocolatelemons · September 2018

We have a summer infant video monitor that was probably around $100.

Here is the newer model: https://summerinfant.com/monitors/video-monitors/in-view-2-0-color-video-monitor?gclid=Cj0KCQjwlK7cBRCnARIsAJiE3MhS8hZmw5wVHYRCkzOW_GHDIL4huA8cEgrBMNQcD4hMhCcJhxnJ2WYaAhcHEALw_wcB

It isn't anything super fancy, but it gets the job done and we can hook more than one camera up if we decide to continue using it with DS and the new baby. So, we won't be buying anything new. I completely agree with @lovesclimbing in regards to wifi. I specifically bought something that is not wifi enabled because of hackers. A quick google search will show you how easy and common it is.

While I agree that you don't necessarily *need* a monitor, I use mine all the time. I exercise in our room above the garage during DS's nap and I would never hear him cry if I didn't use it. Same goes for when I'm doing yard work. So, if you have a larger house, I definitely think you will get a lot of use out of it. Just make sure to check the camera/ monitor range.

mamakate1616 · September 2018

@chocolatelemons that’s what we used, but I guess it was the 1.0 and sadly my handheld won’t hold a charge anymore. That one looks a little fancier than my model and the screen is definitely improved!

thedaint87 · September 2018

We use a camera and phone app. DH is well-versed in computers and I trust him to have it locked down. I know it's on a separate wireless network from the rest of the house and there are other precautions he took as well. I like having the app on our phones so I don't have to carry another thing around. The quality has been great and we just added the second camera for this baby.

shrub · September 2018

I've had a Samsung for 5 years that does the trick. we are clear across the house from my 2yo and 5yo and cannot hear them without monitors. I'll likely use them until my 5yo stops calling out for us occasionally in the night so yea, you could get a lot of use out of them.

I did not get a video camera right when 5yo was born, we thought it was frivolous. Fast forward to her transitioning to a big girl bed and I wondered constantly just what she was doing in there. The video monitor was worth its weight in gold at that point.

meggyme · September 2018

@shrub we’re about to transition DD to her big girl bed and that’s what I worry about. Then again, I also figure she can get out of bed and come find us if she needs anything so I’m still torn if we’ll upgrade from our audio v tech monitor.

dtspmama · September 2018

@meggyme we just moved DD1 to her big girl bed and, like @shrub, I'm super thankful for the video monitor, if for no other reason than I can see how long it takes her to fall asleep to know what kind of mood she'll be in when she wakes up!

indigoheightsblog · September 2018

I've heard amazing things about the owlet. We also just got a puppy this week and we ordered a Nest Cam (Indoor) - it goes directly to our phones so we can make sure he's OK in his "playpen" when we run out. I've heard you're able to use the Nest Cam as a baby monitor as well and I'm curious to know if anyone has tried it!

mamakate1616 · October 2018

PSA, just saw an ad that the owlet can be purchased with HSA/FSA dollars.

@indigoheightsblog we have an arlo that we use as a baby monitor and I think it’s supposed to be very similar to a nest cam.

m0mof1 · September 2025

This time around we chose the ergo pouch drift. We got two since our toddler’s monitor wasn’t working well anymore. It has been a good upgrade. The screen is dedicated so I don’t need my phone tied up, the connection has been reliable, and it even gives dressing suggestions based on the room temp which I didn’t realize I’d use as much as I do.

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