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Product Spotlight Series: Baby Monitors

blaf322blaf322 member
in July 2020 Moms
The Product Spotlight Series continues! Each week we spotlight a new category of product. If you discover something new or are new to the board, you're welcome to comment on threads like these throughout your time here, not just when it's their week in the spotlight. Answer the questions below or just riff on your thoughts/experiences of the product. Pictures/screen grabs, if put in spoilers, are welcome! Links are always helpful! This week it's... Baby Monitors!

STM+:
Give us the pros and cons of what you have and/or why you want the new one you want?
What brand(s)/specific monitors have you used? Which one is best and why?
What functionalities are the most useful?
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?

FTM:
What brands/specific monitors are you interested in?
What functionalities are you looking for/why? Range? Image quality? The attraction of WiFi-enabled apps on your phone? Connection security?
What questions do you have?
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Re: Product Spotlight Series: Baby Monitors

  • stlbuckeye132stlbuckeye132 member
    We have the Infant Optics DXR-8 (link in spoiler). I like it! We didn't want something that connected to wifi because we're both a little paranoid and know those are easily hacked. I don't have anything to compare this to, but I've been happy with the image quality, size, etc. The range works for us and the size of our house. It does have the ability to "talk" into baby's room, but we don't use that very often. Anytime we do, DD basically ducks for cover immediately because it scares her. :lol:  I can see that maybe coming in handy when she's older and in a bed instead of a crib. "DD, it is 4:00am. Back in bed!"

    It has the ability to add a second camera and it'll switch back and forth between the rooms, so that's what we're doing for baby 2. My only complaint with this one is the battery. It started off with a super long battery life, but probably around the year mark, it started crapping out really quickly. I was going to buy a new one, but I found some troubleshooting tips to try first. Basically if we took it out and left it out for 10 mins then put it back in, it would work again. So we did that every time it started acting up for a while, but eventually we had to buy a replacement battery. It was probably 2 years after we bought the monitor that I had to replace the battery, so not awful in my opinion.

    https://www.amazon.com/Infant-Optics-DXR-8-Monitor-Interchangeable/dp/B00ECHYTBI/ref=pd_bxgy_img_2/147-0139596-6726254?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B00ECHYTBI&pd_rd_r=5dc92b6e-baa4-40c4-a74d-4bceb7e7452e&pd_rd_w=Rx9yG&pd_rd_wg=MXPes&pf_rd_p=fd08095f-55ff-4a15-9b49-4a1a719225a9&pf_rd_r=0C689AH5NQS5Z2V95H17&psc=1&refRID=0C689AH5NQS5Z2V95H17

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  • blaf322blaf322 member
    We have a Nest cam and love it! I highly recommend using this as your monitor.
    Pros:
    -you can access it from anywhere via your cell phone. I may or may not have been a monitor stalker bedtime during our first few outings :D It also meant we could walk across the street to our neighbor's house, have a drink and keep an eye on her from there (judge if you want to)
    -I also like that we were able to set it to notify us when there's movement on the camera. So, we didn't have to have the picture/sound running at all times.... we just listened out for a notification and could take a peek to see if she was waking. 
    - It's as secure as your wifi is.... so ours is very secure (H works in IT). @stlbuckeye132 I don't know about yours, specifically, but the video monitors with a handheld viewing/listening device like that are actually much easier to hack into than a secure wifi camera :# 
    - the picture is outstanding (with our without light) and always consistent.
    - there's a talk feature where you can talk through the camera. We didn't use it when DD was little, but now, it's wonderful. "Stop playing. Lay your head down. It's time to sleep."
    - Not camera specific, but, same brand/access so I'll mention- we have a Nest thermostat and are able to put a temperature sensor in DD's room so that we always know what the temp is in there and can actually have the thermostat adjust based on the temp in her room, vs ours. In our old house, this was a big deal because her room was always a drastically different temp than ours.

    Cons: 
    - I don't trust the wifi while I sleep. Maybe this is a me thing... but I know I wouldn't notice if it went out so it bothers me. I prefer to have a cheapy, sound only, monitor at night and we just pull the picture up when needed, then.
    - it isn't (easily) mobile so we have our sound only monitor for travel... which hasn't been an issue, but a downside compared to some others.

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  • stlbuckeye132stlbuckeye132 member
    @blaf322 DON'T TELL ME THESE THINGS! :joy:
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  • JessDGJessDG member
    I'm going to be a weirdo and tell you we went old school and had an audio only monitor.  I knew that I was going to be sitting up all night staring at a video one with all my anxiety, so I didn't ask for/get one of those.  Someone gave us theirs when DS was 1 and we hooked it up, but we very rarely use it.  I cannot even honestly tell you where the parent unit is right now.  

    I'm sure most of you guys won't go this route, but I thought I'd let you know which one we have and we like it!  I'm not really sure what we will do with this baby.  We still kind of use the monitor for DS, but we probably don't NEED it. 

    We have this one
    https://www.buybuybaby.com/store/product/vtech-dm221-2-digital-audio-baby-monitor-w-talk-back-intercom-and-2-parent-units/1046436047?keyword=baby-monitor
    It works fine.  I like that we have one parent unit in the living room and one in our room.  The range is good since I can be out in the yard or talking to a neighbor and it still has signal.  Battery life is awesome. :smile:

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  • b_1029b_1029 member
    @stlbuckeye132 that's the one we currently have on our registry. Our wifi isn't the world's most reliable, so I figured that was a good choice. However with @blaf322's info now I'm conflicted on which type of monitor to choose! We are only friends with one neighbor so I doubt we'll need it to go super far, but TBH it would be nice to spy on babysitters / MIL if we are out and someone else is watching her....especially since MIL was astonished last night at the "safe sleep guidelines"
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  • kristinl492kristinl492 member
    edited February 2020
    Give us the pros and cons of what you have and/or why you want the new one you want? 

    Currently using the Infant Optics and I used to like it but I’m ready to replace it. The battery life has been horrible. Currently on a second battery. 
    Like @stlbuckeye132 said, if you take it out for a bit and put it back in it fixes it but not long term. Our speakers have also been glitching out. The sound fades in and out. It’s not worth spending money on a second camera for a constantly glitchy monitor. I’ll be looking for something new, so this thread is perfect timing. 


    What functionalities are the most useful? 
    I do love the ability to talk to the baby. That was really helpful during a phase of difficult sleep when just hearing our voices was enough to soothe him.

    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?

    I had zero guidelines. Basically I just googled “best baby monitor” and looked for whatever was available to register for at Babies R Us. Now, I’m looking for better quality/longevity, ability to speak to baby. The Wi-Fi accessibility is appealing but I want to be sure it’s secure, obviously. I like that Infant Optics allows us to see the temperature of the room, though I believe that’s fairly common now. 
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  • MrsTiger123MrsTiger123 member
    We had a Motorola.  It’s worked great for our first kid.  We added a second camera for #2 which was easy.  But the battery life declined so much it could barely be unplugged then the charging cord got touchy.  We will need something new this time.  Probably going to choose something cheap.  

    Pros of Motorola-
    could talk into it
    no WiFi (freaks me out)
    good picture

    cons
    babd battery life
    flimsy cords

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  • blaf322blaf322 member
    @stlbuckeye132 I'm sooooorry! lol... but, let's be honest, the likelihood that some weirdo is driving around your neighborhood, trying to get within range of your monitor so they can look at/talk to your baby is suuuper low. Like, even if we had one of those types of monitors, it would be the last thing on my mind. 
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  • blaf322blaf322 member
    @b_1029 if your ILs are ones that you'd have to worry about not following direction, I'd get something you can look at away from home. We had to text FIL at an hour past DD's bedtime because we peeked in while at a movie and she still hadn't even entered her room to start her routine :neutral:
    But, if you have someone like my mom (who typically keeps DD if we need a sitter) the looking in thing is a nice to have feature vs something more necessary. It's fun to listen in and hear her doing a great job with bedtime... but it's just not as necessary as with my ILs. Hope that helps!
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  • stlbuckeye132stlbuckeye132 member
    @blaf322 right. I'm not really concerned anymore haha but it felt like a big deal when I was making this decision initially!
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  • nursejenn5nursejenn5 member
    The infant optics is the one currently on my registry. It was on a lot of lists I looked at and one of my sisters has it and raves about it. 
    But this thread will get me thinking. 
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  • kristinl492kristinl492 member
    @nursejenn5 It was a perfectly fine/good monitor until the battery issues started. There have been more and more days that I can’t get it to even turn on after being on the charger for hours. I have to take the battery out for a good 20 minutes. It’s super annoying!
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  • Pascal86Pascal86 member
    We’re team no-monitor. My kids sleep on the other side of the wall from us, and that gives us more than enough info. And our house is small enough I’ve pretty much always been able to hear them cry from wherever I am. If our house was bigger or we slept on a different floor or something, I’d probably get one - but for us it’s just not necessary. 
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  • NinnyJeanNinnyJean member
    We’ve been like @JessDG and only had an audio monitor. It was great in the beginning but when she got to a stage where she would play in her crib I wished I had a video just to watch her be cute. 

    We haven’t used a monitor for the girls room though in a long time. Like @Pascal86 their room is on the other side of the wall and we can easily hear them
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  • MrsTiger123MrsTiger123 member
    Pascal86 said:
    We’re team no-monitor. My kids sleep on the other side of the wall from us, and that gives us more than enough info. And our house is small enough I’ve pretty much always been able to hear them cry from wherever I am. If our house was bigger or we slept on a different floor or something, I’d probably get one - but for us it’s just not necessary. 
    I actually turned the sound off at night because our rooms our close, but I primarily use the monitor when I am doing yard work during naptime or taking the big kids outside to play during baby naps.   I don’t want to leave an awake baby alone too long. 

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  • meanjellybeanmeanjellybean member
    Well shit. I just went to google our monitor so I could link it here, and come to find out it's not longer being carried. It's the Samsung Brightview. It was expensive, but it has been great. Has amazing picture quality, settings so that you can have the screen "sleep" until it detects low or high noise levels, and has an audio only feature. The zoom function is so good that I can zoom in on her and see her back rising and falling when she sleeps. I was planning on just getting another camera, but now I guess I need to do some research on whether that's even an option  :'(
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  • blaf322blaf322 member
    @meanjellybean the zooming in with a good quality image was something I loved about ours too! B/c, new parent. Hormones. This kid has been asleep foreeeever... is she still alive?? panic lol
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  • mehuggmehugg member
    Soooo I've been taking the lead on our whole registry and H has been very engaged and we discuss the big stuff and I thought I'd hand off monitor to him because I feel like he'd have stronger opinions about it than me and it'd be nice to have him lead on the research etc......and now he narrowed it down to 2 and I'm a little bit like, 🧐 (FFTC? Ha)

    Anyone have experience with the Hello Baby video monitor or Good Baby video monitor (links in spoiler)?

    https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B01N1RE98L/ref=psdcmw_166870011_t3_B07FKDPDZV


    https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07ZNBVFXG?colid=QJZ62RHHS8N2&coliid=I31H034LTLNXFR&ref=br_mb_ov_item_detail

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  • modoodlesmodoodles member
    @Pascal86 I also have never had/used a baby monitor. I'm thinking we will just look for an inexpensive audio one for this baby since he will be on a separate floor at night, and I dont want to sleep through MOTN wake ups/when he needs to eat. But honestly, my older kiddos were on a separate floor and I didnt use one then either, and never had a problem.waking up at night... yeah, we may skip this as well. 
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  • kc0711kc0711 member
    I have a wyze camera and I absolutely love it! It’s $20, I mean you cannot beat that. DH also works in software security, so I have no fears about our network being hacked. The picture and sound are great, when we started putting her in her crib I could zoom all the way in and see her breathe. Both DH and I can pull it up on our phone, and we have an iPad out in our living room set to it. All of us can be on at the same time and it doesn’t bump us off. You can set for audio and movement alerts, but we have a small house, so we don’t really need it. I will be purchasing a second one for this babe, and I’m interested to see how the toggle feature works between the two cameras, so tbd. I know you can do it, but can’t speak to how that feature works just yet. 
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  • kristinl492kristinl492 member
    @kc0711 ooh, a friend of mine has been using the same camera (I think) and I’ve been pretty impressed. She’s shared a couple Instagram stories showing both of her kids sleeping and toggled back and forth between the two rooms and it seemed super easy. That’s what caught my eye about it!
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  • mrsdrezmrsdrez member
    edited February 2020
    We have a vtech something or other (I linked it in the spoiler). It came with two cameras so we will be keeping it for our second. We've used the second camera as a travel camera and we've been able to switch between them with ease. It's the only one we've used and haven't really had a problem with it. The battery isn't crazy great, it usually lasts a few hours (and it usually dies right around the time I should also be going to bed myself). It has a zoom feature which is alright, a microphone feature which we've never used, it also has the feature where it turns off until it hears sound (and you can set how sensitive you want it). The range is ok, it reaches all the way to the campfire at camp and so far that's good enough :D . Nowadays I keep the video on all night, but keep the sound off because DD's room is right next to ours. I personally love having the video because I like to be able to see her and not just hear her, it gives me better indication if there's anyyy chance she will fall back asleep.. which for me is key. When I was looking for the link I saw some with bigger screens which maybe would be better. My parents and in-laws think the video monitors are the best thing since sliced bread. My MIL is still amazed by it and it was the first gift she bought my SIL when she was expecting lol 

    ETA spoiler! HAHA 

    https://www.walmart.ca/en/ip/vtech-vm320-full-colour-video-and-audio-monitor/6000198196817 


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  • kc0711kc0711 member
    @kristinl492 good to know! I figure for the price point we have to try it, but I have high hopes it’ll work. 
    Also, mom hack. So you go on vacation and didn’t bring a monitor and want to walk away from baby for a bit. I call DH’s phone, mute his phone, and leave my phone in with baby. Voila, audio monitor!! Works like a charm. 
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  • nursejenn5nursejenn5 member
    So now with looking into more of the other options people are mentioning. I have some questions on your guys' opinions.
    I originally wasn't wanting a camera that I had to use my phone to be hearing/seeing baby. But now I kind of like the idea of being able to check out the camera from anywhere I am (I also have a coworker that she'll occasionally check up on dad and babe on her night shifts through her phone). With this, do some of these programs(i'm assuming they're apps you'd download) let you know that there is motion/sound through a notification if you're not directly on the app staring? Or so you need to just have it open to watch/hear. 

    I was also originally kind of nervous about the wifi situation as well. Our area has two options for wifi, one shitty company that has a monopoly and does what they want and the other that isn't currently available in our neighborhood. Our poopy wifi is generally pretty reliable, but some days it goes out with no notice. (we also have a relatively small one floor house, so if it was out I guess it isn't a super big deal cause we can hear everything everywhere)
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  • kc0711kc0711 member
    @nursejenn5 for ours, you can set the notifications to alert you. I have it turned off, it was too sensitive and my daughter is a rolly polly in her crib so it went off all the time. In our house right now, she is right across the hall from us and I can practically hear her hiccup. The only time I use the sound on the monitor is when we are outside after we put her to bed. And I’ll be honest, I used to keep the app up and running and my
    phone face down on the night stand so I could check it all the time and I don’t anymore. Now the only time I run it all night is when DH is out of town and it’s just us. If I hear her, I open the app and check to see if she needs me or is just getting resettled. Mom ears hear a kid better than any monitor  ;)
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  • mrsdrezmrsdrez member
    @kc0711 At my house these days I've been finding it particularly amazing how much more mom ears can hear than dad ears  ;) 
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  • kc0711kc0711 member
    @mrsdrez ALWAYS!!! Ugh so annoying! I don’t get it. 
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