Product spotlight: Baby Monitors 5/26

carrotsandpeas3 · May 2020

Camera? Audio only? No monitor at all? Let's hear it.

carrotsandpeas3 · May 2020

I wanted to try a camera monitor with my DD but really struggled with the price tag of most of them with all the other big purchases we had with a first baby. I also didn't want one with wifi because stories of them being hacked freaked me out. I ended up finding this (probably chinese knockoff?) on Amazon and we've been using it for almost 2 years now and have been really pleased with it. We ended up with DD in the nursery by week 3 so I was really happy to have an easy way to see/hear her overnight right away. We only use it randomly to check on DD now if I want to see if she's awake, etc and not overnight anymore, so I don't think I will buy a second for new baby. Once we move DD to her new big girl room, she will be off the monitor, or I will stick a cheap audio only monitor in there if it becomes a problem. https://www.amazon.com/ISEE-Video-Baby-Monitor-Cameras/dp/B07CHN65R5/ref=sr_1_9?dchild=1&keywords=baby+video+monitor+aivn&qid=1590497528&sr=8-9

babyodo · May 2020

We registered for the Lefun Wireless IP Security Camera. I think I chose that one because it was recommended in an listicle on Babylist. I liked that it's not super expensive (around $30), but am open to other monitors, as well. I've read some pretty alarming news stories about people hacking into WiFi baby monitors, so I will make sure to use a strong password and change it often.

Does anyone have any experience/opinions on the Owlet Smart Sock Baby Monitor? One friend of mine who had her son in October 2018 swears by it, but I have other friends who say it wasn't worth it, so I'm torn.

carrotsandpeas3 · May 2020

@babyodo I personally think the Owlet would have just made me more anxious and the pediatricians I have talked to are against it. I also know people who have really struggled to stop using it because they are so anxious and dependent on monitoring their child. I have a friend whose child is almost 2, and she's still attempting to use it. I totally understand when kids are premature or have other health problems that make the monitor more helpful or necessary, but I think for term, healthy infants, it just introduces another thing to be anxious about and to have to deal with. I know others probably have other opinions on it in different scenarios, but it was not something I ever thought was necessary.

themoonandme · May 2020

If you're not set on having a video monitor, I highly recommend getting the Hatch Rest+. It's a sound machine and nightlight that has audio monitor capabilities as well. You can turn off the sound or light if you don't want to use that part and it's all controlled from your phone. I'm in love with ours (we have one for each kid's room).

wineren · May 2020

We had/have a summer baby video monitor when my son was small. The video works but isn't the best quality, especially in the dark. I haven't used the video monitor since he was 18 months or so. We got a sound only monitor that's suuuuper loud for $19 because I was going to be gone and DH never woke up to the monitor we had, and now we rarely even use it. He's loud enough that if he wakes up I hear him 😆.
That said, I think that's one thing I'm going to splurge on for this LO. I really liked being able to see him breathe when I was anxious and monitor when he flipped over. I'm not sure what I'm going to go with get, but I would love a really clear video like I have seen on other people's.

Oh, I do totally recommend one that you can control sound with from either the control or your phone. Ours played a lullaby and it was 100% the best thing about it.

MJDsquared · May 2020

I have an Infant Optics one. It's fine, video quality isn't great and now about 2 years in the battery life on the screen thing is not great. Others from my previous BMB just bought home security cameras for like $50 that you can view on your phone and the quality is really good plus you can go back and look at recordings (which isn't really necessary, usually just when funny things happen or something, lol). I assume those are over wifi and I've read about the hacking camera stuff too so I don't know.

westslopemama · May 2020

I have never used a baby monitor with my son because our house is small and I can hear him no matter where I’m at. He also slept in our room until he was 10 months so I was always near him at night and I kept the door open during naps when he was a newborn so I could check on him if I wanted to. I’ve looked into getting a sound monitor now that’s he’s older since we might want to hang out in the backyard at night or if I want to work in the garden while he’s napping, but I haven’t purchased anything yet.

@babyodo I don’t have personal experience with the owlet, but my sister used one with her son. She was VERY anxious and had a hard time sleeping when he was little because she would just watch him on the monitor or when he was next to her. Her coworker loaned her the owlet and it let her sleep because she wasn’t so worried about him anymore. Maybe it’s something you wait to purchase until you see how you are handling things and get one if you think it could be helpful then. I thought I would be super anxious like my sister, but I found that I was much more relaxed.

coldbrew · May 2020

We have never done a video monitor. I
think I’m the only person I know who hasn’t haha. But we also keep our kids in our room per the AAP recommendations, so there’s no need.

Regarding the Owlet - The reason some pediatricians will recommend against it is because many parents are way too anxious and can’t troubleshoot them, and some people use it as a way to practice unsafe sleep. If you don’t put it on correctly it can give abnormally low readings/give false red alarms and then people panic and think they have to rush to the ER. Also, some people will think they put their baby in an unsafe sleep situation because the Owlet will let them know if something bad happens.

If you are not one of those kinds of moms, it is an amazing tool! We didn’t have it for DD1 and I was an anxious wreck during the first 6ish months worried about sleep. DD2 had a slew of medical issues and you’d think I would’ve been worse with her, but I was fine because the Owlet gave me peace of mind. It also actually picked up on some O2 desaturations she was having and without it she may have not gotten the surgery she needed in time.

baseballismyfavoriteseason · May 2020

We have the Infant Optics DXR-8 video monitor. What I love: NOT wifi-connected (similar to what others have said, terrified of people hacking into the monitor), the display can be set to time out to conserve battery life, there are lights that indicate volume visually so I can turn off the screaming but still know when he’s gone quiet, room temperature displays, zoom, camera can move, can add more cameras to the same monitor piece. What I don’t love: battery life is pretty terrible on the monitor itself.

Didn’t use an owlet. Considered it but I fall into the category of moms that it would make more anxious: is it on right? Is it still working? Etc etc.

@themoonandme I have an older version of the Hatch Rest that doesn’t have a monitor! I’m jealous. 😂

westslopemama · May 2020

@themoonandme is the Hatch Rest+ charged by usb, plug in or battery operated? I’d love to find something that is either rechargeable or battery operated. Also do you just download an app on your phone to access the sound machine?

babycakesday · May 2020

We bought one with no WiFi during Black Friday. It was Motorola brand and it was $100 instead of $179. It had two cameras so I had one set up on our room where she slept until she was almost 1 and the other one in her room where she napped sometimes. We could control it and it had a sound machine. The biggest downside is the monitor fell twice and the screen broke.

morethanamama · May 2020

I'm team infant optics. Yes, battery life isn't great but I've gotten one extra battery on Amazon for $9 and it's worked just fine. I don't have one of the fancy video monitor so I can't speak for the video quality but it's been more than good enough for us. Even with him in our room, I still needed a monitor because I wasn't always there for naps and even at bedtime my H and I would be in the living room watching TV or eating. I'm paranoid about the breathing so I was checking him constantly.

Another plus is you can use a non wifi monitor when traveling which has been awesome for us. Last year we went on a cruise and the infant optics worked great for my in laws who were in the room next to ours, or for when h and I would be outside on the balcony.

We were considering just getting another camera for it but we'll buy a second one instead since it's only $60 more. I plan on setting it up in our bedroom like last time, and I still like to have one in my son's room because sometimes he plays in there by himself during the day and I can check on him. But by now (almost 2) he'd be fine with just audio I think.

mamahosch · May 2020

We registered for the Motorola MBP36XL since we have a bigger house and need more range and when I was researching them, it was the one that hit all those needs for us. As far as i can tell it doesn’t use WiFi!

AB518 · May 2020

I never got a baby monitor for DS. I never felt the need for a monitor because he slept in my room for the first year and I kept him nearby during the day even when napping.

I'll probably get the Owlet this time because I feel like I would sleep better at night. I don't mind dealing with false alarms.

themoonandme · May 2020

@westslopemama it plugs in but you can also run it off of battery (which recharges when it's plugged in). And yes- they have their own app where you can control everything- the sounds, color, on/off time, and monitor.

themoonandme · May 2020

@baseballismyfavoriteseason we have the older one too! It's in my oldest's room and I'm fine with not having a monitor there because he is the loudest sleeper of all time haha.

Product spotlight: Baby Monitors 5/26

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