Product Spotlight: Baby Monitors w/o 3-15

krash_ · March 2021

This is a place for FTMs to ask questions and S+TMs to share the wealth of knowledge they've accumulated on baby products. Each week we'll spotlight a new category of product to help streamline and make it easier to refer back. This week it's.... baby monitors!

Please use the prompts below to try to share as much relevant info as you can in a format that is easy for those reading to absorb/respond to. If you'd like to recommend/ask questions about more than one product, please copy/paste the prompts as needed.

For S+TMs:

Favorite [Baby Monitor]:
Link/picture:
Cost (either actual dollar amount, or just $, $$, $$$, etc.):
What you like about it:
What you don't like about it, if anything:
Is there a [Baby Monitor] you don't have but are considering? Why?:
Additional thoughts on [Baby Monitor]:

For FTMs:

[Baby Monitor] you're interested in:
Link/picture:
Cost (either actual dollar amount, or just $, $$, $$$, etc.):
Any questions about it/them for S+TMs?:

Here is the schedule for the product spotlights to keep track of the topics and threads: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1BFKfcrp0DX8dvYklwMEyqaex6ixXUoJ2zRbYirApXd4/edit?usp=sharing

agea · March 2021

We love the Nest. When they’re infants we also have a non WiFi monitor that stays on all night but have never found a “great” one. They all have their issues.

williams-jen · March 2021

I have the Motorola MBP36XL 5” monitor. It gets great range: my son’s room is upstairs, and we can get signal all around the yard, even out on the dock.
I’m interested in trying the Owlet cam since I already have an owlet monitor, and I’d like one that has WiFi capability.

krash_ · March 2021

Favorite [Baby Monitor]: Infant Optics
Link/picture: https://www.amazon.com/Infant-Optics-DXR-8-Monitor-Interchangeable/dp/B00ECHYTBI/ref=sr_1_3?crid=2RF8VMB9ONTBN&dchild=1&keywords=infant+optics+baby+monitor&qid=1615915672&sprefix=infant+optics,aps,197&sr=8-3
Cost (either actual dollar amount, or just $, $$, $$$, etc.): $160
What you like about it: It has good range, we can take it outside and shovel snow or sit by the fire. The picture is pretty good and I like that it has full tilt, zoom and pan so we can move it around and zoom in based on where he ended up in the crib. A big feature for us with younger babies is the temperature reading. Our furnace can be finicky so it will feel comfortable in the rest of the house but with the door closed in DS's room it would be as much as 10 degrees colder. I also liked it wasn't wifi if our internet went out and was easy for baby sitters to just have the monitor screen.
What you don't like about it, if anything: it's not wifi so we couldn't check in on him if we went on a date and some times we would go over to the neighbors patio in the summer and it was out of range so we couldn't keep an eye on him. Also the battery dies pretty quickly but you can buy a new battery on amazon for under $10.
Is there a [Baby Monitor] you don't have but are considering? Why?: no but I could be convinced
Additional thoughts on [Baby Monitor]: We ended up getting a cheap Wyze cam from amazon for a wifi camera. As DS has gotten older we haven't needed a much constant monitoring so I'm not concerned about loosing the connection. For awhile we had both monitors up so we could use the wifi monitor while at the neighbors or on a date but we don't go anywhere anymore so we just have the Wyze cam up.

@williams-jen I wonder if the Owlet cam easily connects if you have an older Owlet. We have the Sock 2 from 2018. Idk if there would be any issues having bought the cam and the sock separately.

williams-jen · March 2021

@krash_ from what I’ve been looking into, it should integrate just fine with the Sock 2 because the camera came out before the sock 3. I also have the sock 2 model

whatabout2ndbreakfast · March 2021

Favorite [Baby Monitor]: we only ever used this vtech audio only monitor for the boys and honestly didn’t use a monitor much for #2, but our house is small 🤷‍♀️
Link/picture: VTech DM221 Audio Baby Monitor with up to 1,000 ft of Range, Vibrating Sound-Alert, Talk Back Intercom & Night Light Loop, White/Silver https://www.amazon.com/dp/B007NG5UF4/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_fabc_W75NGY8SK623GY204QCE
Cost (either actual dollar amount, or just $, $$, $$$, etc.): $
What you like about it: that it was audio only, the light up bar at the top if you mute it, and you can talk back like a walk-in talkie
What you don't like about it, if anything: it’s kinda ugly 😂 but the range is decent.
Is there a [Baby Monitor] you don't have but are considering? Why?: I thought about the owlet sock but didn’t pull the trigger. A camera cam might be fun with the boys

paulpaw · March 2021

My experience with traditional video baby monitors is they last about a year regardless of which one you get.

Anyone have experience using Wyze cameras as a monitor? I wanted to try those with my son but he’s old enough now that I just use cheap Amazon monitors until they die. I don’t really need to see him but we do talk back and forth through it.

krash_ · March 2021

@paulpaw yes we use Wyze cameras all over our house including in DS's room. The picture is good but the audio isn't great. On the stationary cameras you can barely hear anything. The ones that pan are better for audio but I'm not sure I would use them for a baby unless you have a pretty small house and can just hear them crying anyway.

paulpaw · March 2021

@krash_ so sounds like you still need audio through a traditional monitor. Thanks!

chewie5990 · March 2021

We had a summer infant video monitor for DS1 and it was fantastic! We had it for 4 years until DS threw it down the stairs and it broke...now they don't make that model anymore! We haven't used a monitor for DS2 yet, but I want to get another video one when we move the new baby into DS2's room so I will know who is crying and want one for when DS2 moves out of the crib. DH is adamantly against WIFI monitors so I need to try and find a regular video one that works decent enough.

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