What is a Baby Monitor?

A baby monitor is a device that allows you to hear and see your child when they are in another room. It means you can see or hear your baby anytime she wakes up or screams, no matter where you are in the house or, with some newer apps, even if you're thousands of miles away!

They're fantastic at putting parents' minds at ease.

For the nursery (called the baby unit), most recent models include a base station transmitter with a microphone and camera, as well as a portable speaker that you can carry around with you (called the parent unit).

Do You Need a Baby Monitor?

You probably don't need a monitor if you sleep in the same room as your infant or live in a compact environment where you can always hear or see what your kid is up to. Aside from that, most parents appreciate the convenience that a baby monitor provides. Instead of having to be close to the nursery or continuously checking on your baby, you may relax, watch Netflix, or get some work done around the home whenever baby is sleeping. When you're not at home, monitors can also be used as a nanny cam to keep an eye on your child and their caregiver.

What You Should Know.

The purpose of a monitor is to communicate audible and, in the case of video models, visual information. The challenge is to locate a monitor that works with little interference from other nearby electronic items and transmitters, such as older cordless phones that may use the same frequency bands as your monitor.

Your neighbor's discussions (or even their baby's babble) can cause audio interference in a variety of ways. That makes deciphering the sounds emanating from your own baby monitor difficult, if not impossible.

Interference on a television display can result in shaky reception or, even worse, images from other people's homes (and vice versa).

Overall, baby monitors are as finicky as a two year old. The most common issue is interference, although parents often worry about limited visibility, a shorter-than-expected reception range, and short battery life. Choose a monitor with caution, and be sure you'll be able to return it if it fails to meet your expectations.

Types of Baby Monitors

When you boil it down, there are essentially three baby monitor options.

Audio Baby Monitors

When you think about baby monitors, this is probably what comes to mind. These simple devices send sound from the nursery to a receiver that you keep nearby. They don't have a lot of unique features, and their selection is quite limited.

Video-Audio Baby Monitors

Over the last few years, these units have become increasingly popular. They come with a handy webcam that allows you to see and hear your child. Some cameras have restricted video capabilities (for example, you'll see your sleeping infant), while others can capture the entire room (for example, your toddler after he sneaked out of bed to play). Many of them can even see in the dark.

Baby Movement and Vitals Monitors

These cutting-edge monitors provide complete peace of mind. These devices can track a variety of parameters, including a baby's movement, respiration, heart rate, and more, using either sensors or wearables. Some don't have sound or video capabilities, so be sure you choose the right one if that's what you want.

Monitors and safety

According to the Juvenile Products Manufacturers Association, you should always put the monitor camera at least three feet away from the crib, never inside or on the crib's edge (JPMA). (Keep in mind that as your baby becomes older and more mobile, your monitor position may need to be adjusted again.) Make sure any cords or wires are out of reach of your child as well.

Finally, while a monitor can be beneficial, it isn't a replacement for good sleep habits and parental supervision. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), you should always put your baby to sleep on her back and keep all other objects out of the crib, such as cushions, blankets, bumpers, and plush toys. When your baby is awake, never rely on your monitor to keep an eye on her. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, there is no conclusive evidence that sleep apnea monitors or monitors that track your baby's breathing can help avoid Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. Some of the monitors on our list track baby's breathing and heart rate, but we recommend them because they are otherwise wonderful products for parents to monitor their newborns while they sleep, not because they include those functions.

Things to Consider

Location

To begin, consider where you'll set the device's camera unit to get a good view of the cot. If you don't have any high-level furniture to place the camera on for a better perspective, you'll have to wall mount it – just make sure the model you purchase is wall-mountable and has appropriate screw mounts. You'll also need to connect the camera unit to a power source. This may necessitate the use of an extension cord. In any case, any cables must be properly tacked to the wall to eliminate choking hazards.

Range

Depending on the size of your home, you may require a baby monitor with a range that spans numerous floors. Thicker walls can also interfere with weak signals, though this is difficult to tell until you have a monitor up and running. In general, cheaper models will have a shorter range.

Temperature

You're in luck if you want your baby monitor to notify you how hot or cold your baby's room is: many baby monitors provide this capability. You'll probably have to spend a little more for it, but it'll save you from having to buy another baby thermometer.

One-way or two-way audio

Consider whether using a two-way audio system to communicate with your infant will be beneficial. Even if it's through an intercom, singing your child back to sleep could save you hours of schlepping up and down the stairs.

Lights and music

Several baby monitors have features meant to lull your baby to sleep at the touch of a button, ranging from the ability to project a light show on the wall of your baby's room to in-built music and lullabies that play when your baby cries or when you click a button on the main device.

✔ Basic and budget friendly

✔ Completely digital transmission eliminates background noise and static

✔ Graphic bars on the parent monitor show the level of sound in the baby’s room, even when muted

✔ Includes belt clip

2. Motorola Digital Audio Travel Baby Monitor

✔ Range of up to 165 feet

✔ Both parent and baby units feature AC adapter plugs instead of batteries

✔ High sensitivity microphone and out of range alert

✔ Nightlight on the baby’s unit

3. Vtech DM221 Audio Baby Monitor

✔ Digital, static-free transmissions; range of 160 feet (indoors) or up to 1,000 feet (outdoors)

✔ Parent unit runs on two AAA batteries (sold separately)

✔ Intercom talk-back feature to soothe baby remotely

✔ Five LED lights display the level of sound in the baby’s room even when the unit is muted; includes vibrate mode option

4. VTech Enhanced Range Digital Audio Baby Monitor

✔ Enhanced range of up to 1,500 feet away

✔ Night light, create a soothing glow for your baby to fall asleep faster

✔ Clear audio

✔ Both the parent and baby units include a rechargeable battery

✔ Lullabies and soothing sounds play right from the baby unit, giving you another soothing option

✔ Low price

5. Motorola AM24 Audio Baby Monitor with LCD Screen

✔ Strong connection that uses DECT technology to keep you connected to your baby, without interfering with your Wi-Fi frequency

✔ Long range up to 1000 foot range

✔ Room temperature monitoring ensures a better sleep quality for your baby

✔ Two-way talk - calm them down from afar using the built-in microphone

✔ Out of range and low battery alerts

✔ Secure connection and long range (hack-free security/surveillance monitor, featuring a range of 960 feet)

✔ Quality image day and night (high-quality LCD screen)

✔ Ultimate comfort and true peace of mind (hear your baby with crystal clear sound quality and talk to your baby or play lullabies and white noise to soothe your baby)

✔ Manual pan and tilt in all directions

✔ ECO mode that turns the screen off if no sound is detected from your baby's room

✔ Stay connected to your baby—put your little one to sleep with pre-programmed lullabies, temperature reading, and even lets you set up feeding/medication/diaper changing scheduled alerts

2. Lollipop Smart Baby Camera

✔ Option to keep the WiFi connection private

✔ The mobile app is easy to use and has plenty of features

✔ Intuitive navigation when using multiple cameras

✔ Audio and video quality is excellent

✔ Excellent value for money

3. Eufy SpaceView Pro Baby Monitor

✔ No Wi-Fi compatibility

✔ Exceptional visual coverage

✔ Camera pans and zooms

✔ Room temperature monitoring

✔ 30-hour battery life

4. Infant Optics DXR-8 Video Baby Monitor

✔ Three interchangeable lenses (wide angle sold separately) let you customize your view

✔ Large 3.5 inch LCD color screen

✔ Remote pan/zoom/tilt, talk-back function, infrared night vision, room temperature monitoring

✔ Multi-camera functionality so you can have several cameras (sold separately) linked to one monitor

5. Nanit Pro Smart Baby Monitor & Wall Mount

✔ HD wireless streaming to your phone with zoom and night vision; soft night light projects onto ceiling, not into baby’s eyes

✔ Over-crib mount allows unobstructed view of baby (floor stand also available)

✔ Wireless video streaming to your device

✔ Purchase includes one year of sleep insights and 30 days rolling video and data storage on secure server; additional insights available for purchase

✔ Clips onto baby’s diaper or waistband and monitors abdominal movement

✔ Vibrates if it detects no motion for 15 seconds (vibration often startles the baby to resume movement)

✔ Easily portable

✔ No video monitor component

✔ Battery life (2,000 hours)

2. Angelcare 3-in-1 Baby Monitor with Movement Tracking

✔ High sensitivity sound monitor and under the mattress Movement Sensor Pad with adjustable sensitivity settings

✔ Two full-color digital display parent monitor units featuring low battery alert, nursery temperature display, out of range indicator, and more

✔ Receive an alert if no motion for 20 seconds

✔ Nursery monitor emits a gentle glow for easy navigating in the dark

3. Miku Pro Smart Baby Monitor

✔ Wi-Fi support

✔ Subscription-free sleep insights and analytics

✔ Breathing monitoring (No wires or wearables needed for tracking)

✔ Room condition monitoring

✔ Sleep analytics

4. Nanit Pro Complete Baby Monitoring System

✔ 1080p HD video stream

✔ Wi-Fi compatibility

✔ App subscription is free for the first year; $50 to $300 per year after)

✔ Breathing monitoring

✔ Room condition monitoring

✔ Sleep analytics and growth tracking

✔ Real-time sound and motion notifications alert you if your baby wakes up or moves around

✔ 256-bit encryption and two-factor verification will keep your video stream secure

5. Babysense 7 Baby Movement Monitor

✔ Most affordable video monitor + movement tracker on our list

✔ No wearables—sensors go under the crib mattress