Choosing a baby monitor isn’t easy. There are so many features that sound useful. We take a look at which ones we’re prioritising and what to consider in a baby monitor.
What is a Baby Monitor
A baby monitor is a gadget that allows you to keep an eye on your baby when they’re sleeping (or supposed to be sleeping). The intention is to give you peace of mind. So you don’t feel the need to go in and check on them as much. Although, we’ll probably still check on them a lot.
These devices can use audio or video which is sent to a unit that the parent keeps in another room. There are a lot of different options out there. But, which one is right for you will depend on your priorities and personalities.
Baby Monitor Features
Audio
I don’t think you’ll find a baby monitor without audio monitoring. But it is a feature. You’ll be able to hear your baby.
2-Way Audio
Some monitors can serve as a walkie-talkie. So, you can talk to your baby (if you want to) without going into the room. You could soothe them back to sleep from afar.
Night Light
A built-in night light can help your baby drift off to sleep. Not all children sleep better with a night light. But, who knows if yours will.
Video
A video monitor lets you see your baby from another room. But this is about which is the lesser evil for you. With a video monitor, will you be looking at it constantly? Without one, will you go into the baby’s room too much?
Video On Mobile App
If the battery on the main video display runs out, you could check your phone. You could even check while you’re away. But maybe that’s too much monitoring for you.
Temperature
Some monitors show the room temperature and notify you if it is too hot or cold. The chance of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) is higher in babies who get too hot. So, aim for around 18°C (64.4°F).
Music
Having a lullaby play from your monitor is a nice option to have.
Light Show
A built-in light projector to put some lights on the ceiling could help your baby drift off to sleep.
Sensor Pad
Some monitors come with a pad that goes under the mattress. In theory, the pad should alert you if your baby stops breathing. The idea is that this could prevent (SIDS).
A study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association in 2018 showed that baby monitors purchased by consumers do not accurately measure oxygen or heart rates. This essentially means that these sensors could just be giving a false sense of security. Although, sometimes, even unfounded reassurance could help some parents.
A common problem with these pads is false alarms caused by a moving baby. I’ve even seen reports that the wearable options (like socks) also aren’t always accurate. Additionally, you can read this account of a dad and his smart monitoring regret.
Range
The range of a baby monitor indicates how far you can travel with the parent unit and still receive an accurate signal. Remember, there is no “essential” range. Think about the size of your home and garden. That will determine how much range you’ll need.
What We’ve Decided
This turned out to be a little more tricky than we expected. We think we’re in a good position to choose the right option for us and we know what to consider in a baby monitor.
Before this research, we knew we wanted a sensor pad and were looking at this option from AngelCare. Mrs Wrincs’ sister had a similar one and she said it was great for a while. But a few false alarms put them on edge and they stopped using it. There doesn’t seem to be any significant evidence that they reduce the SIDS rate. Finally, we asked our midwife. She said the NHS specifically say not to recommend them. With no evidence they reduce the rate of SIDS and a lack of accuracy, it was more than just not being worth the money. Our midwife said she’d heard some suggestions that the false sense of security led to a possible increase in the SIDS rate. That was just what she’d heard but all of this was enough for us. So, we’ve decided to go without a sensor pad. Shows what we knew.
We want a video monitor. Although we might check it a lot, it might help us go into Burt’s room a little less. We also, ideally want to be able to check it on our phones.
Finally, we think it’s important to get a temperature reading.
The other features will be a bonus, but we don’t deem them essential.
Monitors We’ll Look Out For
We’ll set up price alerts for this one and this one, both from BT. They’re video monitors, you can see the video on your phone and check the temperature.
We have also considered getting a fairly basic one from Amazon and using a separate camera that can show the whole room and make the footage available to our phones. Something like this one from Eufy.
Price Tracking and Alerts
In this post, I’ve mentioned a few times about setting up price alerts. There are a few options out there. But, for Amazon products, I use camelcamelcamel. This site allows you to see price history charts and receive notifications if the price drops below any amount you set.
You should also know that the Amazon Prime Day sales will be on next Monday and Tuesday (21st & 22nd June 2021). Sales like Prime Day, Black Friday and others don’t always give the lowest possible prices. But if you’re expecting and know you need to get some stuff from Amazon it could be a great way to save a little money.
Setting some alerts on camelcamelcamel ahead of Prime Day could be well worth sorting out this week.
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