(Part 2) Best baby monitors according to redditors
We found 347 Reddit comments discussing the best baby monitors. We ranked the 119 resulting products by number of redditors who mentioned them. Here are the products ranked 21-40. You can also go back to the previous section.
Not a stupid question! There are baby monitors that light up or vibrate when they detect noise (like this one.) They also come with belt clips, so the Deaf parents can attach it to themselves and go about their business during the baby's daytime naps.
We had the same wish list for a monitor for our second, due in 3 weeks. I did a ton of research. We wanted, above all, the wifi ability to see on iPhones (at home and remotely) but also a monitor screen for babysitters, grandma, or when our phones are low on juice. The one we chose was the Motorola MBP85CONNECT Wi-Fi 3.5 Monitor & Camera
(The 3.5 inch is $181 on Amazon, while the larger one 4.3 inch is $299. The 2 camera 4.3 inch is $329. Babies R Us carries them all as but they seem more expensive there by 40-60 bucks)
It hits 4 of 5 of your points, including the availability of adding additional cameras to the network, pan tilt, wifi and monitor. The reviews .. Meh. 3 out of 5 stars on Amazon. Some positive, some negative of course and mixed. But the most common complaints weren't pain points for us (it's 720p, not incredible clarity but that's ok) and after a lot of experience with baby gear, I take Amazon reviews with a grain of salt. We are actually ordering it this week (last minute, that's totally how we are rolling with the second bambino) so I don't have it yet to report on not can I recommend it. There's a similar summer infant combo I wasn't thrilled with.
One alternative we looked at was buying a wifi only baby monitor and using an old tablet/ phone as a dedicated monitor. A second alternative we also looked at were wifi IP cameras, cameras that aren't specifically dedicated for baby monitoring (nor do they have monitor screens, and we would have done the old tablet/ phone deal). The quality of the camera is far superior if you go that route. Two decent options I've read about are the Nest dropcam pro and Icontrol Networks Piper nv- also ones made by foscam and d-link. For us, doing this Motorola one was less muss, less fuss. At the much higher price points, there may be wifi & monitor combo ones but we weren't looking to shell out a ton for a cutting edge security system. This one is cool with us. The complacency having the second child I suppose :)
http://www.amazon.com/Motorola-MBP85CONNECT-Wi-Fi-Monitor-Camera/dp/B00VC558JA?th=1&psc=1
I accidentally hit save, here are some more items you might want to register for:
Corner bumpers more of a concern when baby starts moving, but if you get it out of the way now you don't have to worry about it later. Same goes for plug covers and cabinet locks! Furniture anchors are a must-have, too. I haven't registered for those yet, need to figure out how many we need.
Pack'n'Play portable playpen, changing station, play mat, and bassinet. Even if you don't travel much, I think it will be handy for taking baby around the house while I do chores. They come in all kinds of designs, this one just stood out because of my nursery theme.
A glider or rocking chair, dresser/changing station, and crib. I don't have recommendations for these because I got mine as hand-downs.
Baby monitor I'm going with middle of the line video, because the audio only ones aren't much cheaper, so why not? I'd like to be able to peek in on baby and make sure he's okay without constantly disturbing him by entering the room. These come in all ranges with all kinds of features, so look at a few to figure out what you want.
Bibs. I love these because they have food-catchers. Mess will still happen, but it looks like these will at least lower the amount.
Infant soothie pacifiers
Breastfeeding pillow for sitting up Probably superfluous with the other one, but I like that it straps around your waist, cushions your back, and has pockets for drinks/snack/phone.
Pacifier clips, so you aren't knee deep in pacifiers that keep falling on the floor
Butt paste. I've heard a lot about this from other moms, apparently it's the best diaper cream.
Butt spatula admittedly I felt silly with this one, but the reviews are raving. Butt paste gets everywhere, and it's water resistant so an utter pain to clean - especially under your nails. On top of that, this makes sure you get a nice, even layer for baby's comfort.
Breastfeeding scarf! I think this thing is so neat, especially with a winter baby. You can wear it like an infinity scarf, but it'd big enough that when baby is ready to eat it will cover both of you comfortably! There are a lot of different styles, I picked a black one and a grey one just so they will go with any outfit.
Graco glider soother I picked this because I thought it was neat, then I saw a bumper with post partum advice list it on her must-have rundown.
Diaper bag! I went for the backpack style so DH and I could both comfortably use it, and honestly I don't want to deal with baby in one arm and an over-the-shoulder bag on the other.
First aid and grooming kit
Bottle sterilizer, because screw trying to hand wash them
Bottle warmer, no microwave/boiling water and guess
Bottles!
High chair. I picked this one because it is a 4-in-1, it adjusts from infant all the way up to toddler booster, so I know I'll get my use out of it.
Puj tub - it folds into your sink to be a warm, soft bathing surface for baby, and then when you're done you hang it flat in the shower, bo fuss, no mold!
I also registered at Target and BRU for some variety, some things that I don't have amazon links for:
Travel system.... I absolutely want one that is a carrier, clicks into a car base or a stroller. Getting two bases, one for each car, and the stroller base, would probably still be cheaper than buying two car seats, a carrier, and a stroller, and with these systems you don't have to wake baby up with every transistion.
Various cloth products, swaddlers, burp blankets, bath towels, bibs, etc. These are everywhere so just pick whatever suits you! I'm not registering for any clothes just because I know everyone is going to see "the cutest little onesie" and get it regardless.
Diapers! You can never have enough. I'd get a couple of packs from each size range. Don't open them until you know how big baby is, so you can exchange any that start too small.
Toys galore. Again, people will give you these registered or not, but if you see something that really strikes you, throw it in there! Jumpers and playpads are good to pick out.
Nursery decor - if you haven't gotten it all yet, black-out curtains, crib set, sheets, matress protectors, diaper genie, changing pad, laundry hamper, mobile, etc etc.
Books! Instead of cards, I'm going to ask people to bring inexpensive books with their personal note to baby, that way he can keep their messages as he grows. I put a good amount of books between $3-$6 on my registry for this, so hopefully we won't get a million copies of the same book.
This turned into an epic novel, but I hope it helps you with some starting places! Check out the reviews and similar products on things I linked, hopefully it will lead you to some things you like!
I was going to suggest the sonic boom baby monitor before I read your whole post. It does let you adjust the sensitivity, so you can calibrate it to only go off for a loud noise. The one thing I really hate about it is that once the signaler triggers, it keeps going until the noise stops or you unplug it. It really should have a 'Snooze' button or a trigger.
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If you don't want the baby crying to wake you up, maybe a cheap webcam is better. This one will link to an app on your phone. You can have it notify you when it detects motion.
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A more expensive option is the smart sock, which goes on the baby's foot and constantly monitors a bunch of health stats. It'll alert you via a phone app.
Until recently I had him in a vibrating bouncer chair in my bathroom, but lately I've been showering when he goes down for naps and I bring a video monitor in with me. I put it right outside the shower and peek out at it every so often.
I have only had to hop out of the shower when he's woken up one time so far, but this is the first week of me trying it.
edit: I have this one: https://www.amazon.com/SafeBabyTech-7-Inch-Monitor-Signal-Digital/dp/B01FL4KW3O/ref=sr_1_33?ie=UTF8&qid=1473460975&sr=8-33-spons&keywords=baby+video+monitor&psc=1
We recently started using it at night since he's ready for bed so early now.
Oh my god I can so relate to this. To get over it, I can't recommend this monitor enough. It beeps if no movement/breathing is detected for 15 seconds, and it's allowed me to feel so much better when the baby is sleeping. I see now that there is a version of this that comes with a video monitor, which I didn't see when I bought mine, but looks pretty awesome.
The one drawback to this monitor is that it's pretty stationary since it needs to be plugged in and there are cords, so it doesn't work if you have your baby sleeping in several places. For something more mobile, I've heard good things about the Snuza monitor that you clip onto the baby's diaper and it vibrates and has an alarm if it senses no movement.
Note that for both kinds of monitors, having anything that moves in the crib (like a mobile) or using it when baby is in a swing or bed sharing (in the case of the Snuza) can interfere with effectiveness.
Hope that helps!
https://www.amazon.ca/Toddlermonitor-Monitor-Smartphone-Enabled-Hanging/dp/B078RLZBZC/ref=mp_s_a_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1549761317&sr=8-2&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_FMwebp_QL65&keywords=Toddler+Monitor&dpPl=1&dpID=31lCg4OOp7L&ref=plSrch
Something like this might help to at least alert you when she leaves her room. Then you wouldn't have to worry about falling asleep.
AngelCare Amazon link
My son is 10 weeks old as of yesterday and I’m just starting to come out of those days, but I (like you) had someone watching my baby round the clock for the first 2 weeks (my Mum moved in with my husband and I, and they all went along with my request because otherwise I wouldn’t sleep at all). I also had really bad hallucinations from sleep deprivation, and lived in a steady state of a low grade panic attack for the first 5 weeks pretty much. I also was so worried about my cat hating me because normally he cuddled me in bed every night and now he was kicked out of the room! Add recovery to this process, times are tough, but babies change and grow everyday and it’s truly the most amazing thing. Because I was dealing with so much anxiety we have a family visitor coming as a resource, and she mentioned this to me angelcare baby monitor it alerts you if baby stops breathing or moving. I didn’t get it because my babe is a loud sleeper now so I hear him throughout the night usually, but you could give it a try. You are doing a great job though and it’s TOTALLY NORMAL to feel how you feel!!!
We have one from summer infant. I think it's this one. Mine looks exactly like that but idk if it's the exact model. We also didn't want one that ran on wifi. We didn't like the thought of someone being able to back into it. But someone ended up getting us one anyway. Long story short, my husband said we should give it a try. It was a pain in the ass. we have great wifi and it would freeze, lose picture, or just altogether not have a signal. We ended up returning it and getting the one I linked.
The one I linked also has cameras that move and he ability to talk back to the baby. Now that my daughter is a little older I can talk to her if she's in her crib.
We’ve used one of these with both of our children. The peace of mind that the motion sensor pad gives us is priceless.
Angelcare Baby Monitor with Video and Breathing Sensor Pad (AC517) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01LY43GSK/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_ThO6CbK83YMWN
We tried singing but he got bored of that and I ended up using one of these (don't buy this) https://www.amazon.com/Monitor-Adjustable-Flexible-Compatible-Monitors/dp/B07K1TM32H to hold the cell phone in place while it played some songs he likes off youtube. Otherwise he's lifting his butt off the bed until hes upside down or flipping over the second you let go. Worked like a charm lol.
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Edit: Wait don't buy that crap! 100% fake reviews. This one passed my fake review checker
https://www.amazon.com/FlexxiCam-Universal-Camera-Infant-Monitor/dp/B075JZW78F/ref=sr_1_2?keywords=baby+monitor+mount&qid=1556818381&s=baby-products&sr=1-2
https://www.amazon.com/Monitor-Wireless-Infrared-Temperature-Lullabies/dp/B07RJC5K13
I bought this after searching endlessly for a decent monitor at a good price.
It operates on FHSS (radio waves) instead of WIFI so it can’t be hacked and it doesn’t depend on my WIFI for a connection. My WIFI cuts out from
time to time so using it was a no go. This thing keeps a completely clear connection even when I’m outside my house. It’s never cut out on me. I live in a ranch home and I’ve seriously carried this thing from one end to the other, out the door, and across our driveway, my WIFI doesn’t even make it close to that far.
It’s not super fancy, you can zoom in on the camera but you can’t pan the room or anything. The photo is clear, even at night, and I can see my daughter breathing. The temp seems accurate. The night vision works well. The battery seems to have a lot of life. The sound is clear. No complaints. I’d buy it again for sure.
Also, it’s cheap.
We got this one that is just the camera (you use your phone as a monitor), which is currently $70 - I got it for $50 on cyber monday, so if you watch it it might go down again. We like it pretty well so far, no problems.
They market it as the “baby cry signaler” but it’s adjustable to what it picks up by a dial on the bottom.
Sonic Bomb Baby Cry Signaler https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00494MBK0/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_SB.KDbK9M7WD2
We have this one: https://www.amazon.com/iBaby-Wireless-Digital-Camera-Vision/dp/B00N0OKGBG. The reviews aren't universally good, but it has worked great for us.
I’ve been using Peteme Baby Monitor 1080P FHD... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07RKJN7FY?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share
Seems to work pretty decently so far. No problems for me. It was only about $35 when I bought it. I wasn’t expecting much, but I’m pleasantly surprised with it.
Congratulations on the kid!
I know of this. It's not the prettiest but it gets the job
done. It lights up with brightness based off noise level.
https://www.amazon.com/Secure-Coverage-Digital-Monitor-Parent/dp/B004AHKUHW/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1331561123&sr=8-1
I could also suggest a video monitor as well to be able to see inside the room as that might be helpful too.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0061PIHOE/ref=pd_aw_sbs_5?pi=SL500_SY115&simLd=1
We registered for it. Still working after 2 years used every night.
We have this one. It probably has a too few many bells and whistles but having a good, long-lasting rechargeable parent until is good. We use a cheaper one at my parents lake house and it eats up regular batteries very quickly.
I've got one of these Motorola monitors. No Wifi, and someone would have to be sitting directly outside of the house to hack it (which is a whole other thing). It works great for what we need it for, no problems at all the last 9 months, and it's not too bad on the budget compared to some others.
We've got this one. I like that it has night vision, can switch back and forth between the two cameras (one for each kid), I can zoom in, and I can talk to them through the monitor.
I had an Angelcare - it's a flat panel that goes under the mattress. I used it in both a co-sleeper and a crib and it worked fine in both. Occasionally you get false alarms (like if baby manages to get himself tucked into a corner) but I would rather have a couple false alarms and not worry the rest of the time. This is the one I had - it's the base model. There are others available with more features. http://www.amazon.com/Angelcare-Movement-Only-Monitor-White/dp/B00GU08JFW/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1412351159&sr=8-5&keywords=angelcare+monitor
I’m considering the angelcare 3 in 1
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07RGLNKSV/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_FDt4Db51NHXN2
Or the one that also does temperature
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07RDLV2X9/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_nEt4DbZFHJZXJ
I like the peace of mind I’ll get from the breathing monitoring, and the video will let me keep an eye on baby from another room. I also prefer one that’s not on my phone but a separate unit, in part because I don’t want to waste phone battery with that and also I keep my phone on do not disturb at night and not sure how that’d work if it was the receiver for the monitor. It also makes it easier to have a babysitter, they don’t need to download and set up an app, you can just hand them the receiver.
We have a Levana Astra. I love it! It using its own wireless so no creepers can access it through the internet. The monitor has controls to move the camera around and the night vision works really well. Its sensitive enough to know the difference between a white noise machine and the baby crying so in power saving mode the noise machine doesn't trigger it.
Edit: You can also talk through it, but just a word of warning the speaker in the camera isn't that great and kinda makes your voice sound strange and could scare the baby. We don't use that feature.
not homekit but i just saw this on tv
https://www.amazon.ca/AS-SEEN-DRAGONS-DEN-Toddler/dp/B078RLZBZC
The nursery is basically my daughter's nursery with some girly details switched out for boyish ones.
We didn't have the budget to buy new, and are "reuse what is use-able" people anyways. Nursery furniture are largely hand me downs and craigslist finds, and the furniture in my daughter's (19 month) "big girl" room was all built by my husband! With an eye towards the montesorri style, i.e., a tiny armoire that is her size! Back before my daughter was born, my husband also painted the mural in the nursery and made the mountain wall art, and we worked together to make the wall piece featuring the post cards from the 22 national parks we visited on our honeymoon.
I'm not that big on the rug in baby boy's room (I prefer something easier to clean) ... but it was in our home office and my husband pushed to reuse it.
In my daughter's room, I need someone with a better eye for such things to arrange the gauze, I basically threw it up there for this picture. We also plan to paint the hand me down kid's table a different (solid) color.
Top Five links, per the new rules (amazon FTW!):
We've got the Levana Astra!. It's pretty darn good. We use black out curtains in his room and the night vision is really clear. The pan/zoom is easy to figure out and use too. There's stuff on it we don't use, like a intercom thingy and I think some kind of lullaby setting? But I'm able to hang out on the front porch and even the corner of our backyard and we're still in range so I really like it.
You're probably better off getting separate devices. The IP cameras are not stable enough in my opinion to be relied on (what happens when the camera locks up or the often-poorly-written software crashes?), whereas the standard audio monitors don't have that issue.
I ended up getting a Foscam camera and a Philips Avent DECT audio monitor.
Check out the Summer Infant Dual View. It has one monitor with two cameras. We have used it for 7 months now and it's great.
I have the iBaby Monitor. It sends the audio/video to your smart phone or tablet and also has an option to send notifications for movement and sound. You can set the sensitivity for movement and then have it set off an alarm when it detects movement or even just send you a push notification. I ended up turning off the notifications for movement because my daughter moves a lot without waking, but it sounds like it may be a useful feature for your situation.
Which one do you have? I have this one and it works great. No interference that I can tell from mine.
By two rooms do you mean two cameras?
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If you don't mean that, and only need one camera, I LOVE this one. We've had it a year, and it works great. My only complaint about it is the lowest screen dim setting isn't that dim at all.
Yea I think I am leaning towards this right now:
Motorola MBP853CONNECT-2 Dual Mode Baby Monitor with 2 Cameras and 3.5-Inch LCD Parent Monitor and Wi-Fi Internet Viewing sale price (2 camera set) $240
It can be used with just the monitor and no wifi so it does not have most of the security issues discussed in that article. But we can still turn on the wifi so I can check in when I am out of town on work trips.
This seems to have everything I am looking for. Pan/Tilt, night vision. 2way audio, its own monitor device, plus an optional viewing app (so even if the app is trash and crashes often the handheld monitor should be reliable).