There are a plethora of baby monitors out there vying for your hard-earned cash. With the ridiculous number of baby monitors on the market, it’s frustrating to figure out what features are worth spending cash on and which aren’t.
We knew we needed a baby monitor when our first baby was born but had no idea where to start looking or what other features we needed in our monitor.
Now that we’ve had 4 children (and currently pregnant with a 5th) we’ve had a lot of experience with baby monitors. We’ve used both audio and video monitors over the years.
The short answer is, there is no one-size-fits-all with baby monitors. It sounds counter-intuitive but the features that matter to you are, obviously, totally dependent on your situation, your budget, and what will give you the most peace of mind when you aren’t in the same room as your baby.
Peace of mind is where you should start your considerations.
First-time parents often want every safety feature available while parents who have been through the baby phase multiple times may find that features they once thought they would need or want turn out to not be necessary or even useful. Neither one is right or wrong. The features that will make you feel at ease are the features that you shouldn’t exclude!
Are Video Monitors Worth It?
While audio-only baby monitors were the standard for many years, full video monitors have now replaced them. We’ve used audio-only monitors in the past and, frankly, I wouldn’t recommend an audio-only monitor, unless that’s the only kind that you can afford.
When you are a tired parent running on very little sleep, a video monitor can save you an unneeded trip into the nursery. Babies sometimes stir and make noise while they sleep. An audio-only monitor will probably prompt you to check on your baby every time you hear something that seems unusual to you. A video monitor, on the other hand, gives you the option to take a glance at the screen instead. As a parent, you need all the sleep you can get. I’d put a quality video baby monitor right up there with a travel system as a necessary piece of baby gear.
Another thing I’ve noticed with video monitors is that you tend to hear less static AND you’re less likely to pick up a close neighbor’s feed. (Yes, that did happen with our old audio monitor!)
Do yourself a favor and get a video monitor. Even better, add a video monitor to your Target baby registry, and maybe someone else will buy it for you! You’ll be glad you did.
For us, the answer to the question, are video monitors worth is, is a resounding yes!
If you’re looking for a great video monitor, check out our review of the new Summer Infant Baby Pixel Touchscreen Color Video Monitor and our review of the Angelcare AC1120 Video Monitor.
I think they are so worth it!
We have never used a monitor of any kind with any of my three babies, but they have slept in our room at night (in the crib) and usually nap being held in or in a carrier.
These are so nice You can be in another room doing something and know what your baby is doing. I wish they had these when my boys were young. Thank you so much for sharing this
Video monitors are definitely worth it… nothing comes before our children safety.
I personally only used an old audio one with my first baby (I hardly used it too). I did not use a video or audio with my other two babies, however I can see why they would be so useful to have! I think it would be awesome to have a video one, to be able to watch them and see what they are doing. I have just always slept in the same room with my littles, some may frown upon it but it worked best for me. 🙂
I can see that these would provide such a sense of security and comfort for parents. If I had little ones, this is something I would get.
For our first 2, we used an audio that a friend gave, after we sleep trained. But then the 2nd stated waking up our oldest, so we separated them, and wanted 2 transmitters, which was easier to find in a video monitor. We registered for one, and were lucky to get it, and though I wouldn’t consider it essential, it’s very helpful to know what our mischievous older kids are up to, especially when we’re on a different floor.