TTMA: Baby Monitors

[teachermomtobe]

One of the things we haven't registered for yet is a baby monitor.  I know I want it to be audio & video.  DH thinks we only need to be able to check it from our phones but I really want one that has a handheld monitor for in the house but also allows us to check from our phones.  Thoughts on this?  Is the handheld function necessary?  

[cheezee]

I have no idea how the ones that go to your phone work. The only reason I can think that would be necessary is if you have someone going into your home to watch LO and you want to keep an eye on them when you aren't there.

[sdlaura]

We intentionally didn't get one that we can see on our phones because of security concerns.

We have a Motorola video monitor. It cycles between up to four cameras like every five seconds. So I just bought a third camera for the new baby's room and it was really easy to set up.

We also take it when we travel, which is nice, and I love that it shows the room temperature as well so we can make sure the kids' rooms aren't too hot or cold

I would definitely want a handheld monitor in addition to a phone.  What happens if your phone dies, or you don't want to sleep with your phone right next to you?

[starsandshamrocks123]

We got the summer infant wifi one specifically because we wanted to be able to check it from our phones. Well, the app sucks! We never use it. We just use the handheld monitor, which works just fine. So if you want one that you check from your phone, definitely do your research and find a better one. We use it mostly at night now and I wouldn't want to drain my iPhone battery. Also, you have to keep the app open which is pretty impractical.

[starsandshamrocks123]

If you're curious, this is the one we have where the app sucks and you have to keep the app open..: which doesn't work if your phone goes to sleep after, say, 2 minutes

m.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=23532676

[animaldoctor]

We have two - a summer infant one that is fine, video and sound but not 2 way sound. It doesn't have a great range but does good enough. We also got a nest camera which is awesome because it has two way sound, video, and you can replay the video. I can also check in and see my baby when I am away at work and I miss her. I don't know which of the two we will use for the new baby. Right now both are in the toddler's room because she climbed out of her crib once and if she does it again, we want to be able to rewind and see how she did it!

[eucalyptus]

We are getting an audio obly monitor with one receiver. Are you thinking there is an instance when you will want to use your phones and the receiver at the same time?

[teachermomtobe]

Thanks! You all raise some good points. I am now thinking the phone access is less important than the handheld. Baby will go to daycare, we have no family nearby to babysit frequently and I doubt we'll have many babysitters to check in on. DH is very tech savy and doesn't like extra "stuff" so I think he wanted to use the phone for those reasons.

[brandiewine11]

I would absolutely not get a wifi monitor you can see on the phone. The security risk is too high. And if you don't have another way to watch you'd have to give a babysitter access somehow then remove it? What if they can't get the app? Will you leave your phone with them? No.

We love our Motorola video monitor. It has temp on the screen, 2 way communication, and can pan and zoom. No complaints at all.

[honda13]

We just order a new monitor through Babies R' US. It finally went on sale over the weekend, but looks like it is no longer on sale. It was $139.99 on sale which is only $20 more than the one camera unit. The reviews were great and it had everything we wanted. Also, a +1 to not wanting a wifi capable one.

www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=107532656&prodFindSrc=search&cp=

[agm04]

We have this one www.amazon.com/Snuza-Trio-Plus-Monitor-System/dp/B00IISBHXU (which the battery died on about 9 months in, and we had to buy another one while it was replaced - that's why we have two) and this one www.amazon.com/Infant-Optics-DXR-8-Monitor-Interchangeable/dp/B00ECHYTBI/ref=sr_1_1_s_it?s=baby-products&ie=UTF8&qid=1487690959&sr=1-1&keywords=infant+optics+dxr-8+video+baby+monitor

i like both. right now we have the snuza one hooked up, and use the infant optics one for travel. but bc of previous battery issues (and dealing with snuza customer service is HORRIBLE), we're getting a second camera for the infant optics one and will primarily use those. i also got a sound monitor bc someone (i think on this board?) told me that my monitors don't auto switch between cameras. so we'll usually keep it on the baby's room, and use the audio monitor in DD1's room and switch to her camera if we hear noise.

[marshian]

Right now we're registered for an audio-only monitor which we plan to only use for travel. I didn't want one at all, but H made a valid point about travel where you put baby to sleep inside but then hang out with the adults outside.

[violetrose]

We've spent so much money on different video monitors because they would all break/stop working properly about 6 months in. I got sick of wasting money on them and bought two audio only monitors and use it for the kids. They work great for us. For this baby, I might dig out one of our old video monitors (that doesn't hold a charge) and try it out. If it isn't working well I will just buy another cheap audio monitor. When my babies are really young, they are usually sleeping in the same room I'm in so it's not a big deal for us to have a video monitor.

[teachermomtobe]

Feb 21, 2017 10:31:23 GMT -5 agm04 said:

We have this one www.amazon.com/Snuza-Trio-Plus-Monitor-System/dp/B00IISBHXU (which the battery died on about 9 months in, and we had to buy another one while it was replaced - that's why we have two) and this one www.amazon.com/Infant-Optics-DXR-8-Monitor-Interchangeable/dp/B00ECHYTBI/ref=sr_1_1_s_it?s=baby-products&ie=UTF8&qid=1487690959&sr=1-1&keywords=infant+optics+dxr-8+video+baby+monitor

i like both. right now we have the snuza one hooked up, and use the infant optics one for travel. but bc of previous battery issues (and dealing with snuza customer service is HORRIBLE), we're getting a second camera for the infant optics one and will primarily use those. i also got a sound monitor bc someone (i think on this board?) told me that my monitors don't auto switch between cameras. so we'll usually keep it on the baby's room, and use the audio monitor in DD1's room and switch to her camera if we hear noise.

Glad you like the Infant Optics. That is what we ended up deciding on. BRU doesn't sell it though so we can't add it to our registry and just have to get it ourself which is fine.

[sabrinaml]

Team audio only here.

[agm04]

Feb 21, 2017 11:50:06 GMT -5 teachermomtobe said:

Feb 21, 2017 10:31:23 GMT -5 agm04 said:

We have this one www.amazon.com/Snuza-Trio-Plus-Monitor-System/dp/B00IISBHXU (which the battery died on about 9 months in, and we had to buy another one while it was replaced - that's why we have two) and this one www.amazon.com/Infant-Optics-DXR-8-Monitor-Interchangeable/dp/B00ECHYTBI/ref=sr_1_1_s_it?s=baby-products&ie=UTF8&qid=1487690959&sr=1-1&keywords=infant+optics+dxr-8+video+baby+monitor

i like both. right now we have the snuza one hooked up, and use the infant optics one for travel. but bc of previous battery issues (and dealing with snuza customer service is HORRIBLE), we're getting a second camera for the infant optics one and will primarily use those. i also got a sound monitor bc someone (i think on this board?) told me that my monitors don't auto switch between cameras. so we'll usually keep it on the baby's room, and use the audio monitor in DD1's room and switch to her camera if we hear noise.

Glad you like the Infant Optics. That is what we ended up deciding on. BRU doesn't sell it though so we can't add it to our registry and just have to get it ourself which is fine.

TBH i'm SO GLAD our original monitor came from amazon,  bc when it broke, amazon gave us a $100 credit toward a new one.  even though it had nothing to do with amazon and the waiting was really snuza's fault, not amazon's.