Baby monitors - what do you recommend?

[mamabrownbear]

Our DD has finally started sleeping early evening in her cot in our room. We live in flat so we sit in the lounge next door. We can just about hear her sleep music playing and definitely when she cries but I'd feel happier with a monitor, one I could carry round into a different room if needed. Any recommendations? Guess it doesn't need to be too fancy...

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Hello, this thread is a little old and the links are out of date. Take a look at this handy page for a round-up of the best baby monitors.

MNHQ

BT

we've had 2 different bt monitors in the past and both have eventually broken, the batteries went so it always had to be plugged in which was a pain. For dc3 we were really undecided on which monitor to buy and ended up with a Tomy digital SR200 in a sale for £15 in Sainsburys. It's brilliant! It's very basic but works incredibly well. The battery lasts for days!

BT here; we've changed the rechargeable batteries once in ours and DS is almost 3.

T'is fab and we can talk to him without him jumping a mile.

Another vote for BT. The main thing is, it works really well, I have family with expensive, top seller monitors that would now prefer ours as it's just better. Durable, very good display (if you have a camera), clear audio, very easy to use, you can wander around with it.

Our model may be different if you want just an audio one, we have a camera one and you can buy multiple cameras for different DC, it also comes with lullabies (actually found out by accident about 3mo after we got it ) which DS just seems to love. Also acts as a room thermometer with alert for too hot or too cold. You don't need all of these extras, but on the BT they're done very simply and easily.

Tommy tippee movement sensor monitor - it's fab. Reassuring with the pad. Plus cable free handset with two-way function, so you can speak to your child from another room.

Another vote for BT... We've had it for 2 months now and we love it. The one we have ia called the BT pacifier ( I think) and has options dor a night light, star show and music... We don't use the light or star show that often, but love the music option... Infact the 'hush little baby' track on it is DS's cue for sleep time :) You can also plug in your ippd into it... It's fab...
Cannot comment on battery life as we've had it only 2 months.

Goodness some of them are rather swishy aren't they? Thanks all. Good starting points for us...

we've got this one and have had no problems with it. The motion sensor is so reassuring (even if your heart stops every time it goes off when DS2 has rolled off it!)

If you can afford it, get one with a video monitor. They are AMAZING and mean you can see what she's up to when she snarfles around.

and if there's nothing better on the telly you can just gaze at her without sneaking into the room.

my tuppence worth:

we got the motion sensor one, never used the pad due to fear of failing to turn it off when picking up dd in the night and setting it off by accident. so wouldn't recommend that

really wish I'd got a video one so I could see what dd was doing when she's not going to sleep

we havent missed the option to talk both ways on the monitor, but suspect this could be useful once dd is older

the one we've got cuts out any constant noise (like white noise or baby snoring!) and only kicks in when there is a different noise (baby crying or talking) - this is brilliant as I wouldn't want to listen to dd snoring all night

minipie Yy. The video has been so useful for us, even in our small flat, as we can see what's going on without disturbing DS. The cutting out of constant noise is also great as we only hear anything when there is really something to be heard. And we avoided the motion sensor one largely so I didn't end up in a panic when the inevitable rolling off the pad would happen - I know some people love them, and I went back and forth on it, but in the end I decided I just had to be confident with that. A friend has the motion sensor and it has never gone off for its intended purpose, but has repeatedly woken them in the night when their DS rolls/crawls off of the area which makes the mother (SAHM) incredibly anxious and the father (FT WOTH) grumpy and tired as it disturbs his sleep. Even more so as it wakes the baby too! They've finally decided to disconnect the sensor and just use the monitor as it was getting too much.

^not very clear above - the SAHM feels okay with night waking as she naps with her baby, but the sensor alarm kept giving her a fright; the WOHP was getting a bit resentful of the sensor as he works long hours and it kept disturbing his sleep.

delasi which BT one do you have please ?

We have the the BT Video Monitor 1000. The images in the link illustrating the picture quality are definitialy exaggerating, but it is still clear and better than aforementioned family's video monitors that were actually more expensive.

*definitely

i borrowed angelcare off a friend however have given it back with dd at 8mo as their 2nd baby monitor has just arrived.

i only used the sensor mat for 4 weeks following transition to dd's own room. it was very useful for those first few days and it put my mind at ease but in the end i found it a faff and ott so stopped using it.

so i have just bought a no frills motorola mbp13. i wanted the mbp16 but argos didnt have it and i needed it asap.

it works fine for what i need. angelcare was a constant hiss which annoyed dp but this one only activates if there is a noise so it is silent when baby is. the motorola mbp was 25 quid on amazon but as i needed one same day (it got weirdly rushed!) i just had to go with argos price of 40 quid for a 'lesser' model.

Another for The BT monitor 200.
My DM & DF live in a big old house and the receiver still picks up sound clear as day. You can still hear their breathing and snuffles - very reassuring.
It also has a night light and a talk back function!

Anyone using phone apps?

thanks delasi - funny that the BT video one seems to cut out constant noise, but the BT sound only one doesn't...

lurcher that's weird, our angelcare doesn't have a constant hiss, it only cuts in when there's a sudden noise ie baby coughing or crying.

I love our video one. It doesn't have tunes or a movement sensor, but does have a mechanism where you can talk through it, however that mainly freaks DD out so I don't use it. It has night vision which is pretty good.

I like being able to check in on her and see what she is doing without having to go in, she was a poor sleeper as an older baby/young toddler, but going in was often counterproductive depending on what was actually happening! We have this one which my DH bought from Amazon I think

we have got the tommee tippee motion sensor one and I love it. we used the pad and yes afew times I forgot to turn it off but it was a god send.
my girl is two now and batteries only started playing up (but I did drop it so think its more my fault) im now thinking when do I stop using a monitor? should I stop at this age?

anyway hope u find one that suits u.x

We have a Motorola video one. DH is a bit of a gadget boy and wanted a video one. His mum had offered to buy it (not realising it was a video one) and when he told her how much it was she told him she hoped it changed nappies too!

I was a bit dubious at first having just had a sound one for DD 6 years ago but I love it. The lullaby mode is useful if DS is grizzling and often sends him back to sleep. You can move the camera remotely from the monitor - useful as DH always seems to knock it when he puts DS to bed.

I've got the Angelcare Movement and Sound. Love it! So good for the peace of mind and well worth the money imo.

Oh and if I've forgotten to turn it off when I pick her up for a feed, it lets off a warning beep before the alarm so I'm notified before it disturbs everyone

Am trying out an iPad app...iPad on in bedroom with live stream to my phone. Audio and visuals for £2.49. Apparently it plays lullabies too. Will test that out when she is awake...