Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Child-safe in minutes.

Meet the Other Phone.
Child-safe in minutes.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Shopping

From everyday essentials to big purchases, swap tips and recommendations. For the best deals without the hassle, sign up for Mumsnet Moneysaver emails.

Original poster

Anyone used 2 monitors?

20 replies

franch · 31/12/2005 18:48

Moving from small flat to big house with 2yo and 4mo. We only currently use a monitor for DD2 (and then only when watching TV, cooking etc), but won't be able to hear DD1 downstairs in the new place.

Anyone got any experience of this? Do the units interfere with each other (and does this matter)? We currently use a basic Tomy Walkabout and are probably going to get another - I guess we're going to end up having to take 2 parent units around with us wherever we go, which seems like a pain but there's no way round it is there? (I know some models come with an extra parent unit but as we'll be moving the existing one around I suppose we might as well move 2.) Just thought I'd check in with the MN wisdom bank before spending my money ...

OP posts:
foxinsocks · 31/12/2005 18:51

it's been years since we had monitors but when we had to use 2, we had 2 tomy monitors - 1 child on channel A and one on channel B. We had to have 2 of everything because that's the only way you can buy them but in the end, we only used one of the charger units. There was some interference but they worked OK (mind you, these were really old monitors - not one of the new digital ones).

thecattleareALOHing · 31/12/2005 18:52

How big is your house? We certainly don't use a monitor with ds (4).

Janh · 31/12/2005 18:55

How big is the house? We have one of those Victorian terraces with a rear extension, babies always slept at the front and we needed monitor at the back - only 1 baby at a time admittedly but I can't imagine needing 2 monitors (floorplan please!)

Original poster
franch · 31/12/2005 18:56

It's a 4-bed - not a mansion but the layout (and our hearing) is such that we def wouldnt be able to hear DD1 with the telly/cooker/whatever on.

OP posts:
Janh · 31/12/2005 18:57

Is it newish or oldish?

Original poster
franch · 31/12/2005 18:57

Janh do you mean that DD2's monitor might pick up the sound of DD1?? Don't think their rooms are close enough together

OP posts:
Original poster
franch · 31/12/2005 18:58

Victorian (the house, not the monitor)

OP posts:
Janh · 31/12/2005 19:01

I was just thinking that if their rooms aren't adjacent, then the one you couldn't hear directly would need a monitor, but the other must be roughly overhead and I bet you would hear that one (esp if modern house).

(Mind you I loved having a monitor and listening to them talking to themselves at bedtime/waking.)

Original poster
franch · 31/12/2005 19:11

I see what you mean Janh - DD2 would be overhead when we're in the kitchen, but not when we're in the living room so it looks like we will need 2. Wasn't going to get a digital one, just a basic one like the one we've already got. Hopefully they'll work ok together - the new version of the Tomy has 4 channels.

OP posts:
Janh · 31/12/2005 19:16

IME voices don't carry well in Vict houses (have to screech for DS2 to hear me when his door is shut - not that he blocks my voice out or anything) so the monitors would be most reliable. Also means that in nice weather you can go outside with parent unit and still hear them.

I didn't know they have 4 channels now, you should be able to avoid interference (just hope you don't pick up any of the neighbours' nocturnal activities...)

Janh · 31/12/2005 19:16

IME voices don't carry well in Vict houses (have to screech for DS2 to hear me when his door is shut - not that he blocks my voice out or anything) so the monitors would be most reliable. Also means that in nice weather you can go outside with parent unit and still hear them.

I didn't know they have 4 channels now, you should be able to avoid interference (just hope you don't pick up any of the neighbours' nocturnal activities...)

Janh · 31/12/2005 19:16

oops, sorry

NotQuiteCockney · 31/12/2005 19:22

We have two monitors. For safety, they're different brands - one is a Phillips, the other is a BT one. Both digital, both quite fancy. The BT one is cheaper, and better, I think. It tells us the temperature in the room, too.

Our DS1 is over 4, but his room is a loft room, and you really can't hear him from downstairs. We only really use the monitor if he's ill, or if he's playing with friends up there, and I'm in the kitchen, and worried about safety.

Then again, DS2's room is next to ours, so we don't really use his monitor much, either.

Original poster
franch · 31/12/2005 19:24

Why different brands for safety NQT?

OP posts:
NotQuiteCockney · 31/12/2005 19:25

To avoid interference.

Although, I think the digital ones set their channels to avoid interference anyway, so would be fine? But if I can't set the channel, what's to stop parent unit A from listening to child unit B instead of child unit A?

(I also really like that the digital ones tell you when you're out of range.)

Pollyanna · 31/12/2005 19:38

We have 2 of the Tomy walkabout ones - we use them on different channels and there's no interference.

Orinoco · 31/12/2005 21:38

Message withdrawn

NannyL · 01/01/2006 10:50

i worked in a house where that happened too Orinico...

excetp we NEVER worked out who the other family we could here was!

LIZS · 01/01/2006 13:04

We could pick up our neighbours' kids if we were using the same channel on our Tomy ones ! You coudl set the baby ones ot each channel adn just flick the parent one over to dd1's channel intermittently.

Original poster
franch · 01/01/2006 13:08

Oh I hadnt thought of that Liz - v clever

OP posts:
New posts on this thread. Refresh page
Swipe left for the next trending thread