When it comes to the health and safety of your newest family member, most parents feel like they cannot do enough. For most situations, however, child safety takes only a few common sense precautions. A baby monitor can help to ease your mind and lessen your worries. Baby monitors allow you to get your rest, do housework, spend time with your other children and generally give you another set of ears and eyes to watch over your little one. This baby monitor buying guide will help you learn how to buy a baby monitor to best meet the needs of both you and your baby.
Early infant monitors used to only offer audio, meaning baby room monitors had two simple units: a radio microphone and a speaker. Modern baby monitoring has updated that original good idea; digital baby monitors are sharper, clearer and have better range. Video baby monitors allow you to see and hear your children.
The price of baby monitors varies accordingly with the technology, but don't choose your nursery monitor by price alone. There are additional features to take into consideration. Once you know more about your options, you'll be able to pick the monitor that fits your situation best.
Digital versus analog: Baby monitors are available in both digital and analog. A digital baby monitor will give you less interference from other similar frequencies in the area. For example, if you have an analog baby monitor and your neighbors also use a similar analog baby monitor or even just a cordless phone, you may pick up sound interference or static from their wireless devices. You could even be picking up the sounds of your neighbor's baby rather than your own without realizing it.
To minimize static and interference, choose a baby monitor with a frequency that is different than other wireless devices in your home. When it comes to cordless phones, a 2.4GHz frequency is common, so if you want a baby monitor that doesn't interfere with your cordless phone, choose one with a frequency other than 2.4GHz.
If you live in a neighborhood with a lot of children and babies, chances are several nearby homes will have a baby monitor in use. In order to avoid picking up their signals, a digital baby monitor will be the better choice.
Audio versus video: For some parents, an audio-video baby monitor will provide the most peace of mind; for other parents, the combination of audio and visual may actually cause more stress by increasing the need to constantly check on the baby. You know yourself best, so be sure to ask yourself beforehand which you will prefer.
Visual alerts: Some baby monitors have both sound and visual cues such as LED lights to alert you to your baby's cries. This can be extremely helpful if you work at home and need to be on the phone without the background noise of a baby monitor. The visual alert feature allows you to turn the sound down low and rely on the visual cue to alert you. This can also be very useful in noisy rooms where you can't hear the monitor. Some baby monitors, like cell phones, have a speaker-off vibrate option to alert you. This is a nice feature when you're carrying the monitor around with you or have it clipped to your belt.
Web cam: Some video monitors come with a web cam so friends and relatives out of town can enjoy watching your baby sleep as much as you do.
Multiple receivers: If your home is large, you may want to consider choosing an infant monitor with two receivers.
Indicators: Indicator lights are a convenient feature for any nursery monitor. Indicator lights alert you to a low-battery or being too far out of range to pick up the signal.
Place your baby monitor close to your infant; most experts recommend placing audio baby monitors within 5-10 feet of the crib and baby video monitors where they can scan the entire crib.
Bandwidth describes the amount of data that a baby monitoring transmitter can send out: 900MHz is great for the suburbs and the country, but for cities, you will probably want a smaller, 40MHz model to avoid interference from cell or cordless phones, other monitors, Bluetooth technology, laptops and more.
Frequency is the part of the spectrum the transmitter and receiver use: 49MHz baby monitors, 900MHz baby monitors and 2.4GHz baby monitors. The 49MHz band is the most common, making it less desirable if your neighborhood has lots of young families. The 900MHz band is also used by some cordless phones and 2.4GHz is the Wi-Fi frequency, but these have shorter ranges that may reduce interference. Some models offer channel choice within their frequency range, giving consumers a better chance of having their baby room monitor operate interference-free. Make your choice based on your needs and locale.
Can a baby movement monitor prevent SIDS?
There are many precautions you can take to reduce the risk of SIDS for your baby. Having a baby monitor may be one of those precautions. However, a baby monitor by itself will not prevent SIDS. The causes of SIDS, or crib death, for the most part remain a mystery, and many doctors are concerned that baby monitors provide a false sense of security. Baby monitors are wonderful tools to help you care for your baby, but you shouldn't buy one expecting the monitor alone to protect your baby from SIDS.
Are there privacy issues with a baby monitor?
Yes, there can be. The monitor will pick up any sounds in the room and transmit them over a radio frequency, and whenever you talk in the nursery, anyone with a radio scanner can pick up your transmissions. If you are concerned about this, remember to turn off the monitor when you are not using it and avoid having personal conversations in the nursery.
Your child's health and safety
When it comes to the health and child safety, Overstock.com has you and your baby covered. Aside from our large selection of baby monitors, we also have child gates, bed rails and guards, travel safety items, prenatal monitors, baby thermometers, home baby-proofing kits and more. With our exceptional discounts every day on top-quality baby gear, exceptional customer service and low shipping rate, smart shopping has never been easier.
Sleep tight with baby bedding
A baby monitor lets you watch over your baby during naptimes and throughout the night. But if you want to make sure that your baby is sleeping as comfortably as possible, make sure you have the softest baby bedding possible. Decorate your nursery with boutique-quality baby bedding at discount prices from Overstock.com.
Out and about with car seats and strollers
When your baby isn't tucked snugly into his crib, he will love to be out and about with Mom and Dad. Car seats and strollers are essential items of baby gear, and you'll want the best car seat and stroller available to keep your baby comfortable, safe and happy. Overstock.com is committed to bringing you the best baby gear at below-retail prices. Check out our wide selection of car seats, strollers and baby gear for amazing deals.
