penmaster
we're having our first baby and we're not sure of all the listening monitors out there, which one is best?
Answer
From my ConsumerReports.Org subscriptions:
Baby monitors
Baby monitors are an extra set of ears--and, in some cases, eyes--that allow you to keep tabs on your sleeping baby. There are two basic types: audio and video/audio. Both operate within a selected radio frequency band to send sound from the babyâs room to a receiver. Each monitor consists of a transmitter (child unit) and one or more receivers (parent units). Video/audio monitors have a small wall-mounted or tabletop camera to transmit images to a video monitor.
A baby monitorâs challenge is to transmit recognizable sound (and/or images) over a distance with minimal interference--static, buzzing, or irritating noise--from other electronic products and transmitters, including cordless phones that share the same frequency bands, cellular phones, appliances, and even fluorescent lights. Interference can also be hearing someone elseâs conversation, which makes it difficult, if not impossible, to decipher the sounds coming from your monitor. Interference can also mean fuzzy reception in video monitors. Overall, interference is probably the biggest complaint parents have about baby monitors.
SHOPPING SECRETS
Feel free to skip this purchase. Some parents are reassured by the constant surveillance of a babyâs every whimper and movement. Others find it nerve-racking and feel like they have to be hypervigilant. Decide which category youâre in before you go shopping. A monitor isnât a must-have. If you live in a small house or apartment or want a break when your baby is sleeping--which is legitimate--itâs OK not to have one.
Consider your home and lifestyle. You may appreciate a monitor with both sound and lights, so you can âseeâ your babyâs cries. The louder he cries, the more lights light up. If youâll be taking business calls during naptime, for example, it can be helpful to turn the sound down low and rely on the lights. A video monitor can serve the same purpose, though we believe an audio monitor with lights can suffice. Similarly, if you live in a large house, you may want a monitor with two receivers rather than just one. In general, look for monitors with features that make it easy to move about, such as a compact parent unit that clips onto your belt. Try it on before buying, if possible; antennas have been known to poke the wearer.
Factor in your phone. To minimize the possibility of interference, choose a baby monitor that operates on a different frequency band from other wireless products in your home. A 2.4GHz cordless phone and a 2.4GHz monitor can interfere with each other. The 2.4GHz frequency band is widely used for cordless phones.
Consider digital if you have nearby neighbors with babies. If you want to be sure the sounds transmitted by your monitor are heard only by you and not by neighbors who might have a similar model (or a cordless phone using the same frequency band), go with a digital monitor, not an analog one. This will also ensure that the sounds you hear are coming from your baby and not the neighborâs. Analog monitors operate on a particular frequency band, much like a radio, sending signals from monitor to receiver in a straight shot. Digital monitors, on the other hand, encode the signal as it travels between the monitor and the receiver, making it nearly impossible for the sounds to be heard by others, and reduces the possibility of running into interference from other electronic devices. (Learn more about wireless interference.)
Learn the return policy. Before you buy or register for any wireless product, such as a baby monitor, be sure the store will let you return or exchange it, in case you canât get rid of interference problems. If you receive a monitor as a baby shower gift and know where it was purchased, try it before the retailerâs return period (usually 30 days) runs out.
WHATâS AVAILABLE
The major brands of baby monitors, in alphabetical order, are: Evenflo (www.evenflo.com), Fisher-Price (www.fisher-price.com), Graco (www.gracobaby.com), Mobicam (www.getmobi.com), Philips (www.hearmybaby.com), Safety 1st (www.safety1st.com), Sony (www.sony.com), Summer Infant (www.summerinfant.com), The First Years (www.thefirstyears.com), and Unisar BébéSounds (www.bebesounds.com). Prices range from $15 to $200 for audio monitors, $100 to $200 for audio/video monitors. The higher the price, the more features and frills.
RECOMMENDATIONS
Among the models we tested, the digital baby monitors are top-rated. Short of DECT technology, thereâs no guarantee against interference with either digital or analog monitors, although digital monitors are less susceptible and more private. One digital model in particular, the Philips SCD 589, is loaded with features, and since it operates in the fairly lightly used, for now, 1.9GHZ frequency band, itâs unlikely to pick up interference. However, at $200, itâs pricey. (See our full report on this model.)
If you anticipate interference and want to spend less than $200, buy a less-pricey digital model thatâs not in the same frequency band as other wireless products in your home, and consider models with more than two channels. The other digital monitors we tested were very good: The Graco iMonitor ($90) has two parent units; a similar version with one parent unit is available for $60. The Summer Infant Secure Sounds ($50) is a good choice for privacy, though, like the Graco iMonitor, it has fewer frills than the Philips SCD 589. See our full monitor Ratings (available to
subscribers
) for details.
We suggest avoiding the Evenflo WhisperConnect Sensa ($50). It has a Pet Sensor, which is designed to alert you to any unusual movement around your babyâs crib--a cat or other pet climbed in, say. That feature worked well, but you can easily keep pets away from the crib by closing the door to your babyâs room. In addition, we found that one of the three samples we tested had an annoying problem: The âout of rangeâ alarm would go off at random. This happened over and over again with that particular sample, and once or twice with one of the other two samples we tested.
The audio/video monitors we tested have small color screens, and unlike earlier models, reasonably good pictures. However, we found them to be susceptible to interference, particularly from microwave ovens in use. Some models, such as the MobiCam ($190), let you tape to a VCR or watch your monitor on the television set. But overall, we donât see much need for a video baby monitor.
Highest rated one was the Philips Digital SCD 589 for 200$, the next one right after that was the The First Years Digital for 50$.
Suggestions on good baby monitors?
Holly
I have a set of Fisher Price Sounds n Lights baby monitors, and their ability to pick up the tiniest sounds is great, but at random times they will just squeal extremely loud in a high pitched noise. It will even wake up my 5 week old daughter. She is a preemie, and she's only at 37 weeks now - so she's having stomach problems that hurt her, so the sleep she can get is precious for her.
Does anyone have any really good experience with a certain monitor? This is my first baby and I'm getting used to waking up to her cries - so I'd like the sensitivity of the monitors to be the same as these, I want to hear her LOUD and clear on the monitor. And the high pitches isn't due to other electronics, I just have an electronic clock in her room. Sometimes if you get close with a cell phone it'll do it - but 90% of the time it just does it randomly and loud loud loud!
Any mothers with advice, I'd appreciate it :)
Answer
I'm going to recommend the Sony Baby Call Monitor. We purchased it because it was the only one on the market that would not affect the cell phone usage in the house (and we figured they were all pretty much the same otherwise). You can get it on Amazon.com for about $30: http://www.amazon.com/NTM-910YLW-Sony-Baby-Nursery-Monitor/dp/B000S35QLC/ref=br_it_dp_o_nS_nC?ie=UTF8&colid=1WDSCNEPMTGUH&coliid=I3CN073HZ5ZDKX
It also comes in a set with two receivers.
We liked it because you can adjust the sensitivity. There's a wheel on the side to adjust the volume of your baby's cry. This way, you can get used to her waking you up without being shocked out of your own sleep. Plus, our daughter made lots of noises in her sleep that kept us awake. We were able to set the volume so we didn't hear those noises, but did hear her crying.
The only experience they have with squealing, is if you unplug the baby's monitor from the wall. It's more of an alert system, so you hear the squeal on your end when someone's messing with the other monitor.
Also, the receiver gets real staticky when the microwave is on.
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