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- One of the most important and expensive purchases you'll make when you're outfitting your nursery is buying a baby monitor.
- There are three main types of baby monitors: audio-only monitors, video monitors with dedicated viewers, and Wi-Fi video monitors.
- Based on our research and testing, the Safety 1st HD WiFi Streaming Baby Monitor is our top pick because it's an easy-to-use HD video monitor that's safe and secure.
Being a new parent is an exciting and occasionally stressful journey into uncharted territory. There are so many things to learn about your baby and all the different products you need to keep your little one happy and healthy. One of the most important and expensive purchases you'll make when you're outfitting your nursery is buying a baby monitor.
Parents are spoiled for choice nowadays, thanks to the rise of the connected home and new technologies like live-streaming video and high-resolution cameras. No matter which type of baby monitor you buy - whether it be an old-school audio-only monitor or a fancy Wi-Fi video monitor - it will have two parts: a monitor in the baby's room and a receiver that you carry around with you to hear and/or view your baby.
There are three main types of baby monitors: audio-only monitors, video monitors with dedicated viewers, and Wi-Fi video monitors that send a live video feed to your tablet, smartphone, or laptop.
The first thing you need to consider is whether you want to have an audio-only baby monitor or one that incorporates video. Some parents choose to use smart home security cameras that send a video feed and alerts to their phones via an internet connection instead. Your choice largely depends on your budget and how high tech you want the baby monitor to be.
Audio baby monitors are generally cheaper while video and Wi-Fi-based baby monitors can be more expensive.
The most important thing to look for in all kinds of baby monitors is audio quality. Regardless of whether you want a video-based baby monitor or not, you need clear audio so you can hear your baby properly. You'll also want one with sound activation so that you don't have to listen to white noise 90% of the time. With sound activation, you'll only hear the noises from your baby's room when there's something important to hear.
Some audio-only monitors also have LED lights that flash different colors to alert you to changes in your baby's mood or environment. The lights can be helpful if you want the monitor in mute mode or if you're just in a noisy room and the monitor's volume is down.
When it comes to video monitors, you'll want to make sure that the one you're buying offers night vision and a decent resolution. Most baby monitors with a dedicated viewer sadly have low VGA resolutions, which are much worse than the majority of smartphones you can buy these days. A few have a 720p HD resolution, which is decent. We hope more baby monitors go that route in the future.
A Full HD 1080p resolution is ideal but can be pricey, and you'll only get it with Wi-Fi-based video baby monitors that stream video to your smartphone or tablet. Some video baby monitors of tilt, pan, and zoom functions so you can see different parts of the baby's room or zoom right in on smaller details.
If you opt for a Wi-Fi video baby monitor, you'll need a strong internet connection, because if your internet fails, so does your baby monitor. These baby monitors operate like your average smart home security camera from Nest, Canary, or others. You connect the camera to your Wi-Fi network, and then you can access live video anywhere on your computer, smartphone, or tablet. Many of these types of cameras offer encryption and other high-tech security features.
The more old fashioned video monitors are better if your internet isn't reliable because they use a dedicated video monitor instead. You can also choose to pair high-tech Wi-Fi security cameras with cheaper audio-only baby monitors to have the best of both worlds. We've tested a few baby monitors and researched the rest to find the best ones you can buy no matter your preference.
Here are our top picks for the best baby monitors you can buy:
- Best baby monitor overall: Safety 1st HD WiFi Streaming Baby Monitor
- Best affordable baby monitor: LeFun Wi-Fi Video Baby Monitor
- Best audio-only baby monitor: VTech DM221 Audio Baby Monitor
- Best video baby monitor: Phillips AVENT SCD630/37 Video Monitor
- Best versatile, high-tech baby monitor: UrbanHello REMI Baby Monitor
Updated on 10/21/2019 by Lisa Sabatini: Updated formatting, prices, and links. Replaced out-of-stock LeFun C2 Baby Monitor with an updated model.
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