Many parents decide to buy a baby monitor so they can keep an ear out for their
baby when they are not in the same room. A baby monitor is the perfect accessory
if you want to keep an eye or an ear on your baby when sleeping. You can easily
move about any room of the house or even step outside if you buy a monitor.
Some parents even use baby monitors well into their child's toddler years. A
monitor is nothing more than a transmitter and receiver. Most transmitters will
be able to transfer sounds for as far as 600 feet. You carry the receiver around
with you so you can keep an ear out for your baby, whether you are sleeping in a
room faraway from your baby or gardening outside.
Standard Features
Most monitors come with some
standard features including:
On/off button:
keep in mind that neighbor's may be able to hear your private conversations if
you leave your monitor on for extended periods of time. Radio scanner can also
pick up your monitor, so be aware of what you say and do when the monitor is on.
Range: most
monitors broadcast for 300-600 feet. This is perfect for allowing you to move to
various rooms in the house or yard.
Volume:
you should be able to turn your monitor up or down. Some even have a
vibrate alternative.
When buying a monitor you should look for one with the best quality of sound.
The more you spend the better quality sound you get. Keep in mind that if your
home has concrete walls you may experience some transmission interferences. Same
goes for cordless telephones. There are many extras however that can help with
these problems including a monitor with several channels.
Speaking of extras, let's talk about some of the optional features you can opt
for when buying a baby monitor.
Channel selection:
most baby monitors have two channels so you can reduce the interference you
experience. Multiple channel selection is a most to avoid interference from
surrounding wireless devices with your baby monitor.
Strong technology: a monitor with 900 MHz or higher
signals will provide you with a clearer signal with less static interference.
The baby monitors with a wide bandwidth (up to 900 megahertz) gives you better
clarity, than a low bandwidth monitor, such as the 40 megahertz units. But if
you live in an area with a lot of other houses with portable phones, cell phones
and other monitors the lower band will do better in the long run.
Battery light: many
monitors come with an indicator that tells you when the battery is running low.
You don't want your battery to run out in the middle of the night!
Light display:
many baby monitors feature a light display that allows you to turn the volume
down but still see when your baby is crying or in need of attention. A sound
activated light baby monitor allows you freedom around the house when you would
not be able to hear an alarm. If you're vacuuming or the dishwasher is humming
you might miss an audible alarm, but a unit that lights up when it detects noise
allows you to glance at the monitor and know your baby needs attention.
Extra receivers:
some monitors come with a spare receiver so two parents in different locations
can keep an eye on the baby. Baby monitor's with two receivers gives you greater
flexibility away from your sleeping baby. You may want to keep one receiver
inside and one outside for constant watching.
Motion sensor or
movement sensor:
The newer motion sensor or movement sensor baby monitors come with a pad that
you place under the crib mattress. The motion sensors or movement sensors picks
up your baby's slightest movements, even while your baby sleeps. It may seem
that your baby is perfectly still when sleeping, but really she isn't. The baby
monitor sensor will alarm if your baby is absolutely still for a specified
period of time. The motion or movement sensor will alarm only if no movement
whatsoever is detected. If the under the mattress sensor pad detects no movement
or breathing effort by your baby a signal is sent to the baby monitor unit which
sounds an alarm alerting you to check your baby. Buying a baby monitor with a
motion sensor is worth considering, especially if you're concerned about Sudden
Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS).
Video baby monitor:
You can now watch and hear your baby from anywhere in your home with some of the
lightweight portable video baby monitors. Some fancier video monitors come with
a 2.5 color LCD screen that zooms in and out. For night viewing these fancier
video monitors have an infrared lens so you can see your baby even in a dimly
lit room. The new video baby monitors are also terrific for watching on the
older children in the playroom.
Web cam: some of the video monitors
also come with a web cam that allows you to send pictures of your sleeping baby
to your friends and family members!
