Buyers Guide and Overview |
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 When you've just had a baby, safety is your prime concern and a baby monitor can give you peace of mind, knowing that your little ones are safe while they sleep. Here we explain what to look for in a baby monitor, no matter what your budget or anxiety level. |
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| There are broadly four types of monitor to choose from: mains-powered, portable, video, and breathing and motion monitors. |
Mains-powered Monitors |
 Mains-powered are the most basic and therefore cheapest monitors you can buy. These are fine if you only want to listen in on your baby at night from another room, but you can't carry them round with you and they can’t be used outside. |
Portable Monitors |
 These consist of two or more units. The child unit plugs into the mains in their room, while the parent unit consists of a base unit and one or more portable units that can be battery-powered and carried around. Many portable units have rechargeable batteries which are replenished when plugged into the mains powered base unit.
Sounds and other information are transmitted between the units wirelessly. This can be done either via analogue or digital signals. Digital signals are clearer and don't tend to get as much interference.
These are handy if you want to keep tabs on your baby while you move around the house or outside but they are more expensive than mains-powered units.
Some of the latest units are small enough to be worn - on a belt or even wristwatch-style - by both parents and children, which is perfect for keeping track of toddlers.
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Video Monitors |
 These consist of two parts. The baby unit is a standard monitor with a camera fitted, the second is a portable screen where you can view your baby as well as hear him.
These often come with night vision, and you can even pick up monitors with colour screens. However, they can be expensive and picture quality isn't always that great.
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Breathing and Motion Monitors |
These are specialised monitors that track your baby's breathing and motion patterns to alert you to any irregular changes.
These are particularly useful if you have a premature or unwell child. However, they don't pick up on sounds so you will probably have to invest in a traditional monitor too.
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Things to look for |
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Intercom – This allows you to talk to your baby as well as hear them. This can be useful to calm your baby without going into the room, or tell your toddler to come down for tea or to stop making so much noise.
Out-of-range alarm – This will tell you if your portable parent unit has gone out of range of the child unit.
Temperature monitor – This will allow you to monitor the temperature in your baby's room, alerting you if it's too hot or too cold.
Night light – These are useful for checking on your baby as he sleeps and can help to soothe children who don't like to be left in the dark. Some monitors even come with light shows and lullabies.
Multiple channels – If you live in a built up area the more channels you can choose from to tune in your monitor the better, as the less likely you are to hear interference or to pick up someone else's baby monitor sounds.
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