Choosing The Best Baby Monitor
Disclosure : This post is in partnership with Best Buy Canada but, as always, opinions are TOTALLY ours!
During our weekend travels in Norfolk County we stayed at a Beach House and I always like to know what the kids are up to in their rooms once they’re tucked in. Mine have tried to sneak in candy and end up fighting with each other on many an occasions! I know I’ve also caught some precious moments when they don’t realize I’m watching them from our kitchen! I was glad that the Motorola 3.5″ WiFi Video Baby Monitor is still as sturdy as the original version and offers all the great features as before, but with the addition of the WiFi feature.
The other WiFi monitors and cameras we received or bought over the years really didn’t work for us for a couple reasons. The main one being ease of use. Honestly, we travel with our baby monitor and we also use it at home, so I’ve narrowed down a couple must have features when it comes to choosing the best baby monitors.
- Easy installation and setup (this one is a breeze – plug into wall and download the app on your phone!)
- Light weight and compact so that it’s easy to travel with (the Motorola version can be mounted on the wall or laid on a flat surface and fits in my purse)
- Strong night vision capabilities so you can see what’s going on even in the middle of the night (quite possibly my favourite feature). So obviously a sound only monitor is NOT an option for me.
- WiFi capabilities so parents don’t always need to have the monitor with them
- Remote pan, tilt, and zoom functions so you can check out all corners of the room (great for older kids)
- 2 way communication (with this version you can play 5 different lullabies and speak with your child even if you aren’t in the room – great for those ‘husssh…husssh’ moments)
Additional features included are the room temperature displays and rechargeable niMH battery that is cost-efficient and environmentally friendly. With our older version the unit performed well for two years but by the time the third year rolled around, the monitor battery needed to be replaced (or the monitor had to ALWAYS be plugged in – not an issue with the Hubble app now available for smart devices). This latest version even has an alarm built in which is so awesome for those afternoon naps which need to be timed. I know I’ll be putting this to good use with Baby Boy who loves extra long afternoon naps which lead to super late bedtimes! Note that at home the camera is mounted on a wall but we can easily take it off and when we stay at hotels, I prop it on a box of wipes or stack of books, depending on what’s available. As you can see below, the night vision (which is way more important than daytime views in my opinion!!) is quite amazing on this baby monitor.
The Best Buy Baby sale is on until the 7th of July and if the WiFi capabilities aren’t important to you, you can grab a similar version on sale right now for nearly 50% off. Best Buy has products from reliable brands that parents trust and I’m shocked that I can even find swimwear online through them. We also recently learned about The Baby Samplers Club which allows you to sign up to review baby items FOR FREE!! How amazing is it that parents and parents-to-be can sign up for great perks like testing and reviewing baby products in exchange for writing a review? I know I would have loved to test out some of the gadgets before actually purchasing them, and this program allows you to do just that. Of course you get to keep the items too, so that’s just a double win!!
What’s one thing you take with you on your travels that most may not?