Buying Guide for Baby Monitors

• 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.

• 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!