While as adults we might be quite confident and (somewhat) on top of things, as parents, especially during the first time around, this confidence goes out the window. The panic usually sets in when you hold your child for the first time and think to yourself, “I’m going to drop them.” That said, we all want the best for our current/future children, but with the market being saturated with all kinds of products, how do you know what’s the best thing for your child’s needs? A baby monitor is a part of every ready parent’s toolkit, and here are the features you want in yours.
Voice Activation
The first thing you want to look for is a voice-activated monitor. One of the main functions of a monitor is to tell you when your child is awake. On one hand, you can use a screen to know how your baby is doing. However, this can prove quite tedious as it requires you interrupting your daily activities. Voice activation simply means that your monitor will remain on sleep mode for as long as there is no sound coming from your baby. Once a sound is detected, the monitor will activate and alert you. Not only is it a highly effective option, but it also is quite eco-friendly. When on sleep mode, the device doesn’t use as much power. It only activates when needed.
Night Vision
Most cameras work quite well during the day. Even if the quality is bad, you’ll still be able to see your baby. The problem mainly is with the nighttime. Darkness severely downgrades a camera’s quality, and so, you need a monitor with good enough night vision so you’d be able to keep an eye on your baby at all times. When picking out a monitor, opt for something with infra-red night vision as it is safe for your young one, and is highly effective at helping cameras capture night footage. There’s a reason why if you look into a security camera at night, you can see a circle of red dots around the lens.
Multiple Cameras
Whether you have more than one child, or you like to leave your child in a designated playroom, this feature is guaranteed to come in handy. Having multiple cameras allows you to keep an eye on your baby wherever they go, all from the same device. As for the price, the best dual camera baby monitors out there often come with a set of cameras or one camera and the option of integrating more cameras. Either way, financially, it is a much better option than the alternative which is buying a new baby monitor set every time you need to cover an extra room.
Smartphone Compatibility
The era of the bulky plastic walkie-talkie is over. Nowadays, smartphones are how we do everything, from ordering food to flight check-ins. For ultimate convenience, you need a monitoring system compatible with your smartphone. That way, through an app or a secure website, you can see the audio and video feeds from wherever you are. The one drawback, however, is that you’ll need a stable internet connection. No connection, no feed. Other than that, this feature is priceless, metaphorically, of course. It’s an especially nice one to have if you travel a lot and often get homesick, too. You won’t have to wait for your spouse’s skype calls to see your child, anymore.
Camera Options
We’ve all seen those badass controllable security cameras in movies. Often the security guard (or AI bot) would move it around tilting, panning, and zooming wherever they’d like. Because parenting is just as important as national security, you should be allowed to have the same features, and if you look hard enough, you will find them. While the feature might be a little pricey, being able to look around the room will provide you with a great advantage in the future. Think, once your baby decides they will no longer succumb to the wooden walls of their crib.
If you keep these features in mind, you’ll be guaranteed the satisfaction you want and your child will get the safety they deserve. The one thing left is to try and balance between a great, feature-packed monitor and a decent price that won’t break the bank. When it comes to budget setting, we all have a similar way of separating necessities from luxuries. You should, however, be careful when doing so as your sacrifice might end up costing you more in the form of several additional small purchases.