The best way to keep eyes and ears on your little love, even when you’re not there.
Help! Which monitor is going to be best for me?
This will come down to a few factors – budget & functionality being the biggest things to consider. Will you be expanding your family in the future? Will you need to be able to see multiple children at once? Do you need WIFI capability? Do you need a physical monitor, or is an app enough? We will help you to decide which monitor might be best for you + your family.
First thing to ask yourself is, do you actually need a monitor?
For the first few months of our son’s life, we didn’t use a monitor at all. This was because he slept on me or next to me at all times [I know you can relate]. He was in the pram, the front pack, or in a bassinet in the lounge - always. For you, this might not be the case. There may be times you want or need to put your child down in their own space, and you may need to carry on with your day – this is where a monitor can be handy. Even if it’s not something you need straight away, chances are there will come a time in your parenting journey where a monitor will come in pretty handy.
We did eventually buy a monitor after a few months of parenting, and we really didn’t do our research, which of course resulted in another purchase when we found out we were expecting #2! Do your research and have a read below to see which monitor is best for you.
OK, so I need one, now what?
We have a few different monitors here at Mom to suit a range of budgets and needs. We’ll cover off some of the key features of these monitors below to help you make the best decision for you and your family.
First up is the Oricom Secure 895 VBM Monitor. This monitor features a 5 inch screen, motion auto tracking and a motorised pan-tilt camera controlled through the parent unit. Also includes a room temperature display/alert, infrared night-vision capability, soothing lullabies and white noise.
Other features of the 895 VBM monitor that we love include parent talk back, motion and sound detection alarm, and a great range of up to 150 meters.
The rechargeable monitor can last up to 8 hours with VOX enabled, plus, up to 4 cameras can be connected to the monitor!
Neither of these monitors have WIFI capability, so keep that in mind if this is something that’s important to you! If you have a bigger house, or concrete walls, WIFI might be an essential feature in a monitor.
Next are our dual function monitors – these monitors have both a physical monitor, and the ability to connect to an App on your smartphone for remote access – win!
The Oricom Smart HD Nursery Pal offers remote access to a smartphone via WIFI and the HubbleClub app. You can track room temperature with the sensor built into the camera unit and soothe bub with two-way talk.
Once again, this monitor features preloaded lullabies, nature sounds AND bed time stories, plus it has a 7-colour night light and sleep trainer.
The physical monitor on the Smart HD Nursery pal features a 5-inch colour display, has night vision and offers split screen view if you have multiple cameras enabled [up to four can be added to the parent unit and 10+ to the app!]. This monitor features a 300-meter range for direct line of sight [walls may affect this]. The rechargeable monitor can last up to 8 hours with the display off.
The camera can be wall mounted and also features a magnetic mount. The camera also has digital pan, tilt and zoom!
And finally introducing the crème de la crème of dual function baby monitors – The Kodak Cherish C525P.
Again, this is a dual function monitor and can be used as normal with the parent unit, or via WIFI to an App.
The camera provides tilt, pan and zoom options so you can chase your little one around their cot or bed.
The Kodak Cherish C525P has extended range with a 450m line of sight operating distance [less range through walls] and of course if you’re out and about you can keep an eye on bub via the app.
The parent unit features a large 5 inch widescreen display and offers split screen viewing if you have multiple cameras enabled. Up to 4 cameras can be connected to the parent unit at any one time, and up to 10 via the app!
A few high-tech features of the Kodak C525 include motion and sound notifications that are received instantly to the smart home app, SD card recording to capture the video stream from your baby monitor and two way talk to soothe bub from another room.
The camera also has temperature alerts to help keep your babe safe year-round. It is wall mountable and has infrared video for the clearest night vision even in a blacked-out room.
The parent unit screen can easily be turned on and off so that you don’t have an intrusive glowing screen all night, the monitor can be set to sound when your little one makes any noise. The keypad on the monitor is softly illuminated for ease of use after dark.
The Cherish C525P has inbuilt lullabies and white noise that can be played to your baby to help lull them off to dream land.
The camera & parent unit on the C525P come pre-linked, so simply turn on and use!
We have this monitor and use it with our 2 year old + 2 month old - it is SO great and we cannot fault it!
This is our top of the line monitor, and is more of an investment, but in our opinion, it's worth it.
The final monitor options in our range are the camera-only monitors. These are useable only with an app and do not come with a parent unit.
We have three cameras in this range - The Kodak C125 + Kodak SCC520 cameras as well as the Oricom HD Smart camera. Which one you might choose will come down to budget + functionality, be sure to check them out to see which one might be right for you if you’re after a WIFI only option monitor.
Decision Making Time
So, after reviewing all of the options above, you now need to consider how you’ll be using your monitor – At home or away? [Does your holiday home or the hotel you’re visiting have WIFI available?] Your budget [splurge or save?], your space at home [do you want your monitor wall mounted or sitting on a surface so that you can move it around?], whether you want a parent unit, an app or both! Know that all of the brands + models of monitors we stock are great quality and recommended by us so you know they’ll last the distance.
You can check out our full range of monitors + sleep aids here.
