We thought it would be useful to look at the relative benefits on offer by integrating a smart phone or similar device with a baby monitor, compared to standard modern monitor systems.

Today if you’re looking at a high-end baby monitor system then you have a choice of features, including high-quality video feeds, audio feeds and a range of functions such as the ability to monitor the temperature and humidity of the room in which your child is sleeping, the ability to remotely move or zoom the camera, increase or decrease the built-in nightlight, and even talk directly to your child remotely in order to soothe and reassure them.

With all of these features is hard to see how this could be improved through the integration of a device such as an iPhone, iPad or iPod touch.

The first significant point is the fact that either instead of or in addition to the normal signal broadcast use by monitor, the monitoring system is instead able to take advantage of your existing wireless network. With so many houses now having broadband and wireless networking to enable them to connect their computers and other devices wirelessly, connecting a baby monitor system is relatively straightforward.

By broadcasting the signal through a secure wireless network instead of the traditional radio signal used by most baby monitors, you have the option of taking advantage of increased security. Although it is unlikely, it is possible that someone very close to your house might be able to use a similar baby monitor or other receiving device to pick up the signal being broadcast from your home. By using a baby monitor system across your wireless network you can completely prevent this. As long as your wireless network is secure and protected by an encrypted password as is usually recommended by any internet service provider, your baby monitor system will be entirely secure and private.

Another advantage of these systems is that by connecting wirelessly, not only can you pick up the signal through your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch, but it is also possible to view the image and hear your baby using a standard internet connection. Again, this is relatively easy to make very secure, but it does provide you with the ability to see your child and hear them in real-time anywhere in the world. This is useful and reassuring if one partner is away a lot but still wants the reassurance of knowing that their baby is safe and well without telephoning their partner every five minutes.

For many people have a smart phone compatible baby monitor system simply adds to the convenience factor, since they no longer have to carry around two devices. Most people with a smartphone tend to have this on their person at all times, or at least very close by. By having a baby monitor broadcast a signal wirelessly so that you can view and hear your child through your phone, there is no need to carry an additional receiving unit with you.

However it should of course be remembered that should your wireless network go down for any reason, you will no longer be able to receive the signal from your baby monitor. You will probably also find that by using your iPhone or other smart phone or device to receive a video signal and audio signal constantly the battery is likely to run down much sooner than the batteries in a standard baby monitor system.

Of course another point to remember is that if you’re using your phone as a baby monitor, if somebody calls you, you have the choice of either taking the call and talking with them, or monitoring your baby. It will be very difficult to do both at the same time on your phone, which is where having a separate device dedicated solely to monitoring your child can offer a degree of reassurance and convenience.

So in conclusion it is impossible to say categorically which system is better. It really comes down to a personal choice, with your own circumstances dictating which of the two offers you a greater number of advantages. What is important is to appreciate that whilst both alternatives offer many advantages, there are also drawbacks when comparing each system to the other.

Think carefully about how you want to be able to use the baby monitor and the likely circumstances in which you may find yourself, and consider how each of these two different systems might best be able to meet your personal requirements.

If you already have a very young child you will probably already have a baby monitor, but if a second baby pops into the world the you may well have to choose whether to stop using a baby monitor for the older child, or purchase a second baby monitor and end up having to cart about two different receiver units. However an alternative solution to this is to purchase a multiple camera baby monitor, and there are several key advantages to choosing one of these.

If you have twins, triplets, or even more children, then it makes sense to purchase a multiple camera monitor since this is certainly going to be more economical, as well as offering practical benefits. Many of these multiple baby monitor sets support up to 4 different cameras, all of which will deliver high-quality video and audio to a single receiver unit. It is then very easy for parents to be able to switch from one camera to another, able to immediately see that their children are all right. You can even get monitor sets that display 4 cameras simultaneously.

If you purchase two different baby monitor systems not only do you have the problem of operating two different receiver units, but there is also the possibility of interference. Baby monitors work by transmitting the audio and video on a specific frequency within a limited range. Although it is usually possible to configure two different units to work on two different frequencies, you may find that interference from outside makes one of those frequencies less desirable. Having a system which is designed to support high-quality audio and video across multiple frequencies prevents this possibility.

As well as this advantage there are several other features now included on multiple baby monitor systems which makes them extremely convenient. For example, it is possible to have remote talkback systems which enable you to quietly talk to and reassure one of your babies through the camera by their cot, remotely increase or decrease the brightness of the built in nightlight, play lullabies, view real-time reading of the temperature within the room, and with night vision support, view each of your children in high-quality, even with minimal lighting.

Multiple camera baby monitors help to provide convenience and reassurance, allowing you to monitor two or more children easily and safely without you having to keep leaping up to check on them or sort them out. However, they will offer no help whatsoever in reducing the inevitable mountain of nappies generated by twins or triplets.

Seeing is believing

Many modern baby monitors are video based so that you can use cameras in your baby’s room to see as well as hear them.  How many times in the past have parents heard a particular type of noise on their audio monitors and wondered what on earth it could be coming from the baby’s room?  Now that we can see our children on video baby monitors we can see what’s wrong and make a more informed decision whether or not we should go to the child.

Controlled crying

Not only do video monitors provide peace of mind, they are also an excellent tool to use whilst practicing controlled crying.  This is a technique that helps to get your child to sleep alone as they get a little older (not less than six months), and go back off to sleep on their own if they wake during the night without too much comforting.  Older babies can sometimes become a little over attached to their parents and this makes them unable to sleep unless the parent is there.  As we all know, your children need to break this habit.   Controlled crying allows you to do this.  You simply leave the child crying for five minutes before going to comfort them briefly by reassuring them you are there and available.  After that you leave them for ten minutes before soothing them, and then 20 minutes.  With a video baby monitor, during this time you can put your mind at ease that your child isn’t in any danger.

To conclude

Whilst using baby video monitors can provide you with an excellent way of monitoring your baby/child, whether control crying or not, you should always address any major concerns with your health visitor or GP.  Your health visitor can explain a little more about controlled crying and give you the pros and cons.

Many parents use a play pen in the beginning to keep their baby from getting into too much mischief, but if you have a fully equipped nursery that is baby safe anyway, you may want to give your baby a little more room for exploration.  It’s very good for their physical and mental development to get around and discover things, and if you have a baby gate in position there should be no reason why you can’t leave them for short periods of time, under the close scrutiny of a video baby monitor of course.

This is where the multi camera baby monitors come in handy.  Not only can you position one looking over where the baby sleeps you can also have them positioned in different parts of the room so that you can have it all covered.  Complete peace of mind comes from having the whole room under surveillance.  The beauty of many of these multi camera baby monitors is that the monitor on which you view the cameras often comes with a split screen baby monitor feature so that you can see all the cameras on one screen.

Capture the memories with your baby monitor

There is no escaping the fact that, whilst some people may not agree with monitoring their baby or child with video cameras, you can certainly capture some fantastic moments in your child’s development.  Some video baby monitors come with a function that allows you to record certain moments on camera when you’re not in the room.  This is perfect for capturing your child beginning to walk and talk and discover new things.  Children grow up far too quickly these days and capturing all the moments you can is a wonderful thing to be able to do.

Internet baby monitor

The internet baby monitor is one of the very latest in monitoring equipment and it’s made a welcome entrance to the market, allowing thousands of home workers to continue their jobs, safe in the knowledge that their children are safe.

This is a baby monitor that you can connect to wirelessly from your PC whilst you’re working.  The camera will be in the room with your child and you will be able to know exactly what the baby is doing all the time, when you choose to watch and listen.  This way you don’t have to keep getting up and down to see to them.

Let your children play

Of course one of the main advantages of the internet baby monitor for your child is that they are enabled to play in a less restrictive environment.  Many home workers used to depend on the play pen to keep their child safe whilst they worked, but now they can watch the children on a wireless video monitor it’s safe to leave the child in their nursery with access to all their toys, in a safe environment, free to explore and develop all they need to.

To conclude

With the new internet baby monitors everyone is a winner.  The parent is allowed the free time in which to work or do whatever they need to whilst their child is free to safely roam around their room and play under the watchful eye of the wireless internet camera.

Keeping within a sensible budget

We all know as parents there are an incredible amount of things we need to buy to kit out a nursery and indeed ensure our baby’s safety.  Baby cots, mattresses, toys, clothes, bottles and sterilisers etc all cost a lot of money, but each and every one of them are essential.  It’s all very well having a state of the art video baby monitor, but if your baby has nowhere to sleep then you’re likely to cause as many more problems for you to monitor.

Many people prefer to make sure they have all the essentials first and then look at their budget in order to choose a baby monitor.  There is no shame in buying a cheaper audio baby monitor and in most cases if your baby is under stress or experiencing difficulty in any way they will make themselves heard.  This is a natural way for your baby to let you know if they are in trouble or sick.

The digital audio baby monitor

An old perennial problem with some of the old audio monitors was that they could sometimes fail or pick up interference from elsewhere.  The new digital developments with these monitors have pretty much eliminated anything like this from happening and their reliability has been dramatically increased.

Keeping mum and dad sane!

Another distinct advantage of the digital audio baby monitor has over the video monitor, other than the price, is that it prevents the parents watching their baby too much.  It’s very easy to become a little neurotic with a video camera in your baby’s room, particularly if they are still very young.  Watching the baby all the time can be detrimental in the long run and it can command a lot of the parents time when they could be getting on with other things.

Video footage provides a whole new dimension for you when you’re keeping an eye on your child and even allows for remote viewing should one of the parents have to spend a night away from home, perhaps as a result of work. The nursery video stream can be viewed over the internet to keep mum or dad in touch with the family, even though they are elsewhere. As it is encrypted and password protected, this footage is totally secure.

Digital technology isn’t just about allowing video, however – it also ensures improved audio. Interference was common with old analogue systems, but digital systems negate this. Digital signals are clearer anyway, but many video monitors will automatically scan for the channel with the strongest signal on top of that.

Other features have also been brought in, including talk back communication and the ability to record footage. Some systems will allow you to remotely pan and scan the camera in the nursery and you can even get video baby monitors which offer night vision.

The most common forms involve use of radio systems to allow parents to view or listen to their baby remotely. Most commonly, this will involve keeping an eye on them in the nursery while you are in another room, but newer systems also allow for the viewing of a live video stream of the child via an internet connection, should one parent be away with work or for some other reason. Needless to say, this footage is password protected and totally secure.

Many video baby monitors are also compatible with your TV, which is great should your TV allow for picture-in-picture viewing. This feature means that you can instantly be made aware should your baby need attention.

In addition to video monitors, you can also get sound and movement monitors which will complement the video system. A movement monitor makes use of a sensor pad which is placed underneath the baby’s mattress. This will detect movement and is sensitive enough that it can alert you should there be an abnormal breathing pattern.

By combining these different forms of baby monitors, parents can benefit from the peace of mind that comes from knowing that they are able to keep an eye on their children.

Breathing monitors are used in maternity wards throughout the country and you can get something similar for your home. A sensor pad is placed beneath your baby’s mattress which is so sensitive it can track breathing patterns. Should breathing become erratic or stop, you will be alerted so that you can act immediately.

Breathing monitors are available for various prices, but it is not the case that a cheaper monitor might let you down. The main difference is likely to be the size of the sensor pad, so there is a chance that the baby will roll off one of the cheaper pads should it be too small. In this eventuality, all that happens is that you are alerted when you needn’t be – a false alarm. This is an inconvenience, but nothing more than that. The important point is that even a cheaper monitor will not let you down in the event that your baby does start breathing erratically.

The most important reasons to get a baby monitor are:

• Safety and peace of mind.  Having a monitor will allow you to know what’s going on in the baby’s room whenever you need to and wherever you are in or around your home.  It’s not always about safety alone either; sometimes it’s more to do with your own peace of mind.
• Sleep.  It is essential that parents get enough rest.  If you haven’t had adequate sleep then you will be little to no use at all when the baby wakes up.  Sleep deprivation causes irritability and depression.  Having a monitor will allow you to go to a different room and get some well deserved, quality rest.
• Space and time.  If you are able to clear a little space for yourself amid the sometimes chaotic environment a baby creates, it will be invaluable.  Having space from your baby to do other things whenever possible is equally as important as sleep to keep you mentally healthy; if you have a portable monitor then you can go wherever you like in the house to put your feet up and relax.

Which baby monitor is best?

There are baby monitors for virtually every circumstance these days and they all work as well as each other.  It’s really up to you and your budget to choose the one that suits the best.  Gone are the days when all you could get to monitor your baby was a simple audio monitor; and although these are very useful in their own right, cost effective and still in use today, there are many others to choose from too:

• Digital video monitors
• DECT audio monitors
• Multiple camera monitors
• Night vision monitors
• Webcam monitors
• Long distance and hotel monitors
• Breathing effort monitors
• Talkback monitors

And there are many, many more.  Without going into too much detail about each individual baby monitor, you can see from just this short list that there is indeed a monitor for everyone.

The very best way to decide which baby monitor is best for you and your baby is to think carefully about the environment in which you live and work.  If you have a large home then a baby monitor is almost certainly a necessity.  Also, if you perhaps have a home where you spend a lot of time in the garden for example, you needn’t stay indoors because your baby is sleeping, you simply need to invest in a mobile baby monitor that works outdoors and you can take anywhere you like.

Only when you have a good idea of the type of baby monitor you’re looking for is it time to go shopping; this will prevent you having to trawl through pages of products on the internet or march up and down your local store trying to decide which one is best.

We can help you make the right choice to suit your needs; read our handy Baby Monitors Buying Guide for an introduction to all the different types of monitors and features available.