Pros and Cons of a Video Baby Monitor

One of the best ways you can keep track of the goings on of your little one is with a video baby monitor. This type of monitor allows you to be in another room of the home and still see the baby at any given time. Many years ago, audio monitors came out but over the years, this type of system was vastly improved. However, now with the development of the video monitor, parents have a much more reliable means of watching their baby.

With the earlier audio monitoring system, a parent could hear noise in the room of the baby, specifically crying. However, the video baby monitor, not only lets parents hear but also see.

Another option is the movement sensor monitor, which is designed to sit in the baby’s crib, alerting you whenever the baby moves using lights and/or sound.

Some of the pros associated with a video baby monitor include:

Keep in mind that for a video baby monitor over other options, there are two primary advantages.

1. This type of monitor lets you see your baby on the monitor screen.

For this, you feel less stressed knowing you can look up to see your baby whenever you want. While this is a great choice for parents of older children, this is especially helpful for parents of newborns, giving them a chance to see the baby. Sometimes, a sleeping baby will be extremely quiet, which causes concern for a new parent so being able to see small movements or breathing brings peace of mind. Instead of going to the baby’s room all the time and possibly waking him or her, the video baby monitor does the work for you.

Even the newer movement sensors will provide this same advantage by alerting you if the baby moves. The only downfall is that all babies will move while sleeping so if he or she is simply having a restless night, you might find yourself spending a lot of time checking.

2. Being able to listen to sounds in the baby’s room is also beneficial.

With an audio baby monitor, you will hear some things but if you are in the kitchen cooking, watching television, or listening to a CD, there is the chance that something would be missed. In this case, a video baby monitor is advantageous in that if a sound were missed, you would still be able to see if the baby needs you. In other words, you would be able to listen to music or the television at normal volume and be confident because you can look at the monitor anytime to see if the baby is crying or restless.

Along with all the positive aspects of a video baby monitor, there are some cons to consider.

For instance, an audio monitor can be carried around with you as you do things in the house but the video baby monitor does not offer the same level of mobility. Instead, the monitor is positioned on the baby’s bed where it stays. To resolve the problem, you can always use the video system while at home and then when going on vacation or to visit grandparents, you could take the audio or movement sensor monitor with you.

Another possible solution for watching a baby with more mobility is by installing a webcam. For this, you would need to hook up a webcam that would monitor the baby but also a laptop computer so you can see movement. Another option would be to use two laptops, one to record and one to watch. If you go with this option, the laptops would need internet access. Then, the webcam laptop would be positioned toward the baby’s bed and the second laptop taken with you to work so you could see what was going on whenever you wanted. Unfortunately, this is somewhat cumbersome. Therefore, the best option is by purchasing a video baby monitor.