Which Is The Best Baby Monitor?
After spending nine months in your baby’s presence, feeling them grow and come alive inside of you for all this time, the thought of letting your little one be apart from you may seem impossible. And then after the first few months, you need to let them go all over again, into a nursery of their own to sleep in. Even if it’s just in the next room, a quality baby monitor can give you peace of mind as a new parent, and help you to feel that little bit closer to your little one.
Thanks to modern technology, we’ve come a long way from one-way radio monitors and now have options that track breathing, have night vision, and detect temperature changes. With the number of top-notch baby monitors available, the only challenge is finding the right baby monitor for your family. So, we’ve put together this list of the eight best baby monitors, just for you.
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Our Top 8 Baby Monitor Picks
Best Overall Baby Monitor: Nanit Pro Smart Baby Monitor
Best Budget Baby Monitor: Wyze Cam Pan v2 Smart Home Camera
Best Baby Monitor to Track Breathing: Miku Pro Smart Baby Monitor
Best Video Baby Monitor: Eufy Spaceview Video Monitor
Best Audio Baby Monitor: VTech DM221-2 Audio Baby Monitor
Best Baby Monitor with WiFi: Cubo Ai Plus Smart Baby Monitor
Best Baby Monitor without WiFi: Infant Optics DXR-8 Pro Baby Monitor
Best Wearable Baby Monitor: Owlet Dream Duo Sock and Camera
What to Consider When Choosing a Baby Monitor
- Video vs. Audio-Only: The first decision to make when choosing a baby monitor is whether you want an audio-only monitor to hear your baby or a video monitor to see your little one. Putting your little one in their own room can be scary, especially in the first year. Some parents find that video monitoring gives them better peace of mind. However, if you have a small space or are looking for an inexpensive option, audio-only is a great choice.
- Sound and Video Quality: If you choose an audio-only monitor, consider how sensitive the monitoring system is and if it will pick up quiet cries or rustling. For a video monitor, is the image quality clear enough to see your baby?
- WiFi vs. Non-WiFi: There are pros and cons to both WiFi and non-Wi-Fi baby monitors. Options with no WiFi are slightly safer since they can’t be hacked, generally have less lag, and work even if the internet is down. On the other hand, you can view your baby from anywhere with a WiFi monitor, and they usually have more smart home compatible features.
- Extra Features: A few extra baby monitor features to look out for include white noise, lullabies, room temperature monitoring, zoom, and oxygen level monitoring.
How We Chose Our Favorites
We consulted with experts, parents, and sleep consultants to narrow down the very best baby monitors for a variety of families. We also tapped into these experts' advice to find out which brands were best and readily available on Amazon.
Our Top Baby Monitors
The Best Overall Baby Monitor
If you want a baby monitor that does it all, the Nanit Pro with a camera and wall mount is a top choice. It has HD WiFi video and night vision, two-way background audio, humidity and room temperature monitoring, and a breathing band to watch your baby’s breathing in real-time. Plus, you can watch the live video whether you’re in the next room or at work with a WiFi connection.
“The Nanit gives us peace of mind while our son sleeps. Super easy to install and pair with the phone app. Great picture and sound quality.”
Best Budget Baby Monitor
While this Wyze camera isn’t specifically for babies, it’s an excellent budget option that you can repurpose as a security camera around the house when your baby is grown. By using the app on your smartphone, you can pan, tilt, and zoom the video to see everything your baby is doing.
“I love this monitor. We hooked it up to our google home system so we can use it on our phones and nest. It's great as a baby monitor. I can talk to them, see so well in the dark, move the camera as needed, and I love that I get notifications when he wakes.”
Best Baby Monitor to Track Breathing
The Miku Pro is completely contactless and shows your baby’s respirations per minute in real-time. Thanks to an embedded, tamper-resistant chip, this baby monitor is entirely safe and secure, and allows you to monitor your baby wherever you go.
“With twins, we wanted to have something that would help us monitor both babies at the same time. The fact that it has a setting specifically for preemie babies was another huge plus since our babies came so early. The app with the Miku system allows both of us to see the video feed, which is super high quality both during the day and at night, and both of us get alerts for both babies on each of our phones.”
Best Video Baby Monitor
This sizable 5-inch display shows detail up to 10 times sharper than most video monitors and features two-way talk. It also offers whole room coverage by panning the lens 330-degrees to see every corner and 110-degrees to view from floor to ceiling.
“Awesome monitor! . . . The monitor screen is big, clear and has a wonderful picture. We like all the features, including the 2 way talk, night vision, lullaby’s and especially the wide angle lens!”
Best Audio Baby Monitor
This baby monitor is one of the top choices for those who prefer an audio-only model. It comes with two parent units and features a nightlight on the baby unit with a range of up to 1000 feet. Another great feature is the rechargeable battery that lasts up to 15 hours.
“Perfect. I was not going to purchase a monitor for our baby because our house is so small, but we garden and like to sit outside on the porch which is hard to do with a sleeping baby. The parent unit is perfect to take out on the porch when our son is napping. Great quality and size. Good sound and battery lasts all day. . . . Very happy with my purchase. I would purchase this again and recommend one to a friend.”
Best Baby Monitor with WiFi
Those looking for the best WiFi baby monitor will appreciate the abundance of features this model offers, including alerts when the baby’s face is covered, smart home integration with Alexa, temperature sensor, lullabies, and crystal clear 1080p image quality.
“This was a late addition to the baby gear we use and boy was it a very nice addition. Prior to the Cubo we had a standard wifi camera and thought that was sufficient since that was all we used for our first child. But the Cubo has really made our lives easier and is also a joy to use.”
Best Baby Monitor without WiFi
The Infant Optics DXR-8 is one of the best non-WiFi baby monitors. It has excellent picture quality to watch the baby sleep, two-way audio, and active background noise reduction. Plus, you never have to deal with apps on your iPhone or worry about losing internet connection.
“Dreams do come true! Infant Optics you’ve won me back! I’ve used the original DXR-8 for the last 5 years for my girls but wanted to find something with updates for baby #3. I’ve been on the hunt for 2 months for another non-WiFi monitor and tried Eufy and VAVA both of which had better picture than the old Infant Optics, but I missed so many features of the original DXR-8...until I came across the PRO! Literally jumping for joy!! The new picture is so CLEAR!”
Best Wearable Baby Monitor
To track your baby’s sleep patterns, monitor their oxygen levels, and find out their heart rate, this wearable monitor is ideal. Included is a video monitor with night vision, 130-degree wide-angle, and four times zoom.
“I'm so thankful for Owlet. The Dream Duo gives my wife and I peace of mind and helps us, and our little one sleep better at night. We highly recommend it!”
