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Old 03-23-2010, 09:37 AM
 
995 posts, read 3,920,398 times
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Can anyone recommend a really good baby video/audio monitor? Budget is $200.

We looked at 2 possibilities.

1. Single purpose video monitor

Generally good reviews but we live in a neighborhood with many young families. I heard that due to limited frequencies, the signals can easily get intercepted. In other words, other people can see the same video, if they use the same frequency. This is my wife's major concern.


2. Wireless Webcam

I have no trouble setting it up. If needed, we also have a PC server running 24/7 to host the webcam. But my wife is not comfortable with the interface as there are many steps involved to see the video (turning on PC, running the program, waiting for the feed). It might be easier to just walk to the baby room.

I also thought about using my wife's Ipod Touch Does anyone use video monitor with Ipod/Iphone? Any experience to share?
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Old 03-23-2010, 10:53 AM
 
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Is it really necessary? Do you not trust your babysitter?
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Old 03-23-2010, 11:46 AM
 
14,780 posts, read 43,477,989 times
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I would have to agree with NoExcuses...is it really necessary?

A good audio monitor is really all you need and can be picked up well under your budget giving you some extra cash for diapers (did anyone tell you how pricey they can get, lol).

Even if the baby is awake in the crib, if they aren't crying, that means they are content to chill and hang out in the crib and stare at the ceiling for a little bit and there's nothing wrong with that. They'll let you know if they need something.

Having three kids, video monitors were becoing very popular around the time number 2 was born and we dabated getting one, but when we thought back about the experience with our first it became really apparent that it was way more of a gimmick then a necessity.
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Old 03-23-2010, 12:04 PM
 
1,476 posts, read 2,017,541 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by acegolfer View Post
Can anyone recommend a really good baby video/audio monitor? Budget is $200.

We looked at 2 possibilities.

1. Single purpose video monitor

Generally good reviews but we live in a neighborhood with many young families. I heard that due to limited frequencies, the signals can easily get intercepted. In other words, other people can see the same video, if they use the same frequency. This is my wife's major concern.


2. Wireless Webcam

I have no trouble setting it up. If needed, we also have a PC server running 24/7 to host the webcam. But my wife is not comfortable with the interface as there are many steps involved to see the video (turning on PC, running the program, waiting for the feed). It might be easier to just walk to the baby room.

I also thought about using my wife's Ipod Touch Does anyone use video monitor with Ipod/Iphone? Any experience to share?
I have no personal experience with video monitoring. But with our audio monitor, we did experience the interception of the frequency thing with our neighbors. Don't know if they ever heard us; but we could hear the neighbors sometimes - usually just some of the baby crying and muffled voices although there were a few times, we could actually hear others talking. So, yes your wife's concerns are probably valid. Maybe you could go to e-pinions or look online at some customer reviews at websites that sell them, if noone here is able to help. Good luck!
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Old 03-23-2010, 07:08 PM
 
Location: Lehigh Acres
1,777 posts, read 4,837,064 times
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He doesn't want it for a babysitter, he wants it to keep an ear/eye on the baby while it is sleeping.
Unless you live in a condo or an apartment, you won't likely get too much interference, I can't imagine that every neighbor has a baby and monitor. We bought a $60.00 audio one from babiesrus and it had an LED display that was green, orange, yellow and red, in that order, for how loud the baby was. We usually kept the sound down anyways, my wife is a light sleeper and the light would tick up half a led when the a/c kicked on and she would wake up
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Old 03-23-2010, 10:27 PM
 
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I've never heard of monitoring a sleeping baby unless it's on a heart or breathing machine.
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Old 03-23-2010, 11:07 PM
 
3,422 posts, read 10,869,387 times
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Someone gave us a video monitor as a baby gift for our 4th and you know what? We now occasionally use it on the older kids, mostly as an "even though you are in a different room don't think we can't see what is going on" kind of thing, but mostly they use it for their own entertainment. They run back and forth from room to room looking at each other on it.

I think an audio one would really do the trick. A video one is fun - you can watch the baby sleeping for a couple of min and so on - but its not a necessary item. I don't think its ridiculous either, just money better spent elsewhere. It is fun though. Especially for the non-babies.
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Old 03-24-2010, 04:59 AM
 
1,476 posts, read 2,017,541 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by NoExcuses View Post
I've never heard of monitoring a sleeping baby unless it's on a heart or breathing machine.
People frequently use them, especially those living in larger homes. If the baby is upstairs sleeping and the mother is downstairs or in a distant part of the house, she can hear when her child wakes up and begins crying. She may then go attend to her infant. Baby monitors have been around for over a decade. They may be found at Toys R Us, Babies R Us, Leaps N Bounds, Right Start, etc.
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Old 03-24-2010, 08:50 AM
 
995 posts, read 3,920,398 times
Reputation: 362
I'm the OP.

To clarify, we need it not for the babysitter. It will be used to monitor the baby in crib. We used audio monitor for our 1st and figured a video monitor will be more convenient.

Has anyone used a video monitor? I want to hear first hand experience.
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Old 03-24-2010, 09:28 AM
 
3,842 posts, read 10,477,661 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by acegolfer View Post
I'm the OP.

To clarify, we need it not for the babysitter. It will be used to monitor the baby in crib. We used audio monitor for our 1st and figured a video monitor will be more convenient.

Has anyone used a video monitor? I want to hear first hand experience.
Yes, and I found it to cause me to be ridicously paranoid & just took it down.

This was with #1. With #3 on the way, I've found that the pure basics work the best. My babies have been so versatile the first several months that I just pack them up sleeping or not & place them where I need to in order to sleep, clean, cook and live a normal life. I'm of the mindset that I need a break from my children at times and don't need to see their every movement. I nurse my children, so I'm up with them so much the first 6 months in particular that I felt a video monitor was overkill.

If so concerned, suggest having the baby sleep in the same room.
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