Features to look for when buying a baby monitor.
Baby Safety Equipment: Choosing the Right Baby Monitor
What is a Baby Monitor?
Baby monitors are small portable units consisting of a transmitter and a receiver. Much like a radio, they operate on a specific frequency. The transmitter is typically located in the baby's room and picks up any sounds your baby makes. The receiver is portable and allows you to listen in on your baby.
The biggest advantage that baby monitors have to offer is that they give you peace of mind. As a parent, you are able to monitor what is happening in your baby or toddler's room with out having to be there. This is especially handy when babies are sleeping at night or during naptimes. Baby monitors also give you the freedom to keep an eye on your baby or toddler while you prepare meals, vacuum or do chores around the house.
There are two types of baby monitors, audio and a combination of audio and visual. Audio models are either one-way or two-way systems. The main difference is that a two-way monitor allows you to speak to your baby as well as hear her. In other words, your baby hears your voice almost as if you were in the room with him. Baby monitors that are both audio and visual have miniature cameras so that you can actually see what's going on in your baby's room.
The type of baby monitor you choose depends of a couple of factors. A family living in a larger home may prefer a more sophisticated system than a family living in a smaller home. If you have twins, or even two children close in age that are in separate bedrooms, a baby monitor equipped with a camera might hold more appeal.
Features to Look For
1. The receiver(s) should be lightweight, small in size, and easy to carry around with you from room to room. Many models offer units with clips so you can attach the unit to your belt or waistband.
2. Transmitters are usually stationary (the baby's room) and plugged into an outlet. Most units are not equipped for battery operation. Receivers on the other hand should have the option of using batteries as well as plugging into an outlet. Some models are available with rechargeable batteries and a battery-charging unit.
3. Most baby monitors operate at the low or high end of the bandwidth typically 49 megahertz (MHz) or 900 MHz. If you live in a densely populated urban or suburban area where there are many cell phone users, cell phone towers, or other families with baby monitors, stick to a low frequency baby monitor that operates on the 49 MHz frequency. Higher frequencies (900 MHz) are fine for rural areas.
4. Baby monitors should have a dual channel system on the receiver. This means that if you are getting interference such as picking up a neighbor's conversations, you can switch to a different frequency. This doesn't mean that you will go from 49 MHz to 900 MHz, only that you might switch from 49.830 to 49.860 MHz.
5. Most baby monitors have a range of about 400 feet, although some of the more sophisticated baby monitors have a range up to 1500 feet.
6. Two receivers allow you to keep one in the bedroom and carry the other one around the house or yard.
7. An alarm or light that indicates the battery is low.
8. Adjustable volume control.
9. A light display that lets you know when your baby is crying or making noise even when you have the volume on low or are vacuuming and don't hear your baby crying.
