As the title really or are they all on par with each other?
We bought the BT150 after doing some research that was four years ago, it's still working fine for baby #2. We weren't paranoid enough to worry about a video one, seems overkill to me.
Not sure if that model is still available but I'd recommend the equivalent BT one, if further commendation is required mums net love it too.
Top Tip what I read on twitter:
If you leave the broadcast end of the monitor switched on in your bedroom and then take the speaker to the garden set to full volume don't then return to the bedroom for noisy sex and leave the speaker bit in the garden.
It gets a bit awkward with the neighbours the following day.
My Mrs always recommends the angelcare to brand so I got one for my brother as he's just had a baby.
We got the one with the breathing pad as well and it's excellent. Just make sure you have a flat base to the cot or at least some cardboard underneath the pad.
They're not cheap but well worth the pennies for the peace of mind.
We've got an angelcare one and it's been great. We didn't bother with the breathing pad but did go for a video screen. Personally I've found having a screen good as we can see if he's thrashing around in the cot or not. Generally we know that if we see he's rolled onto his front with his head up he's wide awake and is not going to settle back to sleep without some help.
Each of our friends has a different brand. The BT one has needed replacing under warranty 3 times, the rest are all a much of a muchness.
So much choice but we went with a Motorola, just simple monitor with nothing fancy, been running a year and a half with no issues. We didn't bother with CCTV/movement sensors. Figured it would just give us more to worry/check up on.
We had the BT250 for our first but it has died now after two years. The sound clarity was excellent.
Just bought an Anglecare from Argos last week. It comes with the pad for less than the cost of the BT one and seems good so far.
http://www.argos.co.uk/static/Product/partNumber/3768882.htm
We had a couple - the first one for baby #1 was a decent make (which name escapes me) and we just got interference all the time on it). Binned that and bought another for baby #2 which was better but we occasionally get the local taxi firm on it. A little odd when mini-mini-DBW was meant to be asleep and you'd get an Asian guy saying he was on his way to Sowerby Bridge coming through loud and clear on the monitor.
We had the BT 250 had good reviews which I would agree with.. Has a great sound to it and the light show function thing with temperature indicator is a nice touch.
Happy to sell it now boxed in perfect condition.
Send me an email if your interested.
Angelcare.....We got the one with the breathing pad as well and it's excellent. Just make sure you have a flat base to the cot or at least some cardboard underneath the pad.
Same here. We bought one second hand off a friend and it's been faultless in the 6 months we've used it.
We didn't bother with CCTV/movement sensors. Figured it would just give us more to worry/check up on.
Conversely we [i]did[/i] go for a CCTV one because it made the missus much less anxious and let us relax.
(With the "Noise only" ones she was prone to imagining that any random gurgling noise was the baby's frantic strangled choking, rather than just some happy sleepy gurgling)
So you'll need to figure out what works best for you.
We went through monitors like cakes.
Mr dbcooper found that cheap wireless IP cams were much better, we used an universal IP cam app and were able to watch the kids on the mobile, ipad, tablet, smart TV, laptop. Plus they have pan/tilt, movement sensors, bi-directional audio, night vision and cost about £30 and generally better than anything with an inflated price because it says "baby" on it.
We ended up with 3 around the hosue and could use a web app from the pub/malaga to watch the kids whilst they argued about who turn it was to make the tea.
ip app https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.rcreations.WebCamViewerPaid&hl=en_GB
ip cam search on amazon cheapest is £27.99 http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_0_8?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=ip%20camera&sprefix=ip+camer%2Caps%2C199&rh=i%3Aaps%2Ck%3Aip%20camera
This is the one we have by the way:
[img] http://s7ondemand6.scene7.com//is/image/MothercareASE/ln0576_1?&$dw_large_mc$&wid=353&hei=424&fit=fit,1 [/img]
Tomy TDV450. Does CCTV, infra-red vision, two-way sound (useful!), and temperature. Camera base is a night light with changing colours (which you can turn off and on from the monitor).
Not sure if they still make it but it was about £90 in Mothercare new (but a lot cheaper off eBay!)
http://www.mothercare.com/Tomy-TDV450-Digital-Video-Baby-Monitor/280191,default,pd.html
Good grief a lot has changed in the five years since our youngest was a baby, we used our monitor for about a week for our first then came to the realization that baby equipment companies thrive on fear and unnecessary "stuff". Travel system anyone ?? 😉
Our bt one has been good , and although some people might say the video is over the top we have found it reassuring
we used our monitor for about a week for our first
We used that ^ one till our first born was three! 😆
(and we'll probably do the same with daughter#2 who is currently one).
Mind you, if I had my way they'd have a camera in their room till they leave home 😀
Cheers folks. Keep them coming. Lots to think about there. Spectabilis I'll speak to my wife and get back to you about the BT 250.
OP: My advice is whatever you get, get it off eBay or at a baby sale.
I find it incredible how much brand new stuff folk buy for babies - only to ditch it six months later.
angel care with pad and room temp no problems with it in three years , I would now happily leave it off but crankygirl likes to be able to hear what he is up to .
I think we got ours new .
The movement pad is a nice peace of mind for anxious parents like us, we stopped using it after 1 year.
Angelcare here too - the first time one of our girls rolled away from where the pad was positioned and the alarm went off we went into a blind panic though.
We took the pads off when they were about 1 year old but we kept using the sound monitor for a good couple of years (it made my wife relax more knowing he could hear them so I wasn't going to argue). We still use the monitor if we are away at friends/holiday etc (again, it makes my wife more relaxed).
We got a BT monitor (audio only) and an Anglecare pads when #1 was born, she's 7 now. The pads have done 3 other babies in the mean time and now back to us for #2. Both the BT monitor and pads are still working fine. I wasn't too convinced about the need for the pads, we had a couple of false alarms due to moving off the pads and one incident when we were very glad we had them.
Felt video seemed overkill for baby monitoring, but in hindsight thought it could be handy when they are a little older and you want to keep an eye on what there are up to after you have put them to bed and can hear movement.
we ditched ours fairly early on with no2 as unless your house is huge you can hear the baby crying anyway.
House? You can pick up the signal from ours in the pub.
Apparently.
My recommendation is not to. Pavlov will be proved right within a week. Crying is the Unconditional Response, noise from the monitor the conditional response.
Pavlov will be proved right within a week.
Pavlov walks into a bar. The bartender rings the bell for last orders, and Pavlov thinks "Sh** - I forgot to feed the dog"
😀
Anyways, for us, the point of a monitor (especially with video) was that it meant we [i]didn't[/i] need to go in for every little cry or noise.
Anyways, for us, the point of a monitor (especially with video) was that it meant we didn't need to go in for every little cry or noise.
we don't without one. 😀
We went for a Tommee Tippe one with the breathing pad.
IMO the pad is nothing more than preying on your fear, nothing but bother EVERY time it sets off the alarm because the child has decided it doesn't want to lie on a sub-A4 space on the bed. Quickly got removed once she left the treasure cot and went into her own cot-bed.
With IP cameras you need to make sure it's secure, read too much about how easy it is to hack them and have all sorts of folk watching you or screaming obscenities at your sleeping kip (the ones with speakers). You can make a ghetto monitor with an old laptop, a hardwired webcam and skype which works rather well, you just need to set it up to automatically recieve calls whenever you dial in.
Didnt use one. The dog started crying when junior did for the first few months.
Wouldn't touch an IP based system. Too many security issues.
http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/man-hacks-10-month-olds-baby-monitor-3468827
We've had one I these for 12 months and it works well
http://www.tommeetippee.co.uk/product/digital-video-monitor/
Get a piece of hardboard cut to the size of your cot and put it under the monitor pad if you want to avoid false alarms.
We had a simple BT monitor for our first daughter (non-video). Worked very well, super clear microphone and could pick up the sound of a pin dropping on the highest sensitivity.
Didn't bother using it at all for daughter no. 2!
You can waste loads of money on baby monitors, but the simple ones (providing they are digital to avoid interference) work fine. The BT ones were good 5 years ago when we were in the market.
We have a Tommee Tippee one with the pad as well. The pad was used when he was in the moses basket and got ditched after that as it was a pain the arse. Buy secondhand if you can and if you need [b][u]anything[/u][/b] go to an NCT sale as you can get bargains galore,
Buy secondhand if you can and if you need anything go to an NCT sale as you can get bargains galore,
This - my wife is a volunteer at the Harrogate one (you've just missed the autumn sale) and not only are there great bargains to be had, but it's also a great place to sell unwanted stuff. The pleasure I get seeing the latest pile of stuff disappear from the spare bedroom knows no bounds.
Anglecare here with pad, worked really well, couple of false alarms which had me out of bed quickly but rather have it when they are very little than not at all. Still using the sound bit. Faultless.
[i]'Wake up baby': Man HACKS into 10-month-old's baby monitor to watch sleeping infant
[/i]
Now I've heard everything!
Another with Angelcare including pad sensor. Has been faultless despite being dropped several times. A few false alarms with the sensor when she crawls to the very bottom of the bed, but despite this would recommend.
Never bothered with one. Billions of people get along just fine without video feeds, alarms, heat sensors, night vision etc..
Yes, exactly the sort of useless device that will attract SPAM (reported)