What to Look for in a Baby Monitor

By: Ashley King

One of the greatest helps for busy parents these days are baby monitors. With a baby monitor, you are not only allowed greater freedom of movement around the house, but you can also provide better safety for your children, even when it's not possible for you to be right by their side. However, new parents may find it difficult to select a baby monitor that is right for them, since there are so many different varieties available.

Listed below are some qualities that should be taken into consideration when searching for a good monitoring device, whether it is audio, digital, video, or analog that you select.

1. The reception of the device should be clear, whether it is audio or video, as well as being low static. This is a very important consideration to ensure the safety of your child. It is imperative that your baby's activities can be heard or seen clearly.

2. A compact and portable receiver will be more comfortable to carry around with you, making it easier for you to keep an eye on your little one while working. A good number of modern baby monitors are equipped with ultra-small receivers.

3. Most baby monitors these days also come with receivers that have belt clips. This feature allows parents to carry the device around with little effort. If you intend to take the receiver anywhere in the house for extended periods of time, test out the attachment method just to be sure that it's durable enough to endure daily usage.

4. A light alarm that activates whenever it picks up sound is another useful feature for those times when you might be preoccupied with loud noises such as the sound of the television or vacuum.

5. Having a warning that the battery is running low is another feature to take into consideration. If your receiver runs out of battery and you don't notice, you will feel a sense of false security, and your child could be in danger.

6. It's also important that you pick the correct range or bandwidth. A large area will need a broad range, whereas a monitor used in an apartment or small house would need less, particularly if the device is going to be near many mobile phones or other devices which transmit and receive signals.

7. If you have been looking at wireless models, it's important to be aware of the fact that signal interference may be experienced. If your next door neighbor possesses a baby monitor then it's possible to pick up signals from their monitor also. It's also possible that cordless telephones may interfere with the signal. Search for non-interference technology, or those that have additional security features.

8. The combination of sound and visual monitoring in a video baby monitor is also possible nowadays due to technological innovations. However, even though the video option does seem like a great idea, it isn't possible or practical to sit and stare at the screen constantly. Consequently, excellent sound quality should not be sacrificed for supplementary features.

Keep in mind that the best baby monitor is not always the most costly one. What matters is the fact that it is suitable for your situation and tough enough to survive everyday use. And the most important features are those that will assist you to keep your baby safe.

Article Source: http://www.yesparenting.com/articles

Ashley King is editor of the Family Section at i-KnowHow | Information for Life, where you'll also find ideas and tips for hobbies, home and garden, personal finance, technology basics and much more.

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