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. You should ensure that sound is perfectly clear, with minimal static or disturbance. This is the basic factor that will help you keep - well, not an eye, but an ear! - on your child's activities. Reception should be of the best quality.

2. Having a baby monitor that's small and easy to carry is useful when you need to move around, doing your chores. Such monitors often come with really tiny receivers.

3. Another useful feature of a baby monitor is a clip you can attach to your belt, making it easy to carry the monitor around conveniently. If this is your intention, test it properly to make sure the reception is good everywhere in the house and that the device can handle rough usage every day.

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. A low battery indicator will warn you in plenty of time before the battery runs out. If the battery on your receiver is dead and you don't notice, you'll have a sense of false security, and your child could be in danger.

6. Choose the right range or bandwidth for your needs. If you have a large house, then you'll need a wider range. A smaller house or apartment might not need as much range especially if you live in an area where there could be a lot of interference such as cell phones and other monitors that could disrupt the 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. Technological innovations have made it possible to combine sound and visual monitoring in a video baby monitor. Although the video option seems like a brilliant idea, you still won't be able to stare at the screen all the time. For that reason, you definitely shouldn't sacrifice excellent sound quality over supplementary features.

Remember that the best baby monitors may not always be the most expensive ones. The most important thing is that the model you choose is suitable for your requirements, as well as being tough enough to survive everyday use. Of course, the most important features are the ones that enable 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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