A digital baby monitor may be used to ensure the safety of a newborn baby. Parents can listen in to the baby’s breathing and cries to gauge the situation, without having to be in the same room. Compared to analog, digital monitors offer superior sound quality and vision quality (for ones with video monitors). Yet, on the downside, some parents worry about electromagnetic radiation emanating from the monitors. Even though there has been no scientific evidence to support this claim, some view it as an unnecessary risk or feel the monitor should be placed far from the infant. Additionally, the digital monitors are higher in price, which may not make them suitable for every family.
There are many good, digital infant monitors from which to choose. The Philips DECT baby monitor gets the highest reviews for sound clarity and offers special features, like parent-to-baby intercom functionality, alert lights, room temperature gauges, a night-light and soothing lullabies. The Summer Infant baby monitor offers video, night-vision, sound-alert lights and zoom and pan functionality. The Secure Sounds infant monitor Summer brand has also received positive reviews for limited interference and its stylish, contemporary design. The new Digitally Fresh digital baby monitor comes with a 1.5-inch color LCD baby monitor screen, a walkie-talkie/receiver and a security camera. The Graco baby monitor, called the “iMonitor,” has multi-child monitoring features, an estimated 2,000-ft range, night vision and zoom. Mobi sells systems with unlimited receivers, wide camera angles, zoom, voice-activated video transmission and high-resolution screens. These high-end models run between $100 and $200.
You should definitely consider a digital baby monitor if you have nearby neighbors with babies because analog monitors often cross channels, making it easy to pick up another signal from a similar baby monitor system. Check which frequency your cordless phone operates on and ensure you don’t end up with a 2.4 GHz cordless and a 2.4 GHz baby monitor, as these will interfere and cause static. Digital monitors encode signals before sending them, so they’re more secure and they have a limited chance of interfering with other signals. Even though digital is more expensive, you’ll want a monitor that does its primary job well or it’s simply not worth buying one at all.
There is a digital baby monitor for everyone. There are basic $20 monitors that serve as walkie-talkies and transmitters of baby coos, gurgles, talking and cries. There are $60 monitors that give you greater range, better sound clarity, more receivers and lights-only indicators to show when the baby is screeching. The more high-end digital monitors past $100 may add lullabies, other monitoring features and night lights. Then, there are the systems with video monitors, offering a whole new level of baby espionage to the scene. At the end of the day, it’s up to you and what you feel is most needed.
