Video Monitor: A New Mom's Best Friend
Some moms are more paranoid than others. But the majority of first-time moms tend to watch their babies like a hawk, running into the room several times a night just to confirm he's still breathing, or to ensure that little cry you thought you might have just heard doesn't mean baby is in trouble.
The answer? A video monitor is one of the best investments you can make. It's fabulous for peace-of-mind: instead of having to get out of bed and creep into baby's room several times a night, just hit a wake up button on the monitor to check on baby, then resume your slumber. (That if you're getting any sleep at all, of course.)Â
There are several ways to keep an eye on baby nowadays, from the standard Webcam and mobile app, to dedicated monitors. Yes, that's right moms. You can get a fairly affordable miniature camera from a company like D-Link, set it up in baby's room, download an app, and check on him whenever you need via your smartphone.
I, however, found that the dedicated baby monitor afforded certain benefits that made them worth the purchase.
My choice was the Motorola MBP36, which sells for about $250. It's a hefty investment, but one of those items you can put on the baby registry list and hope a group of folks team up to buy for you.
Here's my full review of that model, available at http://www.wifihifi.ca/LatestNewsHeadline/Review:MotorolaMBP36VideoMonitor.html:Â
Hands-on Review: Motorola MBP36 Video Monitor
After discovering I was pregnant in the summer of 2011, I immediately went about making preparations for the arrival of our new bundle of joy. Working in the technology industry, that naturally included looking at what cool gadgetry might help with baby-to-be.
One of the must-have items for any baby shower list is a video monitor. I came across the Motorola MBP36, which combines a portable camera with a wireless LCD monitor, and it looked like it would perfectly fit the bill.
The camera operates via AC power, and can be placed atop a flat surface, or mounted on the wall (or side of the crib.) The monitor boasts a 3.5” colour LCD that can show real-time video at up to 25 frames-per-second. It operates via AC power or internal rechargeable battery. Reminiscent of a portable Nintendo DS gaming system in size and shape, the monitor is easily transportable as you move from room-to-room. There’s an antenna for optimal reception and a kickstand so it can stand upright on any flat surface, like a night stand or coffee table. The camera and monitor communicate with one another over the 2.4 GHz wireless spectrum, and boast a range of up to 1,000 feet.
In my setup, the receiver was kept in the master bedroom or living room of a 1,300 square-foot condo and communicated with the camera in the baby’s room at the opposite end of the residence.
Before finding its permanent home above baby’s crib, the camera was first placed atop a dresser in the master bedroom, facing down into a bassinet at the foot of the bed. It turned out to be the perfect height for pointing directly at baby; especially since the camera pans and tilts to adjust to your ideal view. Once baby moved over to his own room and crib, we mounted the camera on the wall, right above the crib and facing directly down onto baby.
Setup was simple right out of the box: mount and power up the camera, power up the monitor, and watch. The pan, tilt, and zoom functions are controlled via four directional buttons on the left side of the monitor. This means that not only can I view baby remotely, but I can also zoom around and check out the room from the comfort of the living room couch or my bed. There’s also an AV out feature for viewing baby on your TV, though I never found use for such a feature.
Navigate through menu items by pressing a button on the right side, and use the up/down, left/right directional arrows to scroll through options. Press the “OK” button on the right to select the desired function. All operation is limited to these few buttons, making use simple to understand; no manuals needed.
In addition to providing a full colour (or night vision) clear look at baby, the unit’s screen displays handy information like signal strength, battery life, and, especially useful, the temperature in the room (in Celsius or Farenheit) to ensure it’s not too hot or cold. If you have more than one camera connected to a monitor (up to four can be connected), you can also scan each camera’s view. You’ll also see a little moon icon if you’re viewing the camera in night vision mode when the lights are off for baby to enjoy his slumber. The view in night mode, which I used the majority of the time to keep tabs on baby at night, is clear enough to discern even when baby’s eyes are open, or what expression is on his face. (Though you’ll note the dreaded white-eye effect.) Brightness levels can also be adjusted to one’s liking. There are 1x and 2x zoom options.
There’s an intercom-like mic button for speaking through the camera, to calm baby if he’s crying (hearing mama’s voice can be soothing, even if she’s not physically in the room); or for someone in the room to speak to you via the monitor’s speakers. It came in handy when I’d just come out of the shower, for example, and needed a few minutes before I could tend to baby, but wanted to soothe him with my voice telling him I’m on the way shortly. There’s also a lullaby feature that will play one of five preprogrammed polyphonic tunes through the camera’s speaker to tide baby over until someone can tend to him. Unfortunately, the music also plays through the monitor’s speakers, and there’s no way to quiet it. Which means if you want baby to sleep through a lullaby, you’ll have to learn to do the same. (Alternatively, you can just turn the volume down on the monitor, though this means you won’t be able to hear baby loudly if he cries out either.)
Another handy feature: an alarm can be set to go off (through the monitor only, of course) at 2-hour, 4-hour, or 6-hour intervals for feeding baby on a schedule.
The screen stays on for a minute or two before going into sleep mode, so as not to drain the battery, but audio remains on. If you hear baby crying, just tap any button on the unit to light up the screen and check on what he’s doing. Then press again to turn the screen off. Adding to the effects are five LED lights across the top of the unit that illuminate in sync with sounds, like the baby’s cries. (Red, of course, indicating that he’s making noises; a series of red lights noting that his cries are getting louder and longer.)
The camera is small and unobtrusive enough not to get in the way, and the round head easily moves around to scan an entire room. This makes it unlikely that you’d even need a second or third camera for one room, though one might come in handy if you wish to keep tabs on baby in other rooms of the house, like in his playpen, or, when he gets older, outside in the backyard, perhaps.
The only real issue I had with this system was the monitor’s battery life. While it was easy to bring it with me to keep tabs on baby during short daytime naps, it seemed even when I charged the unit up overnight, I never had enough juice to last through one full long sleep session without the unit beeping that the battery was about to die. If you plan on buying this system, make sure there’s a power source nearby where you’re likely to be using it.
There are plenty of high-tech baby monitor systems on the market today. But for the price and ease of setup, the Motorola MPB36 will suffice for most parents. Perhaps the only highly desired high-tech feature lacking is the ability to tap into the camera via the Web, through a mobile device or computer; or even by an app. I would love to be able to supplement the 3.5” monitor with my iPhone, for example, or for my husband to be able to keep tabs on the baby while he’s at work using his computer or iPad.
But as a simple video monitor solution for a newborn, toddler, or even to keep tabs on unruly pets, this monitor is an ideal option.
It currently sells for sub-$250.
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