The 5 Best Baby Monitors, Tested & Recommended by Parents

• Value: 17/20
• Functionality: 20/20
• Audio/Video Quality: 19/20
• Aesthetics: 20/20
• Peace of Mind Factor: 19/20

TOTAL: 95/100

I’ll be honest: I heavily scrutinized this monitor. Is it the best simply because one publication deemed it so, then parents clamored for it and created a snowball of hype? No—several parents who owned multiple monitors all told me this was the most reliable device, with the best audio and video quality around. (The footage is so clear, in fact, that Dellner says she can zoom in and see whether her daughter’s eyes are open or closed…in the dark.) Beyond that, it’s easy to install, with options for a floor mount, flex stand or wall mount to suit your nursery setup.

What also sets Nanit apart is how the brand continually studies families’ needs and babies’ sleep patterns and updates its app accordingly. You can receive alerts, for example, if your baby is standing in the crib for more than five seconds and the company has enhanced its cry detection capabilities, so it can help you better determine whether that noise you heard was your child stirring or your robot vacuum whirring to life.

Need more convincing? Here’s Dellner’s full review of the Nanit Pro.

FAST FACTS

• Is it wifi-enabled? Yes
• Does it stream video? Yes

• Value: 19/20
• Functionality: 17/20
• Audio/Video Quality: 17/20
• Aesthetics: 19/20
• Peace of Mind Factor: 19/20

TOTAL: 91/100

There’s a lot to love about Babysense, beyond its relative affordability: The HD (1080p) video appears on a 5.5-inch screen, so you can easily see what’s going on, you can connect up to four cameras to the parent device (great for monitoring multiple kids at once) and the two-way audio lets you soothe your baby—or play white noise or programmed lullabies—remotely. But what offered parents the greatest peace of mind was that its 355-degree camera can’t connect to the internet, so there’s no chance of hacking. “It doesn’t have a million features, but I like that it’s straightforward,” says PureWow Director of Special Projects and Branded Content Rachel Gulmi, adding that she loves how long-lasting the battery is, how reliable the connection has been and that setup took less than five minutes, max.

FAST FACTS

• Is it wifi-enabled? No
• Does it stream video? Yes

• Value: 17/20
• Functionality: 19/20
• Audio/Video Quality: 18/20
• Aesthetics: 19/20
• Peace of Mind Factor: 18/20

TOTAL: 91/100

For the on-the-go parent, the Motorola PIP12 is a must-pack. The device takes up less space than a makeup bag, and its two speakers are magnetic, so you can easily keep them together (not to mention they come with a water-resistant carrying case). The audio quality is crystal clear, and you can charge the device and set it up without having to look at the instructions; even my five-year-old could figure it out.

While at first I thought I’d miss the video component, I soon realized the audio cues were far more important to me. In fact, even with clear video monitors, I found that I’d analyze my baby’s restlessness more, and be more apt to barge into the room to check on him than using audio alone.

Also, in today’s era of buying products that only include charging cables, I appreciated that the PIP12 included the outlet blocks, so I didn’t have to choose between powering up my phone or the monitor. Plus, since it’s audio only, it lasts for days while charged (up to 10 hours of active use), so I could spend a long weekend away without needing to plug it in.

FAST FACTS

• Is it wifi-enabled? No
• Does it stream video? No

$50 at Amazon

• Value: 19/20
• Functionality: 18/20
• Audio/Video Quality: 19/20
• Aesthetics: 19/20
• Peace of Mind Factor: 19/20

TOTAL: 94/100

Another closed-circuit camera option, the Infant Optics provides peace of mind against hacking, but where it really shines is its crisp video—courtesy of a 720p camera you can pan, tilt and zoom up to 6x to capture every angle—and how incredibly easy it is to use. Since you don’t have to log into a network or connect to the internet “it makes for a perfect travel monitor—all you need to do is plug it in,” Gulmi explains. “One of the features I really like, especially in the summer, is the remote thermometer. It shows the temperature of the room, and if it gets above a certain degree it turns red and an alarm goes off. I also love that you can keep the monitor on silent but still know if sound is coming from the room because there's a noise-activated LED bar on the side.”

After 2 ½ years’ use, Gulmi reports that this monitor is still going strong—and has yet to have any issues with it. That alone makes it a winner in our book.

FAST FACTS

• Is it wifi-enabled? No
• Does it stream video? Yes

• Value: 17/20
• Functionality: 18/20
• Video/Audio Quality: 19/20
• Aesthetics: 19/20
• Peace of Mind Factor: 19/20

TOTAL: 92/100

Even when you aren’t waking up every few hours to care for a newborn, the moments when you can sleep can be difficult to do so. For added peace of mind, there’s the Owlet Dream Duo 2. It takes keeping watch over your newborn to the next level. Simply slip the Dream Sock—a wrap of sorts—on your infant’s foot and it will automatically sync with the app, providing you with detailed information about everything from your baby’s heart rate to their oxygen levels throughout the night. (It's also been cleared by the FDA.)

But that’s not all: This WiFi-connected monitor offers a clear picture of your baby wherever you are and pings you the minute it recognizes a sign of distress. (To that end, it’s still worth following the American Academy of Pediatrics’ guide to safe sleep and isn’t meant to be a substitute for that.)

In testing, I will note that the Dream Sock can provide the occasional false alarm. Over the course of nearly a year's use, there were three to four nights when the sock must have come somewhat loose, resulting in the distress lullaby to start playing—cue me frantically bolting out of bed. However, the general peace of mind it gave me in those bleary-eyed, early days of parenting, when the threat of SIDS can be nerve-wracking, offset those rare occurrences. (To that end, a 2017 study of 5,125 parents found that 94 percent of parents experienced better sleep—and 96 percent reported less anxiety—while using the Dream Sock.)

FAST FACTS

• Is it wifi-enabled? Yes
• Does it stream video? Yes