A Baby Monitor that will win Dad brownie points with Mum

There are a huge range of baby monitors that you can buy on the market. Some have motion sensors, others even tell you the temperature in the babies room. But knowing which to buy can be a real challenge.

One monitor I have discovered, and now swear by, is the Wireless Colour Baby Monitor that Dick Smiths stock on special for $98 (though by their website it looks like not for much longer). Not only does it have the usual "audio" so you can hear your baby (sensitive enough to hear baby breathing), it also has a video feed that is transmitted wirelessly to the receiving unit. This allows you to hear AND see what you baby is up to. Within the first day of purchasing one, my wife and I had discovered our son was often crying, but still almost asleep. Where as in the past we might have rushed in to check on him, we could see he was OK. Also great to see if the baby has "Houdini'd" his arms out, and has pulled the sheet over his head (always a good party trick to get Mum's heart racing when she goes in to pick him up)

One of the best features has to be the Infrared mode. Switch the camera to this setting, and courtesy of the IR LED's round the camera lens you clear a clear (though Black and White only) view of what is going on even if the baby is in an almost pitch black room!!! The receiving unit also has a video-out line, so you can get the picture to display on the telly (good giggle when you have friends round for the evening and there is nothing good on TV!)

Both units have ability to be powered by batteries, but from experience you would want shares in Energizer batteries to use that option. A set of rechargeable's in the receiving unit don't go amiss for Mum/Dad to go "unplugged" round the house for a brief while.

Reception wise we have not had any major issues. From bedroom to lounge there is our main fuse board in-between, and you get the odd static interference when some appliances are in use. Microwaves in particular are real static generator! Wireless networks may also cause an issue, but keep your receipt when purchasing and you should be able to get your money back if you did have major issues.

So if you want to learn more about your babies sleeping habits, and get some good brownie points with the wife, as well as having a gadget to show off to your mates, I would recommend buying one of these units. Note there are other similar units out there, and a search of Trademe will normally return a couple of second hand units going cheap.

-Ross