Best baby monitor?

[kittenheels]

As first-time and quite clueless parents-to-be, we're hoping the hive mind of the EDF has some good advice on baby monitors.

Which ones are great? And are they any that are best avoided?

I'm not mad keen on the video variety but husband likes the look of the ones that sync with your iPhone...Thank you!

[srisky]

Not a sync to your iphone or video type but we found the BT 100 & 150 models to be very good - we have bought ours brand new & 2nd hand (from here and eBay), yes, we have 3!...two are still used daily 2.5y on, the other is at the grandparents'. There is a new range of BT monitors but not sure what they are like.

[slh2009]

I can't really recommend the BT250 model....although it works very well it breaks very easily if dropped and the display disappears after a while too. I am on my 4th one, time for a change!

[FlorenceRedbird]

We've had two BT monitors, the first just totally stopped working and the second one still works, but the screen has stopped working and always needs to be in its docking station. I wouldn't recommend.

[etta166]

I have an ancient Tomy one that does the job (just sound transmission), but it's not perfect because it does not have a rechargeable battery so it has to be plugged in all the time of you are for ever changing AA batteries. If I were to buy one again, I'd get one with a rechargeable battery in it.

At my parents house, I generally use Skype from one phone left in the bedroom to one left downstairs, because our monitor is on a frequency that is not for babymonitor use outside the UK. I have friends that use face-time and 2 iPhones in a similar way.

[srisky]

FlorenceRedbird Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> We've had two BT monitors, the first just totally

> stopped working and the second one still works,

> but the screen has stopped working and always

> needs to be in its docking station. I wouldn't

> recommend.

Apologies if I am stating the obvious but have you tried replacing the rechargeable batteries? This worked when ours started needing to be on the docking station continually.

[kittenheels]

Thanks everyone!

[nyph]

BT monitors seem like the best value money-for-features but they break all the time. Five monitors over the lifespan of the 2 kids - eventually the screen fades out, they beep constantly, the rechargeable battery life is gone (understood about replacing the rechargeable batteries, but still, 9 months later?). The Tommee Tippee one was slightly better but won't let me change the temperature setting anymore. I'd still go for something other than BT though.

[devsdev]

Not sure whether you can use video monitors as "sound only" as well. There were times when I wished we had a video monitor (especially in the days when my LO would wake up if I so much as breathed near her door!). Think about what kind of house/flat you have as well - some houses have really thick walls and the monitor may not have the range you need. Our BT one is doing well so far (no display on it), but think the battery is starting to give up. We've been happy with it generally, but it doesn't have a holster/clip if you want to carry it with you and the two-way-talk function can be activated way too easily (button on the side of the monitor).