Summer Infant Day & Night Handheld Color Video Monitor
I would have to consider the video baby monitor one of my must-have’s. It has been incredibly valuable, though not how I thought it would be. I didn’t have a video monitor for my first child. Looking back, I wish I had. It’s been so nice to be able to just hit a button and take a little peek, instead of attempting to crack the door to peek only to be busted and then deal with a baby who wants their mommy!
I didn’t think I’d need it for my son as he got older, but as it turns out that’s exactly when I needed it the most. As soon as he left his crib for his big boy bed, THAT is when I needed to be able to sneak many peeks at him. I would hear a thump and be able to see that he was okay, just dropped a book. It prevented me from disturbing him and creating a naptime nightmare by checking on him. It’s been nice to know he’s safe without constantly going in his room.
So that leads to now… I have 2 kids, 2 cameras. It comes with one, but for about $89 you can buy a second camera. The handheld monitor has an ‘A’ and ‘B’ channel you can flip between. The only downside of this is that you can only see one kid at a time. For us, that hasn’t been too much of a problem since our oldest is now old enough to just get out of bed and come get us if he needs us. The handheld monitor may have a small screen, but the portability of it is priceless. It can easily clip on to your belt and go outside, inside, etc.
Another big plus: Summer’s customer service… One of the cameras just refused to work right, so they mailed us a brand new set with zero hassle.
One reason to be careful: Cordless phones, wireless internet, etc could all cause interference. We had to find the “spots” in each kid’s room that would work. And even still we get some feedback and static. The picture isn’t nearly as clear as the box shows, but it’s clear enough.
