Best baby monitors tried and tested by parents

This monitor’s large 7in screen, combined with 720px definition, provides a great display, even in night mode. For best use, you’ll need to set up the monitor through your wifi (‘direct mode’ is also available, and far easier for initial setup, but will only stretch to 300m). Wifi mode takes a few minutes to set up, but the steps are easy to follow. I also appreciated the no-subscription LeapFrog Baby Care app, which enables you to stream live video while you’re away from home. It also lets you watch back any motion detected overnight, with 30 event-triggered local video recordings.

There’s a clear three-level coloured VOX noise detector at the top of the unit, which lights up the screen if it detects crying. I appreciated the built-in temperature and humidity sensor, which helped me dress my mini tester appropriately. The camera has a range of 94 degrees in upward and downward directions, 8x zoom and a wide-angle capability of up to 110 degrees, so you shouldn’t struggle when it comes to getting the camera in the right place.

In terms of extra features, the camera can play lullabies and natural sounds, and some parents may also welcome the white noise function for their bedtime routine. The nightlight is another handy feature, and there are 10 colours to choose from. You can even set the lights and lullabies on timers to create your own sound and light profile. Expect anywhere from 13-22 hours of battery life, depending on how frequently the screen is lighting up or whether you’re using audio only. I typically found the battery would easily last overnight and during the following afternoon nap, with some juice left in the tank.

There were only two drawbacks. I struggled with the built-in clock, which I couldn’t adjust once I’d accidentally set it an hour behind. I also found that the parent unit took a while to load (almost 30 seconds), which could be frustrating at times.

If fuss-free, audio-only monitoring is what you’re after, the DM1111 is the extra ear you’ve been looking for. When you compare this product to the other baby monitors listed here, most of the technology has been removed, but I found that rather refreshing, especially when looking at the price tag.

You get two units, one that plugs in (for the nursery) and a rechargeable parent unit. While I expected the battery to last a little longer than it did, it happily served us for a chunky nap plus 12 hours overnight, and there is a low battery indicator. You’ll be supplied with two rechargeable batteries for the parent unit, but it takes 16 hours to fully charge. I love that this model is super portable, weighing less than 400g, and carrying it around the house is a doddle when using the handy built-in belt clip.

The LED lights on the parent unit indicate the sound levels, which is great when the volume is turned down. When the volume was turned up, I was impressed with the sound quality, too. Digitally transmitted, thanks to the DECT technology, it eliminates white noise, and I didn’t pick up any other irritating interferences from other wireless devices. While I missed seeing my baby sleeping peacefully, if you just want a device to listen out for your little one, this monitor does a great job.

This is a no-nonsense product – I placed the camera in good view of my tester’s cot I could see him and hear him with no delay. That’s the beauty of a non-wifi unit; what you miss in technology, you gain in ease.

While the screen is smaller (5.5in) than some other models, it’s super clear, even in the dark, thanks to the 1080p display. It’s also easy to add the second camera and view it with the touch of a button on the parent unit. The battery life is decent, particularly when in VOX mode, which will put the monitor into standby when the nursery is silent.

I found that the battery could manage an overnight sleep and an afternoon nap, but I’d then need to charge it, which took about eight hours – the device is still fully functional when charging, but not portable. I found the noise detector to be accurate, and it wasn’t triggered by generic house noises, but there are three settings if you want it to be more sensitive to sound. The range was perfectly adequate for my average-size house and garden, and it was a welcome relief not to rely on wifi.

If you have (or plan to have) multiple children, this camera is a no-brainer, because it’s fully loaded with two cameras, which can easily be viewed at the same time. It’s fairly priced and effective; there are fancier models, but this does a great job at a good price.

From the size of the box, you instantly know this camera means business – the technology packed into this premium piece of kit largely justifies the cost. There’s the option of three different mount styles – floor stand, flex stand, and wall mount – which vary in price. I opted for the floor stand, which is a game-changer, always offering an overhead bird’s-eye view of the cot. Before you get to this stage, though, you’ll have to go through quite a lengthy setup process, albeit following prompted instructions via the Nanit app.

Once you’re ready to go, everything you need is loaded onto the incredibly slick app. Not only is the picture crystal clear, but you’ll get a notification on your phone if it detects sound or motion. It also provides information such as humidity and temperature, but, more intelligently, it tracks naps and overnight sleeps in a detailed manner, thanks to the Nanit Insights Sleep Plan. It’s worth flagging that this is a paid-for subscription – you get six months as part of the purchase, but after that, the subscription packages start from £40 per year. But what does the Nanit Insights Sleep Plan do? After each overnight sleep, you’re provided with a one-minute time-lapse video of the night, a sleep efficiency score and details on any overnight visits, how long it took your baby to settle, as well as sleep and wake-up times. For those bleary nights, I found that this tool gave me all the information I needed without having to use what brainpower I had left. You’re also provided with helpful tips to improve sleep and nap times.

With this package, you’re also provided with a small sensor-free “breathing band”, which cleverly detects the baby’s motion breathing, which would be very reassuring, particularly during those early days. However, our little tester was already too big for the band.

There isn’t much to dislike about this camera. Much like any app, I did, on occasion, find it slow to load, and I missed having a physical separate device, but I worked around this by using my iPad.

This camera is another that streams live to your smartphone or tablet via an app, but I found myself using the whopping 7in parent unit more than my phone. You will find a crisper 1080px picture via the app, but I was content with the 720px definition of the parent unit.

The free, no-subscription VTech Baby Pro app is brilliant, though. Much like LeapFrog’s, it enables you to stream live video while you’re away from home and lets you watch up to 30 event-triggered local video recordings. For this, you’ll need to set up the app and stream through wifi.

The camera has fantastic zoom capabilities and a wide-angle viewing of up to 110 degrees, but the more you zoom, the worse the picture quality. That wasn’t a concern for me, though, as I opted for the floor stand bundle to provide over-the-cot viewing. You also have the option to use the safe cable mounting kit provided, but you will have to secure it to the wall.

The RM7787HD also comes with a camera stand, which is portable for travel, but you won’t get a bird’s-eye view. It’s worth flagging that the cable could be longer, however – I had to use an extension lead when setting up this monitor in my baby’s nursery.

There’s plenty to enjoy in terms of techy features, though – the camera can play five lullabies and five natural sounds, including white noise. There’s also a built-in nightlight, with seven preset colours to choose from, and the battery is fantastic, providing about 13 hours of video or 18 hours of audio.

This Owlet device feels like the future of parenting. Firstly, there’s no camera – this monitoring device uses a tiny soft sock that wraps around your baby’s foot. The sock is connected to the Owlet Dream app and delivers live health readings directly to your phone and the included base station, which itself is smaller than a coaster, and is used for charging the sock. Initially, I had a few Bluetooth connection issues, but with a bit of trial and error, I got the balance right. If you’re not technically minded, you may find the initial setup process rather taxing.

However, this is a sock (you’re provided with four, which will keep you going until baby is 18 months old) like no other – parents are notified immediately if their baby has a low or high pulse rate or low oxygen levels. The sock also provides plenty of info on your child’s sleep state, letting you know if they are in a deep or light sleep, or confirming if they are still awake.

I was dubious at first about how my baby would react to having something strapped to his foot – he’s not the biggest fan of socks at the best of times – but I needn’t have worried, as the sock is so soft and lightweight that he barely noticed it.

Initially, it felt unfamiliar not having any view of my sleeping baby, but that feeling soon subsided, as I was being provided with all the information I needed on the app, which is easy to navigate. If your baby needs you, the sock will send a base station prompt with a beeping sound and lavender-coloured flash, and you’ll also receive push notifications and will be shown an in-app prompt. Peace of mind is key, particularly with your first child, and I felt a lot of reassurance from this nifty piece of kit. There is also the option to purchase the Owlet camera, either by itself or in a bundle with the sock (£399, Owletbabycare.co.uk), but this adds to the already considerable cost.

What first drew me to this monitor is the relatively purse-friendly price – it’s the cheapest monitor with a camera on test. Because this model doesn’t use wifi, the setup was as simple as unboxing and powering up, which is great for those who aren’t technically minded.

It has a 250m limit, but that wasn’t a problem for me, and I never faced any connection issues. The battery life is brilliant thanks to the automatic standby mode – I opted for the VOX feature, so the screen would only light up if my baby was making a noise. The 720px image was clear even in the dark, and while the screen is only 5in wide, I found that sufficed – plus, it means the monitor is relatively lightweight.

I found the green standby light larger than necessary, but that’s not a dealbreaker. The zoom is limited to only three settings, but there’s a 355-degree horizontal pan and 120-degree vertical tilt with a 60-degree field of view, so I had no complaints there. You also get a temperature gauge, clock, two-way talkback, three lullabies and two soothing sounds. There’s even a feeding time reminder, which you can set to alert you, with preset times ranging from 30 minutes up to six hours.

The drawbacks are small, but potentially a little annoying. The VOX feature is a little oversensitive, so it will react to any noises in the room, from your baby moving in their sleep to the house settling. On top of that, if the volume is up on the VOX setting, it will also beep when it lights up. It can be a little frustrating to watch TV in the evening and get a beeping alert for the slightest noise. However, one thing is for sure: you get plenty of bang for your buck with this baby monitor.

Launched at the beginning of this year, this baby monitor is packed with tech, so you need to. put aside 20 minutes to set up this camera and the accompanying app. You’ll need to use wifi, and there’s a bit of legwork required when it comes to setting up the over-the-cot camera. The process was straightforward, but the cable could be longer, as I had to recruit an extension lead. I also noticed the floor stand is shorter (around 135cm) than others on the test, which may be a problem when monitoring toddlers, but my baby was totally oblivious to it. I appreciated the sharp visual, too – the image clarity is superior to other options on the test thanks to the 2.5K ultra HD resolution, and the sound quality is excellent.

The wifi smart monitor can connect to up to eight devices, which is handy for grandparents or babysitters, but the big selling point for this camera is the smart safety features. This monitor can alert you when your baby cries, coughs, rolls over, or covers their face. You can turn these features on or off, but those with younger babies are likely to find the smart features provide reassurance.

In the morning, a couple of hours after your baby has woken up, you’ll also get a sleep report summarising the night before, with total sleep time, temperatures and any periods of crying. There is also a height-measuring feature, but if, like my baby, your child sleeps in a sleep bag, you won’t be able to use this feature.

Unlike the Nanit, you won’t be provided with any insights for daytime naps, either, which is a shame. On a positive note, I love the adorable ‘bird’ design of this camera, which is such a lovely addition to the nursery. I also treasured the charming bird sound for phone notifications, which is great for distinguishing them from other app notifications. I also valued the fact that you can edit the cry alerts to activate exclusively in the cot, which avoids filling your phone with unnecessary notifications.

Momcozy is best known for its wearable breast pumps. The American brand only manufactures one baby monitor, the BM01, but there’s a lot to love about it. Because this monitor doesn’t use wifi, there are no privacy concerns, but it also ensures a super smooth set-up process, so it soon became my go-to for trips to the grandparents’ house. 

The parent unit has a 5in 1,080px high-definition screen, which offers a clear picture, even in night mode. The audio is also clear, and a small VOX noise indicator on the bottom left of the parent unit. This isn’t as noticeable as some of the others I tested, because the lights are rather dinky, but the screen automatically lights up when the VOX function is turned on. There are six lullabies built in, and the screen shows the temperature of your nursery, the time and the date (which I actually found surprisingly helpful). 

I liked having separate volume buttons at the top of the unit, and I was impressed with the battery life – I would usually get a full night and a short nap in without having to charge it. This camera also rotates 360 degrees, so it’s simple to find a suitable spot to view the cot.

Though similarly named, this RM7766HD 7 smart pan-and-tilt baby monitor is different to the RM7787HD above. Like that other Vtech model, this camera streams live to your smartphone or tablet through a downloadable app, but I found myself using the parent unit more, because it’s a whopping 7in. You will find a crisper 1,080px picture via the app, but I was content with the 720px definition of the parent unit. 

The no-subscription VTech Baby Pro app is brilliant. Much like the LeapFrog app, it enables you to stream live video while you’re away from home and lets you watch up to 30 event-triggered local video recordings.

For me, something that holds this monitor back is the sound and motion detection overnight – I found it to be accurately prompted by my baby, but you have to enable the alerts for it to light up the screen, which brings with it a rather irritating alert beep. To avoid this, you can turn them off, but I was often scrabbling around for the ‘on’ button in the dark. The three-level sound indicator will light up and is a good way to preserve battery, but for those middle-of-the-night wake-ups, an instantly lit screen would be appreciated. 

This camera has the largest zoom capabilities (24x on the unit, 30x on the app), which is useful if you’re short on plug sockets and the baby’s cot is further away. However, as with the other VTech product we tested, the more you zoom, the lower the picture quality. Plus, there’s plenty to enjoy in terms of techy features – the camera can play five lullabies and five natural sounds, including white noise. There’s also a built-in nightlight, which can be turned on by touching the camera base, with 10 colours to choose from.

I liked that this camera can be used via the parent unit or the app. The unit is connected via a closed FHSS-secure connection, while you use your own wifi when connecting via the Maxi-Cosi app. The app requires a little more legwork to set up, but the picture quality is fabulous and means you can check in on your baby when you’re away from home – you can pan, zoom and tilt the camera remotely.

Within the app, you’ll also find CryAssist technology powered by Zoundream. This essentially analyses your baby’s cries, so you can understand whether your child is sleepy, hungry, gassy, fussy or agitated (you’ll also be offered relevant advice). I can’t say this feature was right every time, and a few cries went unnoticed, but this could be useful with a younger baby when you’re still getting to know each other. Be warned, though, you’ll only get a six-month free subscription to this service. 

There’s a lot to love about the parent unit, too. It’s a great size, with a 5in screen, although I found it a little grainy in night mode. I found battery life was variable, mainly down to the sensitive noise detection, as, unlike the other video monitors in my line-up, there are no sound VOX lights. This means the screen illuminates a lot, so it’s worth adjusting the settings before use to avoid unnecessary detection. I found I’d usually get around 10 to 12 hours of use before having to charge the unit again. 

Other highlights include the handy wedge mount, offering a 30-degree tilt-down angle, which helps with positioning, plus the temperature and humidity sensors. You’ll also find five pre-loaded lullabies and two versions of white noise.

The standout feature of this monitor from Angelcare is the clever sensor pad, which is designed to detect micro-movements in the cot, providing anxious parents with extra reassurance. This feature isn’t new to the market, but what attracted me to this one in particular is that the pad is wire-free, as it’s operated by a button battery. But how does it work? When setting up the monitor, you place the pad under the mattress and set the detection area by pressing down on all four corners of the mattress. It was easy to set up, as there’s no wifi connection needed, which also makes it great for travelling. 

During use, an alarm will sound on the parent unit after 20 seconds if movements are not detected by the pad. Fortunately, I didn’t experience this. You will soon hear the alarm, though, once you remove your baby from the cot, which sometimes caught me by surprise during early morning wake-ups. This can be avoided if you turn the camera off as you enter their room.

In comparison to some other parent units, this one isn’t quite as slick and took a little getting used to. The screen is quite small, at only 4.3in wide, but this is sufficient for checking in on your baby and makes it easy to move around the house. There are many handy features included, too, such as a temperature sensor, VOX light-up indicator, two-way audio, and a night light. There are even four preloaded lullabies. The battery life outperformed its guidance of eight hours, easily lasting around 10 hours, with intermittent use.