The Best Baby Monitors To Add To Your Registry

Any parent will tell you that a good baby monitor can change the way you parent.

“It can extend our eyes and ears into a baby’s nursery, giving us the much needed peace of mind we all want,” says pediatrician Dr. Jacqueline Winkelmann, MD, FAAP. “What to look for in a monitor is a personal choice and parents should think about what is important to them. For me as a pediatrician and as a mom, having a ‘contact-free’ monitor is ideal; the ability to monitor your baby/child without any wearables is key for a few reasons. The main factor in the lack of monitor reliability comes from the fact that wearable leads (or socks, or belts) can come off relatively easily, contact is lost when baby cries or wiggles (and what baby doesn’t?), and they need to be replaced.”

That said there are many smart features that parents will find helpful.

Dr. Winkelmann says that best features to consider when looking at baby monitors include two-way radio, a secure connection (over WiFi or a remote signal), a high-resolution camera with good night vision, ability to see your baby from anywhere (work, travel, while baby is in daycare). “Also check the following: Does it alert you when baby wakes up? Does it have temperature/humidity readings, which can help create an environment for your baby that is conducive to great sleep? Does it have analytics, like sleep insights? Today’s smart monitors also include advanced features, such as breathing rate, heart rate and/or oxygen level.”

To kick off what can be a stressful purchase, we’ve rounded up some of the best baby monitors on the market right now.

More Baby Gear:

The Best Baby Monitors

Miku Pro

The advanced Miku Pro is the only baby monitor designed to track a child's breathing and sleep with no physical contact from added wearables. It works for ages 0-12, has customizable alerts for parents to track movement, sleep, sound, nursery temperatures, lighting, humidity and has a camera with a 140-degree field of view capabilities and the ability to zoom in. It's also easy to install despite all the bells and whistles.

$399 at Miku Care
Nanit Pro

The Nanit Pro Camera is easy to install, has a clear overhead view (with a clear and easy zoom feature), motion detection (you'll get alerts if anything moves in or around the crib) and it will also tell you temperature and humidity. Plus there's height and sleep tracking and breathing monitoring via a strap.

$399 at Nanit
Owlet Cam

The Owlet will give you sound and motion alerts in addition to HD night vision and two-way audio over a secure, encrypted WiFi connection so you can hear and see your baby from anywhere.

$149 at Owlet Care
Lollipop Smart Baby Camera

This is a great easy-to-install budget buy (available in a few different fun colors!) that lets you see your baby in HD. It will also give you cry alerts.

$149 at Lollipop
Infant Optics DXR-8 PRO Baby Monitor

If you want an option with a separate screen (meaning not connecting to the camera via an app on your phone), then this is a wonderful option with a large HD 5" screen. It also has two-way audio and works without WiFi so you don't need to worry about hackers.

$199 at Amazon