Choosing a Baby Monitor
By:
Simone Butler
A baby monitor is an essential purchase for
expectant parents, as it will give you the
peace of mind of being able to check on your
sleeping baby wherever you are in your home.
Unfortunately, these monitors are the kind
of device which you are unlikely to have any
experience of until the time comes when you
need one, and it can be difficult to know
which type to buy.
There are three basic kinds of monitor:
audio, video, and movement or breathing.
The audio monitor is the most popular kind,
and at its most basic consists of a
transmitter that you place in your baby's
nursery, and a receiver that lets you
'listen in', alerting you if your baby
starts to cry or otherwise shows signs of
waking. The very cheapest modules will have
a fixed receiver that needs to be plugged
into a wall socket for power, but most
models nowadays have a rechargeable mobile
receiver which you can carry from room to
room, or even outside so long as you stay in
range.
The range of your monitor system will depend
on a number of factors, including the
construction of your home - thicker walls
will reduce the range - and any sources of
interference such as neighboring monitor
systems, computer wireless networks, and
even microwave ovens with some models.
Interference is less of a problem these
days, as most models will now let you select
from a range of channels to operate on, so
if you do encounter interference problems,
you can switch to a new channel to hopefully
clear things up. Some units only feature two
or four channels which you have to manually
select, while the more advanced designs now
have hundreds of channels which will be
selected automatically to minimize
interference in the current conditions.
The more modern monitors, like so much else
these days, use digital technology. What
this means in practice is a clearer signal,
and an increased range of operation.
Those are the basics of audio monitors, but
there are other features available depending
on the model. A popular one is an intercom
or talkback system where you can talk to
your baby through the monitor, helping you
to soothe her back to sleep without the
disturbance of going into the nursery. Other
models may have nightlights or lullabies
which you can set to play either
automatically or by hand, again without
entering the room, while another common
feature is temperature alerts where you can
see how warm the nursery is, and be alerted
if it falls outside a safe range.
For most people, an audio monitor is
sufficient, but some people value the extra
security of having a video monitor where you
can actually see your baby on a TV screen
built into the receiver. If you decide to
get a video monitor, make sure it has night
vision capability, or it won't be much use
when it's dark!
For complete reassurance that your baby is
sleeping safely, you can also get a
breathing and movement monitor. This
consists of a pressure pad placed under the
cot mattress, which will sense if your baby
stops breathing or shows other signs of
distress, and alert you immediately.
The final point to consider when choosing a
monitor system is price. The range is
enormous, from only a few dollars up to a
few hundred. For something as essential as a
monitor though, it's worth getting the best
model you can afford, as after all, if the
system doesn't work well and you can't trust
it, then it's effectively a waste of time.
Article Source:
http://www.uberarticles.com/articles
Simone runs a
baby guide site with information on
baby monitors and many other aspects of
caring for a new arrival in your family.
