Baby monitors - HELP

[julymom]

I am trying to figure out which baby monitor to purchase, but they all seem to have a flaw or two.

I seem to like the First Years Crisp N Clear monitor, but have read lots of complaints about static and noice. I do like that the monitor is compact and that the batteries are rechargeable.

My other choice is the Fisher Price Sounds So Clear. It seems that people don't complain as much about the static factor, but I hate to think that I'll need to be replacing the batteries every 2 or so weeks!

I'd love to hear your opinions on them and maybe recommendations of others that are clear & have rechargeable batteries.

Thank you!

[docreeler]

Hello,

My husband and I are eagerly awaiting the birth of our first-born, so I have no first-hand experience with any monitors. However, I was wondering if there is any reason why one couldn't buy two sets of rechargeable batteries and a battery charger, and then simply switch between the sets of batteries? Yes, it would be a relatively high initial outlay; but given the number of batteries monitors eat through, and given the number of toys that require batteries, I would anticipate that an such investment would rapidly more than repay for itself. (When you finished using the monitor, the batteries ought to be useable in toys or other gadgets.)

Do please let us know what you decide, and whether you are happy with your decision once you have tried it out. :)

[hunter]

Hi! I just recently responded to a post from someone asking about video monitors and wondering if they were better than a sound only monitor. Feel free to scroll through and read my response. As for the First Year's monitor..my husband and I hated it. It consistently hissed and interferred with our cordless phones, and it seemed with other people's monitors in our neighborhood. My husband and I bought the black and white video/sound monitor and we LOVE it! Definitely worth the added expense. Good luck!

[martha7]

I got The First Years one and I do like it. But I have to confess that I haven't needed to use it all that much and I wonder why I bothered to spend so much. A lot of things seem urgent before the baby actually gets there, but then maybe are not so urgent. Depends on your situation. My apartment isn't all that big, and frankly I could hear the baby pretty well most of the time without a monitor. The only time I needed it was wh

[rodmar]

Just to let you know that we did exactly that--we purchased the rechargeable batteries and the battery charger. However, it seems that we needed three rechargeable batteries, not two. When I only had two, the one recharging didn't have long enough to recharge before it was time to switch them again. The downside is that the battery needs changed frequently--at least every day for us. A regular battery doesn't quite make it through the week. We use the monitor several hours every day since my daughter is in an upstairs bedroom and I close the door so that noise won't disturb her sleep.

It's a pain to change the battery so frequently and the plastic that the battery plugs into on the monitor is coming apart. I would say it is worth the convenience to spend a little extra money and get a rechargeable monitor. For my next child I would like to have a video monitor.

Hope this helps,
Marcia

[ACinnamonGirl]

Hi ~
I purchased the First Years Crisp N Clear monitor, and I have no complaints about it. I used the monitor indoors all the time after my daughter was born (she is 3.5 months now). However you'll find that as your child gets older your "Mommy hearing" gets better, and you won't need the monitor as often. I primarily use the monitor when I am outside working in the yard and haven't experienced any reception problems. Our house isn't all that large (1,300 sq. ft.), but it sits on a 1/3 acre lot. We live in a fairly dense suburban area. You may want to note that only the parent's unit is rechargeable. The child's unit can run on regular batteries or with an adapter that plugs into a standard electrical outlet.
Jules

[docreeler]

Thank you, Marcia! Your experience has given me a lot to think about regarding using rechargeable batteries. Although it will make the final decision of which monitor to buy a bit harder, it should result in a purchase we are happier with.

[veedah]

Please allow me to wax rhapsodic about my Safety 1st monitor! The microphone is so sensitive, we can even hear our daughter breathe. (This can actually provoke some anxiety, and takes some getting used to.)

Let me also reiterate what other have said about how convenient it is to be able to recharge the unit, as opposed to using rechargeable batteries. Each night I plug it in, and leave it on my nightstand overnight, and I'm good for at least a whole day of use. With my 3 hour feeding cycle, I'm happy to not have to deal with constantly recharging and replacing batteries.

Finally, I was also skeptical about the lights feature on the unit. (There are 5 small lights...the more that are lit up, the higher the volume. My rule of thumb is a cry is at least 3 lights.) The value of this feature became apparent when I was taking a shower. For some reason, the sound of water hitting the tile sounds a lot like a crying baby, and I was constantly peeking out to see my monitor. It was actually pretty convenient to just "see" whether she was crying, without having to turn the water off to listen.

The only drawback is that it doesn't have 900 MHz feature, so there is sometimes some static, but I can usually attenuate this by changing the position slightly for better reception.

I hope this helps!

[rebwal]

I had the crisp and clear monitor and absolutely hated it. Every time I turned it on all I heard was static no matter what I did. The two or three times it actually turned on and we were able to use it, it woke us up in the middle of the night with deafening static - the baby was still sleeping. I just went shopping for a new monitor and was told to go with anything by Fisher Price, I don't remember which model I bought (but it's one my sister owns and has had no problems with). I did notice while shopping, though (Babies R Us) that Fisher Price has come out with a 900mz rechargable monitor. I don't know how good it is, but I would definitely try it over the Crisp and Clear. In addition, although the monitors use batteries, you can use the monitors with their AC adapters, and not have to worry about replacing the batteries often. Just use the battery option when you run outside. Hope this helps!