1. Baby Monitor
I really prefer a video monitor. So far we have purchased two for my soon-to-be 2-year-old daughter.
I LOVED this one, but when we moved one of the cameras stopped working so I submitted a claim for the warranty we purchased for this monitor.
Since we had purchased it at Target, and I didn’t know if they would require me to return the monitor before refunding me (they didn’t!), I opted for an e-gift card instead of them sending a check.
I was worried about having to go without a video monitor – that’s something I wasn’t willing to do.
If I would have known I didn’t have to return my monitor and cameras, I would have requested the check because Target no longer carries the V-Tech monitor and dual camera that I loved so much.
Now we have this one. It has almost all of the features I loved about the V-Tech BUT it does not have the 360° pan, which I’m missing quite a bit.
Both of these options have the capability of downloading an app and viewing live streams from your phone.
I love this feature! It’s great if you’re running out of the room to do a quick chore and the monitor is upstairs, or if you’re out and about and someone’s watching your baby you can peek in.
Other than the 360° pan the only other reason I prefer the V-tech over my Hubble is that the Hubble takes a while for the monitor to load up and then it automatically chooses to blackout (sleep) the screen after 5 minutes. So I’m elbows deep in dishes after my daughter falls asleep and I turn around to check the monitor and the screen has gone to sleep and I can’t see her.
We always purchase monitors with 2 cameras so that I can have one in our main living space and one in her room.
We also purchased this audio-only baby monitor when we were on a vacation and staying in a condo since she would be in a bedroom and not an open hotel room. It was inexpensive and I was happy to have it. We also recently used it when we went to stay with my parents in Florida!
Baby Monitor #1 Highlights (Favorite!)
Our first, and my favorite baby monitor!
- Portable (wireless) monitor with a 7-inch screen
- Ability to view live stream from multiple devices (Android & Apple)
- 360° panoramic viewing
- Up to 10x zoom
- HD Night vision
- Motion detection recording
- Songs and soothing sounds
- Room temperature reading
- Ability to talk to your baby through the monitor
This is our current baby monitor.
- Portable (wireless) monitor with a 5-inch screen
- Nightlight that is advertised to be used for sleep training
- Livestream from multiple devices (Android & Apple)
- Ability to talk to your baby through the monitor
- Room Temperature reading
- Motion detection recording
- Songs, sounds, audiobooks, and the ability to record a message for your baby to hear through the monitor
- Night Vision
- Digital pan and tilt (but not 360°)
2. Car Baby Monitor
I did not know these even existed until a couple of months after my baby was born.
I was initially using a traditional baby car mirror and I could not see my daughter well at all. I was spending way too much time trying to focus and look at her to where it could have been dangerous.
We have purchased two baby car monitors.
This one worked very well. It had a good picture day and night – YUP, an amazing feature of the car monitors is you can see your baby at night too!
This monitor closes when not in use, which can be beneficial to prevent the sun from ruining the screen. Unfortunately, it died after about a year of use. The fuse that plugged into the outlet in my car went out (this may have been because my husband would unplug it without turning it off first). I may have been able to replace the fuse, but I’m not sure.
The only reason why I didn’t reorder this monitor was because I thought the other one looked nicer and had more mounting features. If I run into issues with my new one, I’ll come back to this one!
This is the second car baby monitor I purchased. It definitely gets the job done and I like that there are multiple ways to mount it (dash, windshield, and vent), though the one I had purchased before worked just fine sitting on my dash with some sticky silicone underneath it. I think the imaging might be a slight bit less quality but not so much that I wanted to exchange it.
More from Fumble Mumble Mom:
3. Owlet Sleep Sock
The Owlet is an expensive peace of mind product. It’s not a necessity, but it really did make me sleep so much easier.
It tracks your baby’s heart rate and oxygen levels and alerts your phone and the stationary sensor if your baby’s readings go outside of designated safe zones.
I’ve seen where this product gets a bit of a bad rap, giving parents more stress with false alert readings.
We did have one or two but I turned the monitor off and back on and readings were normal and (obviously first) I checked on my baby and she was fine, so for me having peace of mind 363 nights was worth the 2 alerts that gave me temporary worry.
Initially, we had purchased the first generation and it was going off regularly for Bluetooth issues. I returned it and slept poorly for a while with no Owlet.
Then my darling daughter decided she liked to roll on her tummy and sleep face down. Not with her head turned to the side, no, FACE DOWN. I consulted with her pediatrician about wedges and such to prevent her from rolling but he advised against it.
The pic below is her waking up from a nap with fingerprints on her forehead! Hilarious, cute, and terrifying for me.
So we purchased the Owlet Smart Sock 2 and I have absolutely zero regrets. Unless there is a software issue I plan to save this and use it for baby number 2. If the one I already have does not work by that time I absolutely will save up to purchase the latest Owlet version.
Owlet Highlights
- Track Baby’s heart rate, average oxygen levels, and movement
- App with graphs to see live readings and history
- Sleep program after your baby is 4 months old
- Newborn tips within the app
4. Room Thermometor
Room temperature is important for your baby’s comfort, but it is also considered a variable in preventing SIDs. Knowing this, I’m always worried about the temperature in my daughter’s room.
I live in the Midwest, so the weather is super unpredictable. We can run the heat and air conditioner on the same day!
Anyways, I was having a hard time getting a consistent reading for my daughter’s room temperature. Her monitor would say it was 80° when I knew that wasn’t the case. One reason for the incorrect reading was that the camera was mounted or placed much higher than my daughter was sleeping.
I purchased a cheap thermometer and put it on the floor under her crib but that only gave me an idea when I went in to check it, and my daughter can be a light sleeper – so I avoid that if I can.
I recently found this inexpensive Bluetooth thermometer that allows me to check the room temperature from my phone. You can set designated temperature ranges and the app you download will alert you if the room temperature reading is higher or lower than that range.
5. Door Alarms
At our previous home, we had a security system that would chime if a door or window was opened, even if the alarm wasn’t set.
We’re currently living at my parent’s house since we sold our house and are waiting for the market to cool down before purchasing.
With that said we aren’t going to be drilling into my parent’s walls to temporarily install a security system.
So I found these personal security alarms and plan to mount them with Command Strips so that I can remove them when we leave (or my parents may choose to leave them up!).
We’re living on a 55 MPH road and our current home has a pool.
Granted, my daughter would have to go through two baby gates and open a heavy sliding door to reach the pool, but never underestimate a determined toddler!
I like that we could set these for an alarm at night and chime during the day.
A reason I’m on high alert about this is a story I recently read where a little boy my daughter’s age in a neighboring county walked out of his home and into a creek midday and drowned. It only takes a minute and no one has eyes on their child every second of the day and it only takes seconds…
Peace of Mind for a Price
I’m a worrier. Those social media videos of the intrusive mom thoughts is totally me. The peace of mind these products brought were/are very helpful as a first-time mom.
I do want to say that while these products have absolutely given me peace of mind it does irk me that some of these products are so expensive. You would think that if baby product suppliers believed their products were essential and helpful for parents of babies and young children – and wanted to HELP that they would want to make their product widely available – instead of inflating the prices so high that not everyone can afford them. Sigh.
What’s a baby product that has given you peace of mind? One you wouldn’t have wanted to live without?!
This is so great! I’m not a mum, but it really helps to know what my friends and family may need at this stage. Love this piece!
Thank you for visiting and taking the time to comment!
As a new mom I really appreciate the list. everything that can make me feel safer and more confident about the baby is much appreciated
Yes, that peace of mind is priceless! Especially for first time moms! Thank you!