But with so many options, it can be hard to know which monitor to choose. We’ve gone through the top models on the market to find the best types of monitors for your house and your kids, whether you want a full-on baby sleep center or just a multi-purpose indoor camera. Even the field of view is adjustable. You can have the Arlo Baby record in as wide as 130º or limit the field of view to 110º if you want to see only the crib in your baby’s nursery. Plus, you can mount the camera on a wall or just set it on a flat surface. (We should note: the wall mount is a bit awkward looking.) Arlo Baby’s nursery features:
Nightlight Lullaby/white noise player Temperature sensor Air quality monitor Character outfits
If your baby likes to watch a light show while they fall asleep, you can turn on Arlo Baby’s color-changing nightlight. You can also play a lullaby to sing your baby to sleep, or sing them to sleep yourself with a recording of your own voice. Arlo lets you dress up the monitor in a few different character outfits: puppy, bunny, or kitten. So if your kiddo has a favorite critter, the Arlo Baby can match. The monitor’s air quality monitor can detect carbon monoxide, but Arlo says not to rely on it as your sole CO sensor. If you really want to watch for carbon monoxide, we recommend using a dedicated CO detector. If you want more than the seven days Arlo gives you, you can subscribe to one of its monthly plans. You can definitely find a cheaper indoor camera that’s just as good as the camera on the Arlo Baby. A regular camera won’t have all those extra baby-specific features, but you can buy separate devices for those too and still pay less for them combined than you would for a single Arlo Baby monitor. But we love convenience, and we like having one easy device (and one easy app) that has all the features we need. The Arlo Baby is a jack-of-all-trades, and everything it does, it does well.
1080p HD resolution Night vision Two-way audio 130º field of vision Multiple mount options Person alerts (with Nest Aware subscription)
Overall, Nest Cam wouldn’t be our first choice for a dedicated baby monitor because it lacks a lot of nursery-specific features, like always-on audio. But as a multi-use camera, it works pretty well. You can put this thing almost anywhere:
Metal surfaces Flat surfaces Tripods Wall mounts
You can even remove the Nest Cam’s camera head from its stand and put it somewhere discreet if you want to use it as a nanny cam. Plus, the Nest app is intuitive and easy to use—and if you use other Nest products like the learning thermostat, the Nest Cam fits right into your existing system. You can get push notifications that let you know if your baby moves or makes noises, which is great if they’re just taking a nap. But if you want something that will wake you up at night when your baby cries, a push notification probably won’t cut it. If you want access to Nest Cam’s top features, like motion zones, then you have to subscribe to a Nest Aware plan. And if you’re using the Nest Cam as a baby monitor, then you definitely do want motion zones. They let you specify which areas to watch for movement, like your baby’s crib. Nest does have a $5-per-month option, so Nest Aware is more affordable now than it used to be when the price started at 10 bucks per month. But it’s still asking you to pay extra for features that other cameras (like the Arlo Pro 4) include for free.
640 x 480 (VGA) Night vision Pan, tilt, and zoom functionality Two-way audio Temperature sensor 135º field of vision
Aside from its security features, the Infant Optics DXR-8 is a decent little device. The camera can pan and tilt, and most impressively, it comes with interchangeable lenses and an included optical zoom lens. The monitor also gives you a pretty good (albeit small) display, with temperature sensors and easy controls. This monitor’s display is also super easy to use. There are intuitive buttons that let you move the camera around so you can see every inch of your nursery, and the nursery’s temperature is clearly displayed at the top of the screen. Infant Optics also includes a mounting bracket so you can put the camera on a wall if you don’t have a handy flat surface near the crib.
800 x 480 resolution Pan-and-tilt functionality Night vision Two-way talk 300º pan, 110º tilt field of view
That said, it’s called the BrightVIEW for a reason: its display is 70% of the appeal. But if what’s most important to you is a secure monitor and seeing every detail of your baby’s sleeping face, then the Samsung BrightVIEW works pretty well. The settings menu also gives you childish icons instead of clear labels, which is probably meant to be cute but just ends up being annoying. Your kid will probably never look at the settings menu, but you will, so it would be nice to have everything designed for adults. We also wish the Samsung BrightVIEW included a temperature sensor, like the Infant Optics DXR-8 does. Overall, though, the Samsung works fine for parents who want a non-Wi-Fi monitor with good image quality.
Up 160-foot indoor range Two-way talk Rechargeable battery Built-in night-light Sound alert
We like that the two-way talk function gives you an easy way to soothe your kid without waking them up more by going into the nursery. And the sound quality is clear both on your end and the nursery’s. We wish the VTech had a longer range, but it does at least have an out-of-range alert so you know if the monitor is having trouble reaching the nursery. And if you have a super open floor plan without a lot of walls between you and the baby, the monitor will likely perform better.
