Whether you have a newborn baby, a toddler or a 5-year-old at home, you always tend to worry about your kids. It’s natural to worry. As a parent, you want to protect your kids, emotionally and physically. With the help of technology, it has become easier than ever. Now, you don’t have to get up and go to your kids’ room to keep a check on them. You have baby monitors in the market that have made your job easier than ever.
However, there are still many types of monitors available in the market. The main distinction is audio and video monitors. It can be hard to decide which one to go with. This post aims to make your decision process easier by comparing video vs audio baby monitors.
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Video Baby Monitor
As the name suggests, these are the more advanced versions of audio monitors that not only transmits your baby’s voice but also show you the video to let you know whether your babies are safe or not.
Some parents might argue with me by saying, “I know when my baby is in discomfort by hearing his voice”. My response to that is “Yes” only if your baby is a newborn who weeps whenever he is in discomfort. What if, your baby is not a newborn but a toddler who only weeps after he bangs his head onto something. Wouldn’t it be late then to know that your baby is in discomfort?
This is a major advantage of using video monitors to know your baby’s condition beforehand without leaving your room and disturbing your baby as well by opening the door and interrupting him from sleep. However, this is not the only advantage. Let’s discuss all of the advantages first and then go through some of the disadvantages of using video baby monitors.
Pros of using Video Monitor
- Tracking your Baby’s Sleep with Accuracy
If your baby is getting trouble in sleep. He isn’t crying but keeps on tossing and turning, It means he needs the comfort of his mother. If you don’t get there on time, he might completely disrupt from sleep hence his cycle of sleep keeps on changing every night.
You will never know this if you have an audio monitor installed. There are some video monitors in the market now that also have motion sensors in them, these sensors alert you if your baby keeps on turning so you can accurately know when your baby is in discomfort.
- Wide range and easy to setup
Most video monitors in the market now are WiFi controlled. You just have to put the camera in the baby’s room. Download the app on your smartphone and turn on the WiFi. That’s it and you can track your baby all the time from your phone whether you are at home or at the office.
On the other hand, audio monitors are still limited to a certain range. You can only track your babies when you are inside the house or maybe a few blocks away from your house if you have an expensive audio monitor.
- Security of your baby
I have mentioned this point earlier in the post but I want to put a little more stress on it. Your baby’s security is a very important factor that only video monitors can provide. As babies grow up, they tend to explore the world around them. They try to get out of their cribs and in the process they often hurt themselves. You can’t know that your baby is trying to get out of his crib with an audio monitor installed.
- Avoid false alarms to get a better sleep
Babies often develop a habit to cry for a few seconds and then stop and go back to sleep. This habit often exhausts parents that use audio monitors. Since they don’t know whether their baby is actually disturbed from sleep or it is just another false alarm. They rush towards the baby’s room to find out he is asleep.
Parents that use video monitors don’t face such problems since they can see their baby to know if he needs them or not. Hence, they feel less sleep deprived. These are some of the important benefits of using a video monitor over audio ones. Now let’s get into some of the cons of using video monitors.
Cons of using Video Monitor
- Expensive than audio monitors
Since, they are an advanced version of audio monitors, this can be expected that video monitors are expensive than audio ones.
- Hassle of Charging Frequently
Since, video monitors are run on WiFi that consumes a lot of battery which makes their battery life shorter than audio monitors. Hence, you have to charge video monitors more often than audio ones. It can easily become a hassle for some.
- Less Private
As kids grow older, they feel paranoid knowing their parents are watching them all the time. If your kid is of such kind, using video monitor can disturb his privacy which can raise insecurities in him. However, parents using audio monitors don’t face such an issue.
These are some of the pros and cons of using a video monitor over an audio one. Now, let’s see what audio monitors have to offer.
Audio Baby Monitor
Although, audio monitors are old in technology they can still get the job done. In fact, may parents choose audio monitors over video monitors for these particular reasons.
Pros of Audio Monitor
- Affordable
The most common reason people choose to use audio monitors over video ones is their affordability. Everyone, now-a-days can afford an audio monitor whether you are a single mom or you are going through tough times.
- Easy to use
Not everybody is tech friendly. For those who are not as adaptable to technology as others, audio monitor is their preferred choice. Since, audio monitors run on radio technology that is quite old and easy to use. Even my grandma can use an audio monitor.
This is quite helpful in the conditions where you live with your family and you have to leave for office. In your absence, your mom can look after your baby because she knows how to operate an audio monitor.
- More Private
Another reason parents choose to use audio monitors over video ones because they want to give their children some privacy and a sense of individuality. This can’t be done using a video monitor as your child will not be able to feel alone at any time and feel that somebody is watching over him constantly. That’s not good for a child’s mental health as it limits him from growing and feeling like an individual.
These are some of the pros of using an audio monitor. Now let’s have a look of some of the cons of using an audio monitor over a video one.
Cons of Audio Monitor
- Interference in Noise and Short in Range
Since, audio monitors are based on radio technology, one disadvantage of using them is their noise interference. Although, the packaging of your audio baby monitor can state that it performs perfectly within a 1000 feet range but the truth is, these claims are made by testing them in an open field. It means, when they were tested, there was no other frequency or walls between the baby and parent unit to disrupt the noise.
When these monitors are used at home, there are a lot of things between a baby and parent unit mainly electronics and walls to disrupt the signal and create a noisy sound. So, you may not get clear sounds of your baby while your TV is switched on or there is a WiFi signal in the house that interferes with the frequency of your audio baby monitor.
This makes an audio baby monitor very short in range. That is not a problem with video monitors since they are not based on radio technology and can be connected from anywhere through WiFi.
- Reactive approach towards your Kids Security
Since, audio monitors only let you hear the voice of your baby. It doesn’t show you what your baby is doing right now. It makes you a reactive parent using audio monitors because you only react after getting a distress signal from your baby in form of cries.
On the other hand, using a video monitor makes you a proactive parent because you always see your kid and know when to go to him to make sure he stays out of trouble.
These were all the pros and cons of using audio and video monitors.
Video vs Audio baby monitor – What you should choose?
The answer to this question is, “it’s up to you”. If you are looking for a cheaper way to monitor your baby then audio monitors should be your choice. However, if you can afford a video monitor then don’t prefer money over your kid’s security. Go buy a video monitor.