July 6, 2016 Artem Aleksanyan

Baby monitors: audio vs. video?

In this modern day and age, where everything is integrated and technology is reaching new bounds every day, there are high-tech options for everything. You can get a fridge with wi-fi connectivity, you can ask your phone the quickest way to get to your friend Martha’s house, or you can use that same phone to play music in your car without even having to think about connecting it.

Despite all that, there’s definitely value in keeping it simple. Some people just want a place to put things and keep them cold without also knowing the weather. Some people would just prefer to look on a physical map (if they’re really old-school) or an online variant to figure out the best way to get somewhere (I am one of those people). Some people are fine with just the radio or a great CD to spin. Why worry about fancy technologies you just don’t need?

There’s a similar dichotomy in the world of baby monitors. You have your newer video baby monitors, and you have your simpler and more traditional audio monitors. Which is better?

Obviously, you might say, the video baby monitor is better just because it’s everything you get out of an audio one and more. However, some people really do prefer audio baby monitors: they’re cheaper, they’re simpler to set up and use, and parents worry that maybe having the video monitor will turn into obsessively checking on their child just because they can. These are all reasonable concerns, but the truth is, video monitors are at the point where it’s genuinely better to have them than the audio ones.

For starters, video baby monitors are easier than ever to use. Before, you’d have to have a dedicated monitor to receive the signal, and it could be a pain to carry around or keep track of. But many video monitors these days are hooked up to wi-fi, so the signal can be sent right to your smartphone, which you already keep with you almost all the time in your pocket. This makes it unbelievably easy to check up on your kid even if you are not home. All you have to do is download the app and set up the wi-fi connection and you’ll be all set. All of the Summer Infant video baby monitors that we stock have this option and many ones besides those do, too.

Video monitors also have the added advantage of removing a lot of guesswork. With audio monitors, one big problem that you get is that you don’t exactly know what certain noises mean. When I asked my dad why he preferred video monitors over audio ones (he’s had five kids), this was the main reason that he cited. It’s hard to tell what a sound coming from a new baby means, and concerned, overtired, and protective parents may find it tough to know whether it’s an okay noise or a noise that needs attention. In addition, if you have more than one kid that you need to keep track of, it would be difficult to tell which one is making noise, and more importantly why.

The video monitor eliminates the guesswork with all of those issues. Honestly, it’s about peace of mind: you don’t have to worry about or think too heavily about what’s happening in your baby’s room. And especially if your baby’s room is on a different level in your home than you are, you don’t want to be running up and down in a worried rush to find that there was no need. Certainly, it would be relieving to know that everything is okay, but it could be exhausting, and it would be better to have that peace of mind to start.

There are always advocates for older technology, citing that it’s simpler, better, and just easier to use. And that might be true – for a few years. But then the newer technology continues to develop to the point where it surpasses the older one in every single way and becomes cheaper to produce to boot. Smartphones started out clunky and harder to use, but now they’re undeniably better than old-fashioned phones. The same thing with electric vehicles – a few years ago it was just impractical, but now it’s viable. At this point, video monitors have gotten to that point where it’s no longer an outlandish concept, and they are now something that everyone can make use of. Either way, it’s definitely something I would recommend throwing on your Magic Beans baby registry.

Need help deciding which baby monitor is best for you? We’re here to help: come visit us at any Magic Beans store, give us a call at 866-600-2326, or sign up for a free consultation! Our mission is to make your life easier by pinpointing the baby products that will fit seamlessly into your life as a new parent, so you can worry less and spend more time enjoying your growing family.