Baby monitors were first introduced into the UK in the early 1980s. Today the market is so vast that over 400,000 monitors are bought in the UK every year. Most new parents couldn't imagine life without a monitor, particularly if they live in a large house, as a baby monitor allows parents to listen (and sometimes watch) their baby when they're in a different room. These devices offer ‘peace of mind’to allow parents to hear (and even see) every gurgle, splutter or cry.

Baby monitors vary from model to model, but all have a minimum of two units -- one to transmit your baby's sounds and one which stays in the room where you are to enable you to monitor your baby. Purchasing all of the essential items when preparing for birth can be a little daunting, so here are some handy hints when looking for a monitor. Essentially there are two different types of monitor on the market – video and audio, the audio monitor simply allows you to hear what baby is up to in another room and the video monitor allows you to see and hear what they are doing.

Audio monitors

often come with a moving light display so you determine if any sound is being made by your child, even with the volume of the audio monitor down. This is particularly useful if you have guests or are doing a noisy job in the kitchen. Some models also come with a night-light on the baby unit: Night-lights will provide a comforting glow to your baby's bedroom, so they won’t wake in complete darkness.

Video Monitors

allow you to visually see on screen what your child is doing, whilst also providing sound feedback. It is important to look for a monitor which comes with different channels as this offers a two fold benefit – firstly, it means that if your neighbour has a similar system you can avoid hearing their baby crying as you can simply change to a different channel from the one they are using. The other benefit is particularly useful if you have more than one child as it means you can purchase additional child units (an additional camera for example) and then set up both camera’s in each of the child’s rooms on different channels. You can then scan between the two using the parent unit once you have moved to a different room.

Night Vision

Some of the video monitors also offer night vision; this will be of particular benefit during the evening when the blinds are drawn and the dark nights have set in. Look out for video monitors with infra-red LED's so that the monitor can effectively keep track of the little one without disturbing their sleep. Many video monitors also some with an output cable enabling you to plug the parent unit into the TV or VCR. This allows parents to either record their baby or alternatively tune the TV so that it picks up the signal of the camera.

Another important consideration is portability; many monitors plug into the wall, and some also have the ability to run via batteries – this can be particularly useful for weekends away, holidays abroad or even on days out. If you are going to use the monitor when away from home it is important to choose a monitor which is compact, lightweight and portable. You may consider finding one with a belt clip attachment. When choosing a monitor bear in mind the range of transmittance; many have a range of 100m but this range may be impaired if the transmission has a lot of walls to go through. Another thing to consider is wireless connections in the home as some PC networks can use the same frequency (2.4Ghz) as monitors and this will interfere with the wireless cameras unless their frequency is modified.

Other Considerations

It is important to position the monitor far enough from the child so they can’t pull it into the cot. Some monitors come with a tripod so the monitor can be positioned on a shelf. Ensure power source is sufficient – many monitors come with warning lights to ensure you are aware when the batteries are running low.

Important Note

Please remember that your Baby Monitor is not a medical device. Never rely on it for your baby's safety and wellbeing. You should personally check your baby as frequently as you think it is necessary.