Smart Baby Monitors That Do More Than Just Alert You to Their Cries

The Nanit is an entire sleep system that parents absolutely adore. It is a Wi-Fi-based monitor with a high-definition camera that monitors movement, growth, and breathing.

First, you have the camera itself, which is a 1080P camera that can be placed on a wall mount or on a freestanding stand, complete with smart, safe-cord technology to keep baby from getting entangled. It has both a speaker and a microphone that allows you to hear and speak to your baby. It also has a built-in, dimmable light that's easy to access in the app for those late-night feedings and diaper changes.

And it has plenty of special (and helpful) features that make it stand apart from the average baby monitor. It has a motion sensor in the camera that checks for baby's movement, a thermometer and humidity rating indicator, and thanks to their innovative smart sheets, the camera can even measure your baby. It's also the only Wi-Fi-motion-sensing baby monitor with a split screen feature that allows users to see and control more than one camera simultaneously in the app.

The Nanit app, which is compatible with iOS, Android, Kindle Fire, or your Echo Show, is a big reason why this monitor is so popular. It allows you to get a feel for how well your baby is sleeping and for how long. Plus, our testers loved being able to take adorable snapshots of their baby through the app.

Our deputy editor, Joana Mascioli, uses this monitor, and she says that "the Nanit’s app is incredibly easy to use and delivers crystal clear video and sound, no matter if I’m home with baby or out of the house. I love that I can check in on my little one right from my phone or even set up the app on my iPad as a monitor. Purchasing the travel stand has also been very convenient for when we’re on the go, and set up is as easy as 1,2,3."

Speaking of which, the travel stand is included in this kit.

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The LeapFrog has the best camera for tilt, zoom, and night watching. This monitor is accessible via the app, or you can watch your baby on a dedicated monitor that is provided with a range of 1,000 feet. The camera has remote 1080p and in-person 720p resolution, fully in-color night vision, 360º movement, tilt, eight times zoom, and a 110º wide-angle lens.

The two-way talk function is clear as a bell, and accessible through the app or the monitor. It has a dimmable built-in night light with multiple colors that adjusts to the brightness of your baby's room.

The app is fee-free and includes a free 15-minute sleep consultation from the experts at WeeSleep, which our testers note was easy to set up and more helpful than they anticipated.

The thermometer and humidity ratings are accurate and if they go out of comfortable range, it alerts you by changing the color of the indicator. As for battery life, the Leap Frog's 5000mAh battery lasts up to 12 hours set on video streaming and 22 hours in audio-only, power-saving mode.

And yes, this camera also takes cute snapshots.

The Miku promises the same monitoring features as the Nanit without the use of a sleeve by employing a high-tech, high-definition camera that's designed to detect infants' breathing.

The 1080p camera records and analyzes your baby's breathing and sleep using Miku's proprietary SensorFusion technology. It uses multiple sensors to track your child's smallest movement. Unfortunately, like the Nanit, this means that the camera does not move, but it has a 140º wide-angle view and digital zoom.

The live breathing waveform in the app shows your child's respiration in real-time on your smartphone, and a local processor immediately analyzes your child's data to deliver real-time movements and sleep patterns, as well as working to alert you should they wake or require your assistance.

It has a ton of special features: two-way talking, thermometer and humidity readings, ambient light sensors, light-up sound and motion alerts, lullabies and white noise player, ultra-high-definition night vision, and extremely secure crypto security features to thwart would-be hackers.

Our testers loved that the app is free and that there are no extra pieces to be worried about — it does it all right through the camera. One reviewer said that they thought that the white noise could be louder but that the two-way talk feature was plenty loud enough to soothe their baby.

This monitor watches for baby's abdominal movement, sleep position, and temperature, all while you watch from anywhere on your Apple or Android device. Unlike the Owelet, this monitor isn't a sock, it's a button that attaches to the diaper or pajamas. It's large enough to not be considered a choking hazard, and the battery is impossible to reach without using a tool.

It has an HD camera with full-color night vision, and it is compatible with twins, you only need to add additional cameras and monitoring units. There is two-way talking through the app, and the Wifi connection features multiple points of security and requires a private 2.4 GHz network to function so that no one else is watching or speaking to your baby but you.

It tells you if they're on their front or their back, if their breathing slows or speeds up, and if they're wiggling around more than usual. All of these are potential signs of distress. The app alert is a bit jarring, but it is meant to be. The thermometer notes baby's temperature as well as the ambient temperature in the room, which is something not all monitors are capable of doing.

The app is reasonably simple to set up, as is the camera, though our tester did note that she wished that the camera had more range of motion than it has. It's also a bit less stable feeling than the Nanit or the Miku.

This is a newer baby monitor on the market, and the price of it was so daunting that I was very concerned it would not be worth the price tag. According to our tester, it is. She tells Best Products that unlike her previous smart monitor, this one never alerted her falsely or missed important cues. She noted that during her trial period with this monitor, her child contracted that nasty strain of RSV that was going around, and it alerted her to her daughter's breathing struggles and increased temperature with enough quickness that she was able to get the baby to the ER and on oxygen support, where she remained for 12 days.

Battery life isn't the greatest on any electric device, but VTech is the best baby monitor in this field by hours. This monitor gets a solid 15 hours of full streaming time on its oversized, 7-inch monitor.

The entire system is pretty impressive, especially for the more affordable price tag. The camera is brilliant, with pan and tilt and 360-degree panoramic viewing. Plus, it pans up to 270º right to left and tilts 100º up and down. With super clear, four times digital zoom, high-definition night vision, two-way talking, VOX control, and on-screen sound indicators, you'd expect to pay $100 more for this unit than they're charging.

It’s Wi-Fi-free, with 1,000 feet of connectivity, only getting even the slightest bit staticky at the outer reaches of that limit, according to our testers. Our users also say that the ambient sounds and lullabies in this monitor are easily the best of the bunch — loud enough to chill your baby out but not so loud that you can't hear your child over the roar of the noise.

The designer of the CuboAi, Dr. Kenneth Yeh, wanted to create a baby monitor that addressed the biggest concerns of new parents. Concerned with suffocation and movement, he made a monitor that alerts parents if their newborn has rolled over, or if something is covering their face. Our testers found that this monitor is the most accurate in this reading these issues.

The CuboAi is surprisingly sensitive in all areas of interest, not just rolling and facial monitoring, but also sound and movement in general. Through the app, you learn sleeping insights and patterns that are evaluated and sent to you every morning through their premium service. That service also takes pictures of "moments" and stores them for you in their cloud, ready to print.

The basics of the camera and motion-sensing pad are fairly expected for the price, but they are high quality. It's app-powered with livestream video of your baby, motion alerts, facial recognition/face covering alerts, a temperature and humidity monitor, two-way talking, lullabies and white noise capabilities, and micromotion detection that employs four motion sensors that note micro-movements on the mattress with a bigger range than similar products.

The camera, like others in the category, is stable, with no panning or tilt. The night vision is as good or better than others on the list, and the detail, even in dim light, is remarkable. While some testers appreciated how sensitive this monitor is, others thought it was a bit too sensitive, alerting them to baby's every move, disrupting sleep unnecessarily.

You need split-screen technology, and you want a motion-sensor system, but you don't want it on your Wi-Fi? Meet the Babysense TrueSleep. This baby monitor is a closed-system monitor with a split screen, two cameras, and a motion sensing monitoring system with high-definition, hack-proof cameras.

It uses an under-the-mattress sensor like the CuboAi, but without zooming movements to the cloud. The Babysense's super sensitive no-touch monitor evaluates your baby's smallest movements through the mattress. It also includes two sensor pads to cover the entire crib area without bothering or touching the baby.

The two-way talking system is clear, with neither side crackling nor breaking up for 900 feet of coverage. Our testers loved how easy it is to set up, too. They said it's basically ready right out of the box, and even setting up the motion sensor pads took only a few minutes.

Like the Leap Frog, this monitor's cameras have adjustable night lights installed, making it easy to see for changes and feedings. The two included cameras pan, tilt, and zoom, letting you take in the whole picture. One area where the Babysense could improve is battery life. The monitors only get about 8 hours of battery life per charge, so you're often tethered to the wall.

Parents who want a whole-nursery view of their children's room can't go wrong with the Eufy Spaceview Pro. The 720p camera has a 50-110º wide-angle lens that pans the room 330º and tilts 110º. All you have to do is place it in a corner with an outlet, and you can see it all, making it the best baby monitor to take you through the toddler years.

It's a Wi-Fi-free FHSS closed-system that's hacker free, and it comes with a decently sized 5-inch screen. The 1.5 and 2x zoom is strong and clear, as is the two-way communication. The lullabies are pretty repetitive, but babies don't seem to mind at all. Plus, you can control them from a decent distance, thanks to the 1,000-foot range.

The most notable part of this monitor, and what made it the hands-down favorite for some, is the fact that it is a part of the wildly popular Eufy home security system. Tech-oriented families who like keeping everything streamlined love how seamlessly the baby monitor integrates with the system as a whole.

One reviewer said, "I think I could train my baby to answer the door if I rigged it properly." That's one way to get rid of the missionaries.

As a bonus, it has a built-in alarm clock. Again, this monitor gets better and better for older kids the more you discover.

The Owlet baby monitor is in a league of its own and remains a top seller. A favorite of our testers, it comes with a monitoring sock with sensors that measure your baby's heart rate and oxygen.

This newest version includes predictive sleep technology, which is an automated sleep tool that tracks your child's sleep patterns through their Owlet Dream Sock, and guides parents about when their child should be sleeping or napping based on their metrics.

The metrics adapt as your baby gets older, and everything is done through their extra-secure 128-bit encryption and their fee-free app.

A 1080p camera with auto-adjusting night mode streams through Wi-Fi and has a temperature and humidity gauge, four times zoom, noise level indicator, and two-way talking. You don't have to worry about missing a call while monitoring either, because you can set it to background noise, and it will run without video while you're using your phone.

Our tester said that this camera is "sensational," and that the monitor "helps me rest at night." It's not perfect, and it doesn't prevent problems, but it may help you figure them out sooner.