When I was pregnant with my second baby, I tried to get as much done as I possibly could because I felt that I would never have time to do anything again. This included spending as much time as I could with my toddler, organizing the house, and getting my work done. I felt that after our new arrival was home, everything would come to a halt- I wouldn’t have time to wash the dishes (not that I would want to) laundry would pile up (not that I really needed an excuse) and I wouldn’t have any time to myself (even less time than my toddler allowed.) Once the baby came, it was a different story- she slept, WAY more than my first born did. She rarely cries, and is very laid back. I even did the unthinkable a few times- I took a shower! You may think this is silly, unless you have kids- then you know EXACTLY what I am talking about. Since my newborn was sleeping and my toddler was content watching TV in her room, I knew this was an opportunity I had to jump on immediately. I had about 10 minutes before my toddler lost interest in her show, and who knew when the little one would wake up. So I set up the baby monitor and scurried into the shower.
Now, I’ve had baby monitors before. Yes, plural. I’ve gone through 3 monitors prior to the one I have now and they were nothing to sneeze about. I’m the kind of person that needs options. The bottom of the barrel items just don’t cut it for me when I know there are better things out there. My first monitor wasn’t even a baby monitor- it was a home security camera that had very basic functions- I could see the baby during the day, and even at night. The picture was okay, but nothing spectacular. Most of the time the image on the screen looked like that of a 3D sonogram. I was able to see and hear the baby and that’s really all that mattered at the end of the day- or was it?
When VTech introduced me to their latest in baby-viewing technology: the VTech Safe & Sound Full Color Video and Audio Monitor (VM321). You may think that if you’ve seen one camera, you’ve seen them all, but I can tell you that for only $150, you are getting way more bang for your buck. Let me tell you about the features I love- I can zoom in and out. Now, the zoom feature is very basic- you have two choices: in OR out. You cannot pan and stop at any given point, but I can tell you that if you set up the camera at just the right angle, one zoom is all you need. I set up the camera so that I can see my baby in normal mode, and when zoomed in I can see her belly. This is important because SIDS is a very real risk in infants. If I’m leaving my baby alone, even if it’s for 10 short minutes to hop in the shower or make dinner, then I need to be able to see her belly rise and fall.
My second favorite feature is the lullabies. Yes- this camera really does it all- even sings to your baby! There are 4 lullabies to choose from and they play for 15 minutes. The only thing I would change about this feature is to have a variety of songs playing during this time as opposed to one song. I would also love the option to control the music from the parent unit. Still, this is a great feature!
My third favorite feature is the talk back feature. You can make this camera into a walkie talkie. This is great when you just want to soothe your baby without going in the room, or to call into your hubby if you need something. This is a feature I always thought should be standard on all baby monitors and finally, I found what I was looking for.
Another great feature that should be included on all baby monitors is a temperature sensor. The nursery is the room that gets the coldest in the winter and for this reason we had my toddler spend cold nights in our room. It is nice to know what the temperature is at any given time when your baby is alone in the room. This is also important during hot summer months. Over-heating is very dangerous for new babies because they cannot regulate their body temperature efficiently. The monitor has warned me on many occasions that the room is too hot for my infant, and I was able to take measures to make it more comfortable, such as setting a higher speed on the ceiling fan.
Oh, and let’s not forget that you can adjust the camera angle with the moveable lens. Both of my babies suffered from reflux, and my infant has reflux so severe that when she was born, she would stop breathing. We had to prop her up with a nursing pillow to keep her reflux in check after she ate. By adjusting the lens on the child unit, I felt better knowing that I could keep my baby propped up while watching her to make sure she didn’t slip through the pillow. This gave me some freedom to take care of things around the house as opposed to holding my baby all day long.
Since I have both my babies sharing a room, it is great that I can add another camera and watch both of my kids at the same time on the parent unit. The VTech Safe & Sound Monitor expands up to 4 cameras and has a split video screen. Each additional camera is about $50. I feel that I can have peace of mind any time I leave my kids in the room by themselves, whether it is to clean the house, make meals, and even at night. I told you all of my favorite features, but this camera has a lot more to offer! You can see more specific details and specs by visiting VTech Baby Monitors.
Like what you see? You will LOVE this baby monitor! At only $150 it is a steal, but you can win it during the Christmas in July Giveaway event! Not only can you win the VTech Safe & Sound Monitor, but you can also win over $600 in Maggie Bags prizes and a $100 Gift Basket from Munchkin! Rafflecopter form is below!
Christmas in July Giveaway hop is hosted by Matter of Cents, Just Married with Coupons & Sweep Tight. Grand Prize is sponsored by Maggie Bags and is valued at over $600. Maggies Bags takes high-quality recycled material & gives it new life by creating sophisticated handbags that are eco-friendly! Save 25% off the Linear Line with Coupon Code: TimeOutMom712 through 9/30. The 2nd Prize is an Ultimate Munchkin Gift Basket, Munchkin offers clever, innovative solutions to help make parenting safer, easier & fun.
Enter to win the VTech Baby Monitor a Rafflecopter giveaway
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Woohoo, what a great giveaway.
Thanks for sharing, we have a video monitor and we love it!
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