This is the final review and giveaway for the New Baby Event Part 2.
When I decided we would be using a hammock for this baby the next thing I had to have was a video monitor. I knew I would want to be able to keep a close eye on the baby without waking him by walking in every 20 minutes like new mothers to new babies do.
Luckily I was able to work with Summer Infant, a company that really has video monitors cornered! They have many varieties. The one I felt would work best in our home was the Sleek and Secure Video Monitor.
Features:
- Handheld 2.5″ display screen Monitor with stand and belt clip.
- Wall mountable camera with day/night view
- Rechargeable battery with around 10 hours of battery life
- Two way talk feature
- Power saver, video will turn off after 3 minutes leaving only audio
- Split screen with up to 4 room view (needs additional cameras, sold seperately)
- Easy to use interface
- Extra long cords
- 900 Mhz
- 350-foot range
- 100% digital technology and no interference or static
I think you can browse video monitors online forever and read hours worth of reviews. Without being able to test a product in your home it is hard to know what will work.
First I will talk about set up. The monitor and camera will be super easy to get working right away. It is basically just a matter of unboxing and plugging in. If you plan on mounting the camera on the wall you are going to want to test the video range before mounting. We have our monitor mounted directly to the hammock so it is very close and the picture is clear. (FYI, this is something we did carefully however Summer does not sanction this sort of mounting) Mounting too far away could result in poor picture quality so be careful. Measure twice, cut once, ya know?
The extra long cord comes in handy depending on where your outlets are located so it is unlikely you will need a cord longer than what is provided.
The camera moves around left to right and can tilt up and down which makes getting the perfect view of your baby very easy.
Once the camera is wall mounted or set on your table you are ready to spy *ahem* I mean, look in on your baby.
The handheld monitor is about the same size as some smartphones, perhaps an older model. It is as small but not as thin as a newer phone. There is a handy belt clip on the back. This is good for when you are going about your day doing chores on multiple levels of your house. You can always have the baby within ear and eyeshot. If you aren’t going to be changing rooms you can leave the monitor on a kick out stand.
There aren’t too many buttons to figure out; it is very user friendly. I was able to just play with it to figure out how to change from video to audio, and if I had extra cameras, which button to change views. Volume is adjusted by the large center arrows.
On the monitor there is also a light which you can glance at to easily see if the baby is crying, which will go up and turn red when they are.
As for clarity, the screen works in both day and night settings. During the day you have a color screen with a great clear picture, and at night it goes to black and white night vision. While it isn’t an HD TV it makes seeing my baby easy and clear without having to run in and check on him. I don’t know how people lived without these!
One of my favorite features is the Talk button. The monitor can be used to “talk” to your baby with the push of a button. You can try to soothe them back to sleep from another room, or, if you are monitoring a toddler, you can tell them to GET BACK IN BED RIGHT NOW! How freaking cool is that?
For moms of more than one kid, you can buy the Sleek and Secure with 2 cameras which will allow you to monitor 2 rooms at once. I plan on buying a second camera, which you can find for around 70.00 at most retailers, to allow me to also view my son. How many times have you been enjoying a quiet moment in the livingroom while your toddler is playing, only to check on them and find wipes all over the floor or an open spray bottle that has been poured on your wall? Just me? lol! I know when I peek in, if he was actually being good, he then stops what he is doing to hang out with me. With a video monitor you can keep an eye on them without distracting them from their angelic activities.
This monitor allows you to watch up to 4 screens at once, or you can scroll through them as you need to. You can also set it to rotate through the rooms every 8 seconds. It is almost like a security system!
There is hardly any noise other than the background noise audible in the bedroom where my baby sleeps. When the volume is all the way up and the baby cries you can hear him in every room of the house, so you can leave it at the middle setting and feel safe that you will definitely hear them.
I can’t say I have tried another video monitor to compare, however, this one has met all of our needs and then some! Even if you only have one child but plan on having more, knowing there is an option to simply add on a camera versus buying another monitor is already a money saving option in terms of video monitors.
Where to buy
You can find Summer products like the Sleek and Secure at virtually every major store or online at places like
Amazon.com for 149.99
and you can even buy extra cameras for 79.99
each as well.
Since I love the monitor so much I would love for one of my readers to have one too, so….
Summer will be giving one very lucky DDL reader a Sleek and Secure Video Monitor!
Congrats Susaan!
Mandatory Entry:
(1 entry) Visit Summerinfant.com and tell me another Summer product you have used and love, or one you would love to try! Leave it as a comment.
For extra entries do any or all of the following. Leave a comment for each you do.
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You can tweet once a day for the duration of the contest. Leave a comment with your status for each tweet. 1 entry per day.
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A sample of the product mentioned was went for review purposes. No other compensation was received and all opinions are 100% genuine and my own. Some product links are affiliate links. Giveaway ends on. Winner will be chosen using random.org. If the winner does not respond within 48 hours a new winner will be drawn. *Open to US only*
