New parents, here it is a word of advice: you may not even need a baby monitor. A healthy, hungry baby can squeal in pitches piercing enough to bend metal, let alone your poor eardrums. However, baby monitors can provide high-quality audio and clear video streams from the camera directly to a separate parent unit, your smartphone, tablet, or all three. This means you can move freely around the house while keeping a close eye on your sleeping baby or playing contentedly in her crib. Here we take a look at the most intuitive baby monitors available online and rate them based on design, features, image and audio quality to highlight how well they work to keep a watchful eye on your bundle of joy.
For more of our favorite baby gear picks, check out our The best strollers and The best baby carriers buying guides and our Gift Guide for New Parents.
Updated April 2023: We’ve revised our baby monitor picks for 2023 with entries from Hubble, Kodak, Cube, Angelcare, VTech, and Owlet.
Special offer for Gear readers: get a 1 year subscription to WITH CABLE for $5 ($25 off). This includes unlimited access to CABLING.com and our printed magazine (if you wish). Subscriptions help fund the work we do every day.