When HM and I first started preparing for D’s arrival way back in 2011, we did what every soon-to-be parents do…baby registry! HM was more interested in clothes, diaper bags and boppy pillows, and of course I was drawn to car accessories, strollers and electronics. I immediately started looking at the monitors which (like everything baby) there are multitudes of options (I do a lot of homework on this stuff). The thermometers, nursing alarms, respiratory monitors, long range, sound meter, music player, sleep mode etc….all options enough to make your head spin. I have simple tastes and of course wanted to get the video monitor, any of them. HM was good enough to bring me back down to earth and we settled for a Sony audio monitor with 2 receivers and the angel care unit. This was perfect for a newborn where all your concerns are, “are they breathing“ and “are they hungry”?
As soon as D started standing, jumping, talking and all other manners of getting into trouble. The audio monitor just didn’t seem to calm our fears and questions. Enter HM, the super wife who won her husband a Lorex Video Monitor! I nearly jumped out of my desk chair at work with co-workers giving me strange looks when HM told me the news.
We’ve had the monitor for 3 months now and my goodness is it amazing. I quickly learned that even though you don’t hear your child in their room doesn’t mean they are sleeping…AT ALL. We found out D turns over and over, lay on his back holding his stuffed Koala above him and then hugs it, and will just stand with his hands on the crib rail and his head on his hands. So cute. Another plus is if I can’t remember whether turned on the ceiling fan or not I just use the camera to check. No more cracking the door open and blindly feel for the switch to see if its on after he’s sleeping. Danger close
A little about this company. During my research while waiting for the monitor to arrive I learned Lorex is a well established home security company. They even have products in Costco. Most monitors are made by baby companies which makes sense in the marketing world but who better to make a baby monitor than people who specialize IN monitoring systems? Also the price is way better than most of the brands you find in Babies’ R Us or Buy Buy Baby. We received the Pan and Tilt camera with the 3.5 in LCD monitor. It didn’t come with a mini SD card as advertise but a quick call to customer service and it came in the mail a week later. Great Service! We set it up across from the crib in the corner of the room about chest high. It came with brackets to mount and wind the excess power cord. There is a bracket you can buy separately for the camera itself but a small shelf works great. It has a thermostat and temperature alert which is great in the desert. Its easy to have significant differences in temperature in each room. And since D cannot tell us he was hot or cold the night before; this is great! The sound monitoring is just like any other quality monitor (no need to reinvent the wheel). You do have the ability talk through the camera to your toddler but this is only useful to mess with him. Any kid who hears the parents thinks its play time. The Pan and Tilt is controlled wirelessly and has a wide range of motion. You also have the ability to record either manually or automatically if your toddler wakes up. The activation sensitivity can be set so a whisper will activate the monitor and/or record. This is time consuming to get just right and a lot of trial and error (ask the wife) but once you get it right it works like a charm. You can add up to 4 cameras and use a split screen or auto scan from room to room. We might get a second camera for the newest edition but not sure how much this will be beneficial since she just lays there. It can even connect via Skype. We also plan on using this as a security camera when the kids are all grown. This system has so much more it can do, here is a link to the product page…. CLICK HERE.
The Pros:
– Easy to use (the receiver comes already connected wirelessly to the camera)
– Range is good. I can go get the mail or work outside without any interference.
– Battery life is pretty good. We have it on about 5 hours before we need to charge it. It could go longer if you use the scan option. The sound and screen will be off until he makes a noise.
– The night mode is very good. You can even see if D’s eyes are open in pitch darkness (creepy if you saw Paranormal Activity).
– You can see recorded videos on the receiver or by plugging the micro SD card (included) into a computer
– 3.5 in. LCD screen. This is large when compared to other systems
The Cons:
– The Music player isn’t useful. The songs are too obnoxious/jarring.
– The camera can malfunction if it gets up to 87 degrees. Ah the desert life
– The power switch on the camera unit is hidden and on the same side as the wall its against so we just have it on 24/7.
– Power light is bright. Why do these products always have a bright power light in the front? Just cover it up with electrical tape (like every other monitor out there).
*I was not compensated by Lorex for this post. These are honest opinions and thoughts as a Dad.
