Best Baby Monitors of 2023

The Scoop

• Tracks sleep, motion, vitals and growth
• 1080p HD livestream from anywhere in the world
• Babylist exclusive
• Now features split-screen viewing

What Our Experts Say

Looking for a baby monitor that does it all? Look no further than the Nanit Pro, the ultimate in baby monitoring. It’s truly unlike any other baby monitor on the market and, although it comes at a price, is a dream come true if you’re a parent who appreciates all the stats and info on your snoozing baby.

The Nanit Pro tracks your baby’s sleep patterns, movement, vital stats and even growth, all via a livestream right from your phone. The camera features 1080p HD and provides a crystal clear look at your baby both during the day and overnight. The Breathing Band, a soft fabric band that fits over your little one’s pajamas, monitors breathing motion with no sensors. There’s also a Smart Sheet that measures your baby’s height and growth. Everything is tracked and analyzed via the Nanit Insights app which also provides personalized, science-backed sleep guidance from experts. Other fun features include two-way audio, white noise, temperature and humidity sensors, and, most recently, the ability to monitor two children at once with split-screen viewing. (You’ll need to buy a second camera, though, of course.)

This Babylist exclusive bundle comes with a Nanit Pro Camera, Wall Mount, Small and Large Breathing Bands, Smart Sheet, Multi-Stand, Travel Case and one year of Nanit Insights.

What’s Worth Considering

The Nanit is definitely an investment—especially so if you’re planning on needed two for multiple kids. You’ll also have to pay for Nanit Insights, the sleep trends and timelapse highlights real app, after the first year. The sleep tracking analytics are brilliant if that’s your thing but can be a little overwhelming if you’re one to get anxious from information overload. And if you don’t want a baby monitor that works via your phone, you’ll want to skip the Nanit and look for a more traditional video or audio monitor instead.

What Babylist Parents Say

“Every morning I love reading the summary of the night before and the ratings on how he slept. It’s also great that we can use our phones to monitor, and I’ve even put the app on an iPad that sits in the main room.” -Jessica M.

Additional Specs

The Scoop

• Large display offers wide, clear view of your baby
• Good battery life
• Super easy setup

What Our Experts Say

WiFi monitors aren’t for everyone, but video monitors can be notoriously finicky. Lots lose night vision clarity over time. Many have a battery life that’s less than stellar when the parent unit isn’t plugged in. And some just stop working for no apparent reason, even after a short time of use. But the Vava? It shines in all of these categories and gets rave reviews from Babylist parents across the board.

The Vava baby monitor has a five-inch high-def display that offers a clear view of your little one—the feature parents love the most about this video monitor. There’s a two- and four-time zoom, as well as a pan and tilt feature, and a seven-level sound volume (plus LED indicators) so you have lots of different options when you want to listen in to what’s up in your nursery. Other features to note include temperature monitoring, two-way audio and a rechargeable battery that gives you 10 hours in livestream mode and 24 hours in audio-only mode.

What’s Worth Considering

While you can connect up to four cameras with this monitor, there’s no split screen viewing option, so you’ll have to toggle between them if you’re using it for multiple kids.

What Babylist Parents Say

“We wanted a monitor that did not use a phone app to view. Great connection with VAVA. Works throughout our two-story home. It was also very easy to install and pans throughout the room well.” -Marissa

Additional Specs

The Scoop

• Under $50!
• Live HD streaming + pan, tilt, zoom and color night vision
• Easy setup

What Our Experts Say

Leave it to enterprising parents to find a hack for everything. The Wyze, originally designed as a home surveillance camera, is used by tons of parents as a baby monitor. And with its easy setup, live HD streaming and incredibly affordable price tag, it’s a great choice.

The Wyze is controlled remotely via an app and can be shared by multiple family members. When used as a baby monitor, you can view the live stream in real time or set up push notifications to alert you to motion and sound. (You can also adjust the sensitivities on these so you’re not being constantly bombarded with a message every time your little one makes a move.) The camera has color night vision, two-way audio, can pan, tilt and zoom. You get free 14-day cloud storage right out of the box (and can purchase more if needed,) and the camera records 12-second video clips. And it works with Alexa and Google Assistant.

What’s Worth Considering

You’ll need your phone around, unlocked (there’s no background audio feed option like with the Nanit) and always charged to use the Wyze cam. If you want a caregiver to use the monitor, you’ll need to have them download the app and give them permission access to your camera. Some parents also don’t love the cloud-based storage—but there is an option to insert a micro SD card instead and store the files locally.

What Babylist Parents Say

“The night vision is excellent, even in a totally dark room (at night with blackout curtains). The panning ability and motion sensing are handy as well, but the motor that moves the camera is kind of loud so we don’t recommend doing it when baby is sleeping. The two way communication is nice to remotely talk with the baby and the audio/video quality from the camera is great.” -William

Additional Specs

The Scoop

• Two-way intercom
• No white noise static, clear sound transmission
• 160-foot indoor range and 1,000 feet outdoors

What Our Experts Say

Don’t discount the value and usefulness of an audio monitor. Audio monitors are affordable, functional and portable. They can also be a lifesaver for anxious parents who are often overwhelmed by the thought of being glued to a video monitor screen trying to keep an eye on their baby 24/7.

This VTech monitor has all the features you need in an audio-only monitor. It picks up the quietest of sounds very well, but won’t emit the constant (and annoying) white noise you often hear from other audio monitors. It features a two-way intercom, a feature that’s especially useful during the toddler years, and a visual five-level sound indicator on the parent unit so you can visually monitor the noise level even when the unit is muted. It’s small and portable for use either at home or for travel, and the price tag is really easy on your wallet.

What’s Worth Considering

The biggest complaint about this monitor is battery life; lots of parents say it quickly loses its charge once unplugged from the wall, so you’ll need to keep it plugged in as much as possible when in use.

What Babylist Parents Say

“These are fantastic. Great price, no unnecessary bells and whistles. I have yet to encounter a single dissatisfying feature of this monitor. I’d buy it again.” -Ren

Additional Specs

The Scoop

• Split-screen view of two cameras
• 5” video display
• Night light, two-way talk and 360-degree view

What Our Experts Say

There are plenty of video monitors that allow you to view two separate rooms simultaneously, but the Babysense S2 makes it even easier with its split-screen technology. Instead of toggling between two separate screens, this monitor splits the screen in half, giving you a view of both spaces at once. It’s a great feature to have if you have twins or multiple kiddos close in age, of course, but just as useful if you want to keep an eye on two separate spaces (a nursery and a playroom, for example).

This monitor also offers a 360-degree pan along with tilt and zoom features, all viewed on a clear LCD 5” display. There’s a night light, two-way audio, built-in lullabies and white noise, and a twelve-hour battery life.

What’s Worth Considering

You can add two more cameras to this unit if you need to keep an eye on more children. (The screen will toggle between each pair of cameras.)

What Babylist Parents Say

“Purchased this monitor as our old monitor was on its way out. We liked the dual screen setup and the ability to add additional monitors down the road! Picture is clear and is really helpful when seeing the kids starting to stir. The system is full of options and is really easy to use.” -Kevin

Additional Specs

The Scoop

• Good features for the price
• Large 5” screen
• Adaptive night light

What Our Experts Say

This straightforward monitor from VTech is our pick for best non-WiFi video monitor that won’t break the bank. Considering the features and the price, it’s a solid choice that lots of parents really like.

The standout features here include the five-inch color LCD screen, 1,000-foot range, room temperature sensor and an adaptive night light that automatically adjusts to the brightness of your nursery. (You can also enable the night light to turn on automatically when it detects sound in the nursery). The monitor also has five melodies and four soothing sounds and two-way audio.

What’s Worth Considering

The biggest complaint with this monitor is that while you can adjust the camera angle a bit, you won’t be able to fully pan and tilt it with the same wide range you would a more expensive monitor. Parents also complain about the poor battery life. (A common problem among budget-friendly monitors.)

Additional Specs

The Scoop

• Can swap out different lenses for a closer or wider view
• Noise filtering technology
• Expandable for up to 4 cameras

What Our Experts Say

Need a closer look? This monitor is known for its interchangeable lenses and includes a zoom lens right in the box that lets you see baby up-close even if you need to position the camera far away from the crib. (There’s also a wide-angle lens sold separately.)

The other noteworthy feature here is something called Active Noise Reduction. It’s designed to filter out background noise so you only hear the sound of your baby, not the air conditioner, humidifier, etc. There’s also a five-inch LCD screen, pan/tilt/zoom and an LED sound indicator that lights up when it detects noise. It’s also expandable with up to four cameras if you plan on growing your family.

What’s Worth Considering

The original version of this monitor isn’t compatible with the PRO, so don’t get the two confused if you’re purchasing additional cameras.

What Babylist Parents Say

“We’ve been an Infant Optics user since 2014. With the addition of our 4th kiddo I researched cameras again and ultimately landed back to Infant Optics as it has all the features that are important to us. We love the new DXR-8 Pro.”-A.U.

Additional Specs

The Scoop

• Works as a traditional video monitor or via WiFi
• Super easy setup
• Large screen

What Our Experts Say

Not sure if you want a traditional video baby monitor or a WiFi-enabled monitor you can view on your phone? With the PIP, you don’t have to choose. Plug it in and you’re ready to go right out of the box (setup is super simple). Or, download the Motorola Nursery app on your smartphone and view your baby from anywhere.

There are more features to love like pan, tilt and zoom, a large 5” video display on the parent unit, a room temperature sensor, pre-loaded sounds and lullabies and more. And the modern black and white design stands out from most other monitors on the market.

What’s Worth Considering

The screen clarity on the parent unit is good, but not great. The parent unit is on the bulkier side. And the battery life tends to fade over use.

It’s also worth noting that although this is a WiFi-enabled monitor, it’s not solely a WiFi monitor—so don’t expect the same capabilities and functionality that you’d find in monitors like the Nanit or the Miku. (But it’s also much more affordable—you win some, you lose some!)

What Babylist Parents Say

“This monitor has been exactly what we were looking for. The picture is clear and the zoom and panning features are great! It’s also convenient to have the app and the parent unit. The only reason I am not giving a 5/5 is because the battery does die pretty quickly on the parent unit, but all of the other positives outweigh that negative.” -Susan

Additional Specs

The Scoop

• Wearable sock tracks sleep + sleep trends
• Exclusive sock print

What Our Experts Say

Owlet was one of the first brands to offer a wearable tracking component for babies. The Dream Sock (a Babylist exclusive print) slips over your little one’s foot and fits babies from birth until about 18 months (up to 30 pounds or so). The sock helps you track your baby’s sleep trends, including wakings, quality of sleep, heart rate, oxygen level and total hours slept. It has a 16-hour battery life and charges on a separate base in about eight hours.

This bundle also includes a camera that turns the Duo into a Wifi baby monitor. The camera offers a 180-degree room view and a four-times zoom. You’ll also get a personalized sleep program for your baby, free of charge, to help you customize their sleep schedule and get longer stretches of sleep.

What’s Worth Considering

The Owlet offers lots of tracking information on your baby; but remember, it’s not a medical monitoring device and should never be used as one. Users also complain about the app, which glitches often, and sometimes has trouble connecting to the sock.

What Babylist Parents Say

“Best way to monitor my baby’s sleep habits. Has helped us sleep better a night since our baby is also sleeping better.” -Jason

Additional Specs

The Scoop

• 1,000-foot range
• Large 5” color display
• Can connect up to 4 cameras

What Our Experts Say

From remote tilt and pan to capture that perfect view to lullabies at the push of a button, this monitor offers lots of convenient features. But the most impressive of all is its 1,000-foot range, one of the highest of all non-WiFi video monitors on this list. It’s the perfect choice if you’re living in a large space and are worried that your monitor won’t cut it.

Other useful features include a five-inch display, a room temperature display, up to three hours of plug-free viewing, and a freestanding monitor that can be set on top of a dresser or grip to shelves or brackets.

What’s Worth Considering

As of now, you can’t add additional monitors onto this camera as your family grows. For a two-camera bundle with similar range, check out Motorola’s VM75-2.

Additional Specs