Deciding on which products you’re going to register for and buy when you are preparing to have a baby is overwhelming. There are “must have” products, “would be nice to have” products, and “really don’t need products.” But everyone has different items in each of those categories, and what’s a “must” for one family may be a “really don’t need” for another.

But once you narrow down to the products you really want to get, now it’s time to decide which brand, what colors, etc. This is where I’m always so thankful for friends who have already tried a variety of products before and are willing to share their honest opinion!

One baby product that’s worth doing lots of research on is a baby monitor…there are SO MANY OPTIONS!

When we had our first baby, we registered for the Nest Camera. It’s technically a home security camera, but many people use it as a baby monitor. The main two reasons we got the Nest were because it was a video monitor and we could see the monitor on our phones, even when we weren’t home (it was connected to Wifi).  I was a teacher and went back to work when our baby was just 12 weeks old, and I wanted to be able to peak in at my sleeping babe whenever I wanted to. 

And for a season, the Nest was exactly what we needed! However, once I stopped teaching, it didn’t seem as practical anymore. When we had babysitters, we had to leave them with an old iPhone to use as the monitor, and our old phones weren’t in great shape anymore. And when we traveled, it rarely connected to new Wifi systems, which was really frustrating. And we just didn’t love the idea of our baby monitor being connected to Wifi anymore. 

Then a friend handed down her old video baby monitor to us, but after being about 12 years old and working well for us for a good two years, it’s slowly started to die. So I polled my friends and Instagram community about their favorite baby monitors (that don’t require Wifi!) and this is what I was looking for:

• A video baby monitor (not just a sound monitor)
• A video baby monitor that’s easy to travel with (can easily hook up at a hotel, someone else’s house, etc.)
• A video monitor that works well with the SlumberPod
• A video baby monitor that can have multiple cameras hooked up for multiple kids’ rooms
• A video baby monitor that does not require Wifi

And here are the four most popular video baby monitors people have that do not require wifi and that can be used with multiple cameras.

Eufy

The Eufy is the baby video monitor that came most highly recommended – several people suggested it and there were no complaints/negative reviews.

Some of the most raved about features include:

• It’s very easy to travel with and works very well in the SlumberPod
• The camera quality is very clear
• The camera provides “whole room coverage” – you can see any part of the room from the monitor by simply turning the camera
• You can have up to four cameras connected to the monitor at a time

We almost bought this monitor! What excited me about the Eufy monitor is that it’s not only a great option for cameras in multiple rooms, but it’s also a great option for kids who share a room. Our two older daughters share a room and because the camera is able to give “whole room coverage”, we could have one camera in the girls’ room (which means just one sound coming through the monitor), and if someone makes noise, we could move the camera angle to have a great view of that child, and then scan back over to the other as necessary.

And then we could have a separate camera on our baby and set the Eufy to automatically toggle back and forth between both kids’ rooms so we have easy eyes and ears on everyone throughout the night.

Vava

The Vava also came very highly recommended and I did not hear any complaints. 

Some of the most raved about features include:

• The camera is very clear
• The screen is large
• The Vava doesn’t have “whole room coverage” like the Eufy, but it’s pretty darn close; I can turn the camera to see almost everywhere in my girls’ room
• It’s easy to travel with and works well in the SlumberPod. (It looks more zoomed in in the SlumberPod as compared to the Eufy, but you can move the camera around within the SlumberPod pocket to see anywhere inside.)
• You can also have up to four cameras hooked up to the Vava
• I’ve been told Vava has great customer service!

Something unique about the Vava is that you can also buy a split screen that allows you to see two rooms at the same time, and then the sound toggles back and forth on a timer. This is actually the video baby monitor we ended up purchasing a few months ago. 

I really loved the idea of having eyes on both kiddo rooms at the same time. We are able to see our big girls’ room on one side, and our baby’s room (which is currently also our room) on the other. And if one of our older girls is making noise but the camera is facing the other, we simply push a button to turn the camera, and we quickly see the other.

You can also select just one room to look at/listen to. So when our older girls are awake and playing and our baby is asleep, we’re able to just select the view of her bed and it looks like a single monitor. 

Infant Optics

The Infant Optics is the baby monitor that was recommended to me by the most people, so it’s clearly very popular! I will also say it was the monitor that I heard the most “cons” about, or people ended up switching to another monitor brand after some time with the Infant Optics. 

Some of the most raved about features include:

• It’s small and easy to travel with
• You can move the camera with the monitor to see multiple kids in one bedroom
• I’ve been told it works well in the SlumberPod
• You can have up to four Infant Optics cameras connected to the same monitor. You can set it to automatically scan between the bedrooms, or you can manually change it. 

Some of the cons about the Infant Optics monitor include:

• While you can move the camera to view another part of the bedroom, it doesn’t have full range of motion; so you have to carefully choose where to mount the camera and where your kids’ beds are if you want to have the ability to see both
• Some people say that when you move the camera it makes a noise inside the room (apparently it’s noisier when mounted to the wall versus sitting on a dresser or shelf)
• Many people reported that the battery eventually died and they had to buy a new monitor
• Many people also reported connectivity issues after about a year of use – the monitor started saying “out of range” when it used to work no problem
• The temperature reading on the monitor is often much higher than the room’s actual temperature

HelloBaby

The HelloBaby monitor was also recommended by many people, and out of all of these baby monitors, it’s the least expensive option, which certainly makes it appealing!

Some of the most raved about features include:

• It’s great to travel with and works well in the SlumberPod
• It can turn up to 180 degrees
• You can choose to keep the sound on all night, or set the monitor to only turn on when noise is being detected (some people love this while other people dislike it)
• You can have up to four cameras connected to the HelloBaby monitor

Some of the cons about the HelloBaby monitor include:

• Some people reported that they weren’t convinced it would last them multiple babies; their first HelloBaby monitor died within the first year and they had to replace it
• While the camera does move, it’s limited by only turning 180 degrees rather than a full 360 degrees

Other Popular Video Baby Monitors

A few other video baby monitors that were recommended by multiple people included the Nanit, VTech, and Summer Infant. I did not look into these options, but they may be a great fit for your family, too!

Conclusion

Well, there you have it! The four most highly recommended video baby monitors that do not require Wifi, and that have the ability to connect to multiple cameras. 

Whatever your budget may be, each of these cameras comes highly recommended and it sounds like any of them will serve you well. 

With Grace,

Lauren