Summer Infant Panorama Digital Color Video Monitor

After three babies and at least as many baby monitors, I decided it was time to join the 21st century and try out a video monitor! I know many mamas who swear by them, and I can definitely see why. There is such peace of mind in being able to see—not just hear—what baby is up to. Plus, now you don’t have to wake a light sleeper by popping in to make sure he’s doing all right.

The Panorama Digital Color Video Monitor from Summer Infant is a winner! It’s so simple to use, all white and modern with minimal buttons, like if Apple made a baby monitor. It needs to be charged for seven hours before the initial use, but it’s good to go after that. The camera is stable on a flat surface, but it can also be wall mounted if that works better for your space. I like that it comes with security clips to keep the power cord firmly out of baby’s reach.

When the camera and handheld screen are first turned on, they sync automatically to make life easy and preserve privacy, so you’re not picking up a neighbor’s signal. (I guess the difference is radio technology versus digital technology? With this, there’s no switching channels and no risk of someone else listening in.) Sound comes through clearly—there are volume controls on the handheld, and sound-activated lights for when you want to keep the volume low. The sizable 5” viewing screen shows a clear picture, full color in daylight or gray scale in the dark.

There are also a couple of bonus features that make this monitor especially appealing. Because baby is bound to move around during naptime, this monitor moves too! From the handheld unit, I can swivel the camera left and right 180 degrees and tilt up and down as well. There’s even a zoom function to give me a closer look. Cool tech!

I also love the built-in nightlight with two color choices. The red light is said to be best for helping baby fall asleep, and the blue helps him to stay asleep. The handheld also tells me the temperature in baby’s room and allows me to “talk back” to the video unit—so I can sing my son back to sleep or remind my hubby where the wipes are when he’s taking a turn at diaper duty.

If you have multiple littles in your house, additional camera units can be purchased for $100 and linked to the same handheld unit. Even though my next youngest is 4 years old, this is tempting! I could watch my boys’ antics and tell them to get back to bed without stepping foot through the door.

Conclusion? This is an awesome modern monitor at a good price. Ideally, I would add a white noise function to the video end so I wouldn’t have to use a separate gadget for that, but still, the monitor does everything you would need a video monitor to do, and then some.

Price: $180
To buy: amazon.com