Investing in a baby monitor is a brilliant way to put your mind at ease so you can focus on other tasks or relax in the knowledge that your tot is sleeping soundly. You can’t be with your little one 24/7 but the right baby monitor for you is the next best thing.
There are plenty available on the market, from ones that transmit only sounds, to video monitors with movement sensor pads, the latest gadgetry and connecting apps.
But what’s the latest and best baby monitors to buy in 2021? We’ve done the research and found the products that’ll deliver great value for money, quality and are packed with all the features you may need.
With the help of Mother&Baby, we’ve made sure to include the new baby monitor winners from their highly respected and renowned product awards, tested by real mums and their babies.
Related: The best cot mobiles
Best baby monitors
All of these baby monitors have been hand-selected by Mother&Baby and What's The Best shopping experts. Our teams have spent hours investigating and researching the best baby monitors, so you can choose the best one. Plus, we'd never recommend a product we don't believe in. Find out why you should trust us here.
Best baby monitor with two-way talk
Video: Yes | Two-way talk: Yes | Night vision: Yes
Sound alerts: Yes | Motion alerts: No | App control: No
Screen size: High quality 5" screen
Other features: Temperature display, digital zoom, 5 lullabies
The BT Baby Monitor 6000 is all you need to keep watch over your little one. It is packed with great features, allowing you to hear, see and talk to your baby while not in the room, with a great 250m outdoor range. Two-way talk allows you to reassure and comfort your baby while you're busy on the move and the built-in lullabies will keep your bundle of joy feeling relaxed and soothed while you're out of the room. The camera is wall mountable and has remote pan, tilt and zoom allowing you to adjust the camera to your preferred view.
Shortlisted for the 2019 M&B Baby Monitor Awards, the mum testers loved this baby monitor and would recommend it to other parents. Simple and intuitive to use, the added features have made evenings easier and the temperature display has been invaluable in the hotter seasons.
Mum Zara said, "This product is one of the best video monitors I have ever used. It is brilliant! I love how you can talk to your child while you're not in the room as that really settles my child if she is upset. I would definitely recommend this product, especially if you have more than one child in the same room."
Best 3-in-1 baby monitor
Video: Yes | Two-way talk: Yes | Night vision: Yes
Sound alerts: Yes | Motion alerts: Yes | App control: No
Screen size: 5" large LED touchscreen
Other features: Temperature display and sensor pad
This video monitor has an adjustable camera with pan and zoom functionality so you can see your baby close up and with clear night vision. Its major selling point is that it comes with a wireless movement sensor pad, which sounds an alarm if no movement is detected from your baby after 20 seconds.
Shortlisted for the 2020 M&B Baby Monitor Awards, the mum testers loved this feature for extra peace of mind. You can also add a second sensor pad and see two children on one screen – great if you have twins or siblings sharing a room.
Mum Beth said, "This product is fantastic! It makes life easier as a Mum because when your little one is asleep you can keep a close eye on them via the camera, you know the temperature of the room and it alerts you if your little one hasn't moved in a while so a good prompt for the parent to just go and check everything is OK. Unlike other cameras I have tried or purchased, this one was very easily set up and has a very clear image."
Babymoov YOO-See Video Baby Monitor
Best for ease of use
Video: Yes | Two-way talk: Yes | Night vision: Yes
Sound alerts: Yes | Motion alerts: No | App control: No
Screen size: 2.4-inch digital screen
If you’re looking for a simple, streamlined video monitor that’s intuitive to use, this is it. This was the easiest to get to grips with of all the video monitors tested. It offers good video coverage and excellent night vision, and the range (250m) means you can move freely between rooms whilst still keeping tabs on your baby. You can connect additional cameras to the baby unit – handy if you need to monitor more than one child in separate rooms.
Rachel (5W): "Video functionality is a must for me and this a good quality, reliable option. It doesn’t have fancy extras but it does everything we need it to, for a lot less than the other video monitors. It looks stylish and is very easy to set up. The image quality is excellent, even in night vision mode, but the screen is small and you can’t tilt or pan the camera."
Henrietta (7M/2Y): "Great range – we can sit in the garden knowing we’ll hear and see any disruption in our son’s room. I really like how intuitive it is to use. There’s one button for each function – really helpful when you’re trying to use it in the early hours of the morning. It’s very easy to set up and the camera is really easy to position due to its ball and socket design."
Best baby heartbeat monitor
Video: No | Two-way talk: No | Night vision: N/A
Sound alerts: Yes | Light alerts: Yes | App control: Yes
Other features: Smart sock, monitors heart rate and oxygen levels
This unique monitor is designed to track your little one's heart rate and oxygen levels which you can monitor all from your smartphone via the app. Unlike anything else on the market, this device provides real-time tracking so you know your baby is okay with the base station notifying you if levels leave the pre-set zones. Transmitted from the smart sock, it is washable and includes three sizes for one month, one-four months and four-18 month-olds.
Awarded bronze in the 2020 M&B Baby Monitor Awards, this monitor was popular with parents, especially first-time mums or parents of newborns who were anxious about SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome) and wanted to feel more relaxed letting their babies sleep alone.
Mum Yusur said, "The Owlet is a beautiful oxygen and heart rate monitor for babies from 0 months up to 18 months of age. The instructions were easy to follow and the Owlet was quite quick to set up and start using once the base and sock were charged. This I thought saved time for me in addition, I was able to know when my baby was moving which saved me from going up and downstairs to check and eased my mind overnight."
Best baby monitor with sensor pad
Video: Yes | Two-way talk: Yes | Night vision: Yes
Sound alerts: Yes | Motion alerts: Yes | App control: No
Screen size: 4.3" HD clear colour display
Other features: Room thermometer, night light, movement sensor mat, vox mode (energy-saving)
This 3-in-1 monitor will securely monitor your baby's motion, sound and visuals through the 360-degree night vision camera with tilt, pan and zoom for checking your baby even in the darkest room. The sensor pad will monitor your baby's movement and you can adjust the sensitivity settings so you're not constantly alerted if your little one is a wriggler! The handy cry sensor will listen out for your baby's cries and provide them with a soothing choice of music, great for keeping them calm before you reach them.
A mum reviewer on Amazon said, "Overall we are so pleased with this and I would 100 per cent recommend it to anyone, I personally think it’s the best sensor mat monitor on the market at the moment. I really love how it works for newborns all the way up to toddlers and younger children, unlike any other brands I’ve tried which seem to only cater for young babies. Our daughter is two now and has her bed converted from the cot but I still want the peace of mind she’s OK when she’s sleeping or to be alerted if she gets out of bed.
"My only constructive criticism is that this version doesn’t seem to have the flashing light to show babies moving/breathing that the original version did. It also takes a few nights to get the sensitivity right and in those nights of first using it, you will get a couple of false alarms on the parent device while you figure out the right sensitivity. As soon as you have that right though, it’s brilliant and a very worthwhile investment."
Best for video quality
www.argos.co.uk
Video: Yes | Two-way talk: Yes | Night vision: Yes
Sound alerts: Yes | Motion alerts: Yes | App control: Yes
Screen size: 7" high-resolution colour LED display
Other features: Room and baby temperature alerts, 9 lullabies, recording capabilities
The VTech 7764 HD baby monitor includes an extra-large, 7-inch colour LCD screen with 1080p high-definition video, great for video quality on the parent unit and on your smartphone or tablet app. This free live remote access via the app allows you to remotely listen, talk back and view on multiple devices, even outside the home with 360-degree panoramic viewing and 80 degrees up and down. The camera zooms up to ten times with the mobile app or four times from the viewer. The parent unit has a 300m range, great for larger homes or if you need to pop into the garden.
Awarded gold in the 2021 M&B Baby Monitor Awards, the mum testers loved this product was super easy to set up, even with all the features available. They felt that the camera had excellent functionality and found the quality of the monitor to be incredible to the ones they'd usually have at home.
Mum Carine said, "I would recommend this monitor as I think VTech managed to pull off a monitor that does exactly what you need and all the functions work really well. You don’t have to use Wi-Fi either, as we found out when we had a power cut, it can use radio frequencies too! You get a lovely big screen included to carry with you but you can also use the app on your phone. With the app, you are also able to take photos and videos enabling you to capture special moments. The app does seem a little dated and can do with a little modernisation but all in all a wonderful bit of kit!"
Best baby monitor for flexibility
Video: Yes | Two-way talk: Yes | Night vision: Yes
Sound alerts: Yes | Motion alerts: Yes | App control: Yes
Size: 34.5 x 12.6 x 10.7cm
Other features: Sleep tracking, all-in-one detection including room temperature, lullabies
The Lollipop Baby Camera has been designed and engineered specifically for parents with newborns and toddlers. The bendable non-toxic silicone stem allows for easy setup and high flexibility for installation. The multi-streaming feature supports navigation between multiple camera live views and with everything laid out on one single iPad, iPhone or Android device, parents can watch all cameras simultaneously and never miss out on anything. This is great if you want to keep an eye on more than one child or have placement across different rooms.
Awarded silver in the 2021 M&B Baby Monitor Awards, the mum testers loved the flexibility of this monitor, meaning it could be angled and easy to place in a big awkward cot. They found it to be of great quality in video and design which fits well into the nursery - available in colours turquoise, pistachio and cotton candy.
Mum Jennifer said, "I have to say, before this, video monitor baby cameras never really interested me, but this product has really changed my mind! I managed to set it up with an overtired four-year-old and a teething baby, while solo parenting. The app is so easy to find, install and use and the camera is so easy to set up. I can now just put my child down to nap and not mess around or risk waking him up while checking on him! It makes my life so much easier!"
Best wearable baby monitor
www.johnlewis.com
Video: No | Two-way audio: Yes | Night vision: No
Sound alerts: Yes | Motion alerts: Yes | App control: Yes
Data tracking: Breathing, skin temperature, crying, sleep tracking for you baby. Mood tracking, steps and routine tracking for you.
Other features: Nightlight, lullabies, room temperature display
Much more than ‘just’ a baby monitor, this clever gadget designed by doctors helps keep you connected to your baby in and out of the home. It keeps track of all sorts of data, including their breathing and skin temperature and whether they're asleep or awake, and it can even detect when they're crying or rolling over. The parent unit, a wristband you wear like a watch, means you can check on your baby wherever and whenever you like and it will track your sleep and activity level and offers visual and vibration alerts about your baby.
Awarded bronze in the 2021 M&B Baby Monitor Awards, the mum testers found this baby monitor so unique compared to others on the market and appreciated that the monitor could be used to develop routines such as feeding times and nappy changes, entered within the app.
Mum Lucy said, "It’s an absolutely brilliant bit of kit! Easy to set up and pair up, stylish modern design which is sleek. The smartwatch is light and comfy to wear and it feels very reassuring to have the alarms go off to warn you of potential concerns."
Best audio-only baby monitor
Video: No | Two-way talk: Yes | Night vision: N/A
Sound alerts: Yes | Motion alerts: No | App control: No
Size: 1.8" unit
Other features: Temperature display, 18 lullabies, nightlight, lightshow
If you don’t need video functionality, this is unbeatable value for money and it is packed with lots of extras. The sound quality is excellent, and if you don’t want to hear every little snuffle, you can turn the volume off and keep an eye on the LED lights for signs of stirring. There are 18 lullabies to help your little one drift off, and it has two-way talkback for reassuring your baby when you’re not in the room.
Awarded silver in the 2019 M&B Baby Monitor Award, the mum testers found the sound super clear and the temperature display extremely helpful in the summer months. They found the 300m outdoor range helpful, meaning they could go into the garden and hang washing for example without losing the signal.
Mum Kelly said, "I would definitely recommend this product to other parents. It is great quality, straightforward and easy to use. I think it is great value for money and I love the two-way talkback system, my voice soothes my baby back to sleep if they wake up in the middle of the night. The light show is a nice way to relax your baby before falling to sleep."
What's the best baby monitor for 2021?
We were impressed with the quality of all these baby monitors and think depending on your home, budget and what you're looking for in a monitor, each is perfectly unique and fit to work for your individual needs.
Of all the baby monitors, top of the list for us was the Angelcare Ac527 3-in-1 Sensasure Baby Movement Monitor with Video. It may be quite expensive, but it's well worth the money with the 3-in-1 wireless movement sensor pad for peace of mind. It has great battery life, camera quality and a good range of up to 250 metres and with key baby-soothing and tracking features included, this monitor is a must-have for the nursery.
Our second choice for the best baby monitor has to be the VTech 7764 Smart Video Baby Monitor for the incredible camera quality and temperature alerts which mean you won't need to invest in a room thermometer for the baby's room too. It also includes great baby-soothing features such lullabies and two-way talk and we really like that we can use our smartphone to monitor at no extra cost.
Best baby monitor FAQs
Do you need a baby monitor?
A baby monitor isn't absolutely necessary, but it's become a must-have for new parents looking to keep an eye on their baby so they sleep soundly and safely.
Current NHS advice is to keep your baby in the same room as you until they are six months old, particularly when sleeping, but a monitor can be helpful for when you need to pop to the loo or head into the kitchen to make dinner and still make sure your baby is sleeping easy.
How to choose the best baby monitor for you
All the baby monitors on our list are packed with features, and while we have a favourite, yours might differ depending on your needs. These are some of the features you can consider for your baby monitor to find the most suitable for you, your budget and your home:
Key features - what makes the best baby monitor?
Battery life: Most parent units are battery operated – if you’re likely to forget to plug it in overnight, choose one that charges quickly or has a portable docking station so you can charge it while in use.
Sound quality: Don’t overlook audio, even if you’re buying a video monitor – good sound quality is essential because you won’t always be glued to the screen.
Range: Depending on the size of your home, you may want to invest in a baby monitor that's able to span across floors or through thick walls in older properties.
If you live in a small home where you can hear your baby nearby at all times, you might feel that a baby monitor isn't right for you. However, we still think it would be handy to buy if you need to pop into the garden, shut the nursery door to maintain your baby's room temperature or prevent pets from making an entrance, or if you plan to use it away from home.
Video
Screen visibility: If you're interested in a baby monitor with video function, the parent unit has a screen that displays the camera footage. Make sure the screen size is adequate, and that the controls are easy to use, especially in the dark.
Pan, zoom and tilt: If your baby moves around a lot or if you have two children sharing a room, a video monitor with a camera that you can control remotely from the parent unit is very useful, as you can scan the room or reposition the camera without disturbing your baby.
Night mode: If you want to be able to check on your baby via the monitor in the dark, choose one with night mode or infrared functionality.
Extra features
Wi-Fi: If you choose a monitor which relies on Wi-Fi connectivity, make sure it’s compatible with your router and that your signal is up to the task. Check if the baby unit needs to be near your router for optimum efficiency.
It's also worth considering your digital security if your monitor connects to the internet in some way. Use strong and unique passwords for your Wi-Fi and any apps and use two-factor authentication where at all possible. This requires people to use a code generated by a text message or app to sign into a specific account and ensures a secure way of protecting your information, preventing hackers or stolen information.
Baby sensor pads: As mentioned with some of the top baby monitors on our list, these are great to keep an eye on your baby's breathing and movement during the night. These plates lay under your baby's mattress and alert you if your little one doesn't move or breathe for a period of time so that you can go and check on them.
Two-way talk: A baby monitor with this function will allow you to talk to your baby, even when you're not in the room. Like a walkie-talkie, you can soothe them with your voice or reassure them if they start to cry.
Temperature gauge: A thermometer is a useful feature on a monitor as it enables you to check the temperature in the room without disturbing your baby, alerting you if it is too hot or cold.
Portability: If you’ll likely take your monitor on holiday or when visiting family, make sure to choose one that’s lightweight and easy to pack up and set up. If it relies on Wi-Fi connectivity too, make sure you’ve got that wherever you’re going!
Style and design: A monitor that resembles a heavy-duty surveillance camera might have excellent functionality, but choose the one you’ll be happy to look at every day. Ones that include lights and lullabies are really helpful for soothing your baby and helping them get to sleep when you're out of the room.
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Eleanor Weaver is a Commercial Content Writer for titles such as Yours, What’s The Best and Mother&Baby.
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