How to choose a baby monitor

There are lots of baby monitors, from simple audio ones to Wi-Fi cameras with apps and sensors that track breathing or heart rate. You don't need any of them to look after a baby, but many parents find a monitor reassuring. This guide explains the types, what to check and how to keep your family's privacy safe. The safety advice comes from the Lullaby Trust, the NCSC (the UK's National Cyber Security Centre), GOV.UK and RoSPA, linked at the bottom. We haven't tested any monitors, and the examples come from our own comparison table.

Do you need one?

The Lullaby Trust is clear that a monitor can give you peace of mind, but there's no research showing monitors help prevent SIDS (sudden infant death syndrome). Whether you use one or not, it says to follow all of its safer sleep advice. Its recommendation is to keep your baby in the same room as you while they sleep for the first six months, day and night, and it says a monitor can never replace a parent or carer's supervision.

The Lullaby Trust also says the best monitor is the one that meets your needs the most. If you want to hear your baby from another room while they nap, a basic audio monitor may be all you need. If you want to see them, you'll want a camera. Our baby monitor table lets you filter by type.

The main types

Audio monitors

A baby unit picks up sound and a parent unit plays it. They're the simplest option, with no app or account to set up. In our table the audio monitors are listed as DECT, with no app or Wi-Fi.

Video monitors with a parent unit

A camera sends video and sound to a separate screen. These examples are listed as working without an app or Wi-Fi, so you can't watch from outside the house, but there's no account to set up.

Wi-Fi and app cameras

The NCSC describes smart cameras, which include baby monitors, as devices that usually connect to the internet through your home Wi-Fi. That means you can watch a live feed, get alerts and sometimes record footage, including when you're out. It also means you need to look after their security (see the privacy section below). Some Wi-Fi monitors also come with a parent unit. If you'd rather not use Wi-Fi at all, look for the “Wi-Fi-free” badge in our baby monitor table, which marks monitors that connect directly to their own parent unit.

Check the listing before you buy for what's included and whether any features need a subscription. For example, Nanit UK says the Nanit Pro's core features need no subscription and its sleep analytics are optional.

Movement and health monitors

The Lullaby Trust explains that movement monitors pick up your baby's movements, including the movement of their breathing, and sound an alarm if none is detected for a period, usually 20 seconds. It describes three kinds:

• Skin contact monitors, with a small sensor pad taped to your baby's tummy and connected by tubes. The Lullaby Trust says to stop using these after six months of age or when your baby can roll, reach and grasp, because there's a higher risk of accidents with wires and tubes.
• Mattress monitors, with a sensor pad under the cot mattress.
• Skin contact clip-on monitors, a small cordless unit that clips to the nappy.

Things to know before you buy one:

• Look for a medical device mark. The Lullaby Trust recommends any baby monitor you buy has a CE or UKCA mark, and says many movement monitors are sold as "reassurance" monitors that aren't certified as medical devices. It suggests choosing one classed as a medical device, and looking for "MD" or "medical device" on the packaging or the maker's information. A listing that says "medically certified" is the seller's claim, so check the packaging and the maker's information.
• They can give false reassurance. The Lullaby Trust says a movement monitor may pick up movement that isn't your baby's, for example in a car or pram, or if you walk around the cot on certain floors. They also won't work reliably if you're co-sleeping, because they pick up your own breathing and movement.
• More data isn't always calmer. Some monitors measure heart rate, breathing rate and blood oxygen. The Lullaby Trust doesn't include these in its Care of Next Infant programme and says simple movement monitors are what it tends to recommend, because too much detail can add to anxiety.
• Have an alarm plan. The Lullaby Trust says to switch off the alarm and check your baby, look for chest or tummy movement and feel for breathing, and try gently stimulating them. If your baby doesn't respond, call 999 straight away. If they do but you're worried, contact NHS 111, your midwife, doctor or health visitor. Share the plan with anyone else who cares for your baby.

Our table lists these monitors with movement, heart rate or oxygen sensing. We haven't checked their approvals ourselves, so check the packaging against the points above.

Range, screens and batteries

• Range figures are the maker's. Look at the gap between the numbers: in our table the VTech DM1111 is listed as up to 450 m outdoors and 50 m indoors, and the Motorola AM21 as 300 m outdoors and 25 m indoors. The indoor figure is the one that matters for a house.
• Screen size. The parent unit screens in our table range from 2.8 to 5.0 inches, and Wi-Fi cameras use your phone instead.
• Battery and alerts. Some listings give battery life or an out-of-range alert. For example, the VTech VM3250 listing gives up to 19 hours of video streaming on a charge and the VTech DM1111 has an out-of-range alert. Check both if you'll use the parent unit around the house.

Privacy and security

This matters for any monitor that connects to the internet. The NCSC says live feeds or images from smart cameras can, in rare cases, be accessed by unauthorised people, which puts your privacy at risk. It happens because cameras are often set up so you can watch them away from home, and some ship with a well-known default password. The NCSC's advice for baby monitors and other smart cameras is:

• Change any default password to a strong one. Joining three random words you'll remember is a good way to do it. Avoid the most common passwords.
• Turn on 2-step verification for the device or its app, if offered.
• Keep it updated. Install updates when prompted, and switch on automatic updates if available. Updates are sometimes called firmware or software.
• Switch off remote access if you don't need it. The NCSC notes this may also stop movement alerts and smart-home links.
• Consider turning off UPnP and port forwarding on your router, which can expose devices on your network. The NCSC says this may stop some other devices working, so it's a choice for you.

When choosing, the NCSC says to check reviews of the product and the maker, and to avoid devices that are no longer supported or whose support will end soon. It says to think of the support date as a "use by" date. GOV.UK says that since 29 April 2024 UK law has required manufacturers of consumer connectable products to ban universal default passwords, publish how to report security issues and publish the minimum period they'll provide security updates. So look for the support period on the maker's website or listing.

The NCSC's advice is about monitors that connect to the internet through your Wi-Fi. A monitor with no app or Wi-Fi, like several in our table, doesn't work that way.

Placing it safely

• The Lullaby Trust says to follow the maker's instructions and keep the monitor control unit out of your baby's reach.
• RoSPA says young children can become entangled in everyday items, and advises keeping ropes, belts and other long cords out of reach. That includes monitor power cables and camera leads, so route them well away from the cot and where your baby could reach.
• If you use a movement monitor with a sensor pad on the cot base, follow the instructions for where it goes.

A quick checklist

• I know I'm still following safer sleep advice, with or without a monitor
• I've picked the type I actually need: audio, video, Wi-Fi or movement
• For a movement monitor: CE or UKCA mark and "medical device" on the packaging
• I've checked the indoor range, not just the outdoor figure
• For a Wi-Fi monitor: default password changed, 2-step verification on and updates on
• I've checked how long the maker will provide security updates
• Cables and the control unit are well out of my baby's reach
• It's not on the recalls list

If you're worried about your baby's breathing or health, speak to your midwife, health visitor or GP, or call NHS 111. In an emergency, call 999.

Where this information comes from

We haven't tested any products. Everything above is based on these official and expert sources, which we read and checked for this guide. Guidance can change, so always check the latest version, and follow the instructions that come with your product.

• Baby monitors and how they work — The Lullaby Trust
• ‘Smart’ security cameras: using them safely in your home — NCSC (National Cyber Security Centre)
• Smart devices: using them safely in your home — NCSC (National Cyber Security Centre)
• Choking, suffocation and strangulation (cords and other hazards) — RoSPA
• Regulations: consumer connectable product security — GOV.UK (OPSS)
• Product Safety Alerts, Reports and Recalls — GOV.UK (OPSS)

This guide is general information, not medical, legal or individual safety advice. If you're unsure which product suits your baby, ask a trained retailer, your midwife or health visitor.