One of the baby gear items you will need to purchase before the baby arrives is a baby monitor. This can be one of the most important purchases as it provides peace of mind by allowing you to keep an eye on your baby while they sleep, feed, or play.
A baby monitor is a device that allows you to hear your baby’s sounds throughout the house, or even when you are not at home. Some monitors also allow parents to see their baby on an LCD screen. 
There are many different types and brands of monitors out there and this article will help guide you through all your options so that you can make an informed decision about which baby monitor is right for your family! What is a baby monitor?
There are two main types of baby monitors:
Video Monitors – these monitors have one parent unit (the camera) and multiple child units (the screens).
The video monitor enables parents to either be in the same room as their baby or away from them without being able to see what they are doing. These systems usually come with three or more cameras so there can be more than one parent watching at once!
Audio Only Monitors – these do not include any visuals but instead emit sound for both sets of ears (the baby and the parent).
Today, baby monitors are very advanced and come with many different features. Some of the most important things you should look for when selecting a baby monitor include: Long battery life, Good range, Good range 
These baby monitors have a limited range of about 20 feet, so they are best used in small spaces such as an apartment or house. How to select the right one for your needs?
Long battery life
If your baby is not moving around much in their room, it’s likely that they will be asleep for hours at a time. You don’t want to have to change batteries all day! Look for baby monitors with long-lasting power so you can go days without charging or replacing them.
Good range
As mentioned above, baby units are typically good only up to about 20 feet away from the parent unit (which does need to stay plugged into an outlet). This distance may vary depending on what is between the two units-walls/doors weaken signals, baby bedding and furniture can block them.
Good sound quality
If the baby is making noise, make sure that it’s loud enough to be heard on the other end! A great way to do a test run of what kind of monitor works best for you is by using an older cell phone or iPod/iPhone with a built-in camera (or buy one used). Place both units near each other, turn off all lights and play some white noise video clips from YouTube over your device speakers while you sleep or nap during the daytime hours when baby is not up.
This method provides very reliable results-if they are going to work well for you, the baby’s sleeping image will come through loud and clear on your other device without any interference.
If it isn’t good enough quality for what you need to do with a baby monitor in hand throughout the day or night hours, then that particular model is a no-go-you don’t want to waste money on something substandard!
Types of monitors – audio, video, movement sensor, and combination baby monitor
Audio baby monitor
A simple device that picks up sounds in the baby’s room with good quality speakers on the parent unit. All parents should use an audio baby monitor for early infancy, but most will upgrade to the video once the baby is more mobile (walking or crawling).
Video baby monitor
Uses either rechargeable batteries or an electric power cord to transmit moving images of your child from camera/sensor units in her room back to you via a small TV screen so you can see her when she wakes up at night, falls asleep during nap time, plays by herself while mom does chores elsewhere in-home-or whatever else you need it for!
Please note that not all models send live streaming footage some have added features such as two-way communication, baby cry alert, and automatic black & white night vision (which is awesome).
Sound baby monitor
uses ultrasound to detect the baby’s cries from her room. This type of baby monitor may be sufficient for babies who are not mobile yet–the audio feed activates only when the baby starts crying;
Smart Baby Monitor
Wi-Fi baby monitors
send live streaming feed via internet connection. The best thing about them is they don’t require any extra wiring! All you need to do is plug the base station into an electric outlet, connect it with your router using a regular Ethernet cable (provided inbox), and download free mobile apps for iPhone or Android devices.
You are good to go-you can see & talk to babies from anywhere around the world as long as there’s Internet access on both ends of the communication line.
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Benefits of using a monitor:
Baby’s room can be dark and you still see your baby;
It will help prevent SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome).
These monitors are equipped with special sensors that alert parents when a baby stops breathing or his/her heart has stopped beating. You cannot miss these signals as they come quite loud, so don’t worry about sleeping through them – in fact, most manufacturers say their devices work even if the parent is a light sleeper);
The baby monitor provides peace of mind for families who want to take care of babies around the clock without being glued to one place all day long.
Parents often complain about how difficult it is to do something else while constantly checking on the baby every few minutes (especially at night), but this device enables baby care with much greater freedom.
Baby monitors are also very useful for parents who work from home or don’t want to take the baby along when they go somewhere:
Instead of checking on the baby every few minutes, you can just look at your smartphone and see if everything is OK – ped with special sensors that alert parents when baby stops breathing or his/her heart has stopped beating. 
You cannot miss these signals as they come quite loud, so don’t worry about sleeping through them – in fact, most manufacturers say their devices work even if the parent is a light sleeper).
It’s also great not having to move around the house all day long (and waking up baby) since it allows mommy and daddy to do what they need to do and baby can sleep in peace.
