Do you prefer a video monitor or just a sound monitor?
We had a sound monitor that we kept downstairs with us and we had a video monitor that I had on my end table. It was an old piece of junk but it gave me just enough to ease my worry that yes, she was still there. Ha.
82 votes
blogger / nectarine / 2043 posts
We started out with a sound monitor, assuming that hey, we're in a condo, we probably don't even need that, but I found that I was too neurotic not to know what's going on. Every sound made me jump, so we got a video monitor 3 months in, when we moved her to the crib. Still have it at nearly 3 and it definitely makes me calmer, especially since I have a kid who takes forever to go to sleep.
nectarine / 2466 posts
I like them both. I have a sound monitor in my youngests room and a video monitor in my toddlers room. As my 13 month old is in a crib, I don't feel like I need a video monitor. As my toddler is in a toddler bed, I like to be able to see what she's doing in her room during her middle of the night wake ups. I just wish I had one of the video cameras that you can change the view with!
pomelo / 5573 posts
I like the video monitor because when my son cries out I can look - if he's lying down he'll probably go right back to sleep but if he's standing up I know we're in trouble.
hostess / wonderful watermelon / 39513 posts
I would probably prefer a video but we only have a sound monitor that we don't use!
nectarine / 2115 posts
I love our video monitor. I like being able to see if she is really awake or just making noises. Or if she is standing up or lying down. Or if she's crying because her foot is caught or something else. I credit it with her ability to self-soothe, since we didn't always run in to check on her!
pomelo / 5607 posts
We don't actually have one, since LO really doesn't sleep without one of us (hold for naps, and cosleep at night), but as a nanny I vastly preferred video. It was too hard to be certain of noises were just in their sleep or indicators of actual wake ups.
wonderful cherry / 21504 posts
Video! I like seeing what she is up to. I like just looking at her. And now that she is in the big bed I like knowing she is still, indeed, in bed. Plus I like that I can see when she wakes up and waits for her clock to light up.
But it's not totally necessary. Just makes me feel better.
nectarine / 2173 posts
Just sound. But we have a good sleeper with few wake ups. I felt that the video would make me anxious and I didn't want to be looking at it all the time.
persimmon / 1095 posts
Video. In our small apartment, I can already hear anything he does. I can't see to know if he is actually awake though.
pear / 1750 posts
Video. I watch how long he takes to fall asleep. I check to see if he's awake. I check just to see him all the time. 
hostess / wonderful honeydew / 32460 posts
My kids stayed quiet even when they were awake, so definitely needed a video monitor!
pomelo / 5258 posts
Video. We didn't use monitors in infancy (we slept so little there we had no energy left to worry). LO2 is 9 months and we haven't even set his up. I found the monitor became useful when LO started trying to climb out of her crib and when we moved her to a big girl bed. But whatever works for the family. I used to think monitors with room temperature read outs were nuts and now I want one so badly since it's an issue in LO2's room.
nectarine / 2028 posts
Both, for different purposes. As new parents we obsessively checked the dropcam, and would still run up to make sure he was breathing if we couldn't see his chest rising and falling
pear / 1809 posts
I prefer video, so I can see what my kids are doing. It gives me piece of mind to be able to see them sleeping and know what they are doing if they make noises.
hostess / cantaloupe / 6486 posts
We used a sound monitor for over a year with DD1. Then we got a video monitor because I was pregnant and wanted to keep an eye on both girls at once and it's changed my life. I wish we had had it while we were sleep training DD1. When I couldn't see here I would always wonder if I should go in, if she needed her paci, if her leg was stuck, etc. Would have been nice to take a quick peek to ease my mind
cherry / 157 posts
I like video. He used to cry sometimes but still seem to be sleeping so we didn't go in because we could see his eyes were closed. Now, when he wakes up for the day or from a nap he is often very quiet. Sometimes I think he's still sleeping but then I check the monitor and he's sitting up!
wonderful kiwi / 23653 posts
Video, esp now! We bedshare so I need to be able to see if DD attempts to get off our bed!
grapefruit / 4355 posts
I really don't have a preference. We were gifted a nice video monitor (I wasn't planning to buy one) that we use as our primary but we travel with a sound only monitor and it works great!
grapefruit / 4923 posts
we had a video for my first. then it broke and i didn't want to buy another video monitor for my second, and got an audio. i like that it keeps my compulsiveness in check--otherwise i'd be checking the monitor too often. however i'm not anti-video at all, just anti- paying for it twice!
cantaloupe / 6687 posts
@chopsuey: yup! C was/is super quiet when she wakes up so I needed a video monitor to see if she was awake. Also, as a baby she would sometimes make little noises and it would look like she was waking up but 10 minutes later she'd pass out and sleep for another hour or more - without a video monitor I might have just gone in to get her up
coconut / 8854 posts
I prefer sound only, but I could actually do without one in general. We have a small house, and I can hear LO no matter what.
cantaloupe / 6171 posts
video for sure. we have a small apt so we never keep the sound on since we can hear her anyway, but I like to know if she's standing, etc
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