Congratulations! š If you’ve got, or expecting more than one baby, it can be a daunting task to find a baby monitor that is set up for twins, or even triplets. There are many things to consider. First off, consider what type of set-up you want. If you have twin girls or boys, you may want to let them share the same crib or co-sleep together. They can also be in the same nursery, but sleep in different cribs. If you have other older kids, you may want to keep an eye on them as well. Second, think of what type of monitor you want – whether it’s audio, video, movement, or combination of them.
Whatever your set-up may be, I’ve put together a list of the best baby monitors for twins (or triplets) that will suit your budget.
Snuza Halo/Hero Movement Monitor
Best infantĀ movement monitor
The Snuza Hero can be clipped on to the diaper so it’s perfect for co-sleeping twins or multiples, when a sensor mat would be ineffective. If your babies are sleeping together in the same cot, get the Snuza Hero for each one of them to detect any irregularities in breathing or movement. If your baby stops moving/breathing for 15 seconds, it will vibrate which often is enough to gently wake the baby up to breathe. If no movement is detected for more than 20 seconds, it will sound an alarm.
So many first-time parents have sung praises of the Snuza Hero as it helps them sleep better secure in knowing that should their baby stopped breathing, they will be alerted. You can get an audio/video monitor on top of this so the alarm can be heard on another room.
Vtech Communications Safe and Sounds
Best inexpensive video baby monitor
If you’re after a video monitor that costs less than $150, then this Vtech Safe and Sounds is your best option. Although the kit only consists of one camera, you can get up to 3 additional cameras which can be viewed from one parent unit via a split screen. You can get a multi-room view if you have other kids, or you can put more than one camera in the nursery. You can get additional cameras for less than $50 each, which is cheaper than other brands.
It has a range of up a thousand feet, which is really good. The camera can swivel, tilt and zoom like other more expensive models. It a two-way talk feature that functions like an intercom allowing you to talk to your baby. It also has a temperature sensor and 5 polyphonic lullabies built in to the camera to help put your baby to sleep.
Motorola MBP 36
Best video baby monitor for the money
Although more expensive, this is one solid gadget packed with awesome features. It has crystal clear display and takes great images even at night with its infrared night vision capability. It has a range of up to 650 feet and the signal works great even at different floor level, so it’s great for multi-floor apartments and flats.
Its wall mountable camera can pan up up to 180 degrees so you can use one camera to see babies in separate cribs so long as they’re not too far apart from each other (an L-shaped set-up works best for this). You can also add up to 4 cameras, which is good if you want to have another camera in the room or if you want to have one camera for each baby. It’s also good for keeping an eye on older kids. It also comes with a lullaby player and a temperature sensor.
Foscam FI8910W Pan & Tilt IP Network Camera
Best for busy parents on the go
If you want a monitor which you can access anywhere in the world, better get the Foscam IP camera. A network or IP camera can send and receive data via a computer network and the Internet, unlike CCTVs which can only transmit data to a specific place. Commonly used for surveillance, the Foscam camera is also perfect for baby monitoring. You just need to set it up first. You can view the feed in your smartphone, or computer and even an iPod Touch. Basically you can use any device that can receive and ‘interpret’ the feed. On the App Store, you can find several monitoring apps for iOS devices. You can use this with Blackberry and Android phones as well.
You have the option to store your video content on third-party servers or “in the cloud”. With pan, tilt and night vision capability, this is a cheaper DIY alternative to more expensive ‘premium’ baby monitors on the market.
The FoscamĀ FI8910W Ā is one of the best iPhone baby monitor cameras on the market. If you need help setting it up, Brock (a geeky dad!;) shared a great tutorial here.Ā One good thing about this DIY set-up is that you can access it anywhere in the world (with an internet connection of course!)