While many new parents cannot bear the thought of leaving their child's side, it isn't always practical to be there standing watch. At some point, most parents are going to want to move a baby into his or her own room. And even if you plan on co-sleeping, there may come a time where you want to sneak away to another room to cook dinner, throw in a load of laundry, or catch up on your emails. In these instances, baby monitors can help give you peace of mind that your little one is safe and sound.

Baby monitor basics

The typical baby monitor is made up of a transmitter and a receiver. For most models, the transmitter is placed near the child's bed where it can pick up sounds like crying or moving around. The receiver can then either be plugged into an outlet in a room you are in, or allowed to run on batteries so that you can carry it with you around the house. This can make it easy for you to know exactly when your young child needs you in the middle of the night, or to keep eyes and ears on your active toddler during nap time.

Unfortunately, baby monitors do have a few drawbacks. If you have a large home, concrete walls, or other cordless equipment, you may not always be able to get a signal or may experience interference when the units are on. And if you live in an apartment building, or in close proximity to your neighbors and someone has a similar unit, you may find that you pick up sounds from someone else's transmitter. Because most units run on electricity, or at least need electricity to keep the batteries charged, they need to be used near an electrical outlet and will not always function when the power goes out.

Buying considerations

As any parent who has ever stepped into a store carrying baby products knows, there is an endless supply of options. Baby monitors are no exception. However, you may find that some things make a particular model better for your family or easier to use. Here are some things to consider.
Size - If you want something that you can carry with you all around the house, a smaller model will be more portable. However a large model will work fine in a stationary location.

Battery indicator - nothing is worse than having your battery die on you in the middle of the night when you might not notice. A baby monitor that has some sort of light or sound alerting you when the battery is low will prevent this from happening.

Lights and sound - While chances are you will hear your child in the dead silence of the 3 AM hour, this may not be the case in the middle of the afternoon when you are trying to catch up on the laundry or your favorite TV shows. Having a monitor that flashes lights when it receives sound may make it easier for you to notice that baby needs you.

Number of receivers/transmitters - while many units come with just a single receiver and a single transmitter, others may have the option of purchasing additional ones. Additional receivers can be useful if you would like one left in a set place and another to carry around the house. Additional transmitters can be useful if you need to monitor more than one child. However, keep in mind the more receivers and transmitters you have the more likely you will also pick up interference.
Bandwidth - Many models offer features that allow you to change the bandwidth, and the amount of megahertz will vary between models and brands. If you live in the country, the higher megahertz can give you better clarity. For city dwellers, however, a lower megahertz will help prevent you from picking up additional interference.

Cost - As with anything else for your newborn, baby monitors vary significantly in price. Lower end baby monitors with sound only will start around $40, while the ones that offer a video feed as well can easily go to $300 or more.

Choosing the right baby monitor for you may take a little bit of research. However, the peace of mind that having one around can offer is often worth the time and effort.