What it is:
The VTech BM3500 Safe & Sound Pan & Tilt Full-Colour Video & Audio Monitor (RRP$250)
What we love:
Stay close to your little one no matter where you are in your home! With the VTech BM3500 Safe & Sound Pan & Tilt Full Colour Video & Audio Monitor, you can hear every sound your baby makes, and watch every step they take. The camera pans up to 270 degrees and tilts as many as 124 degrees remotely via the parent unit, so you can watch as your child moves about. Need more detail? The camera zooms up to 2x. Thanks to split-screen capability, you can watch up to four different cameras (BM3510 additional units sold separately) at once. With helpful extras including temperature sensor, lullabies, and two-way communication, you can rest assured your little one is sleeping safe and sound.
Our editor says:
When my oldest daughter was a baby, there was no such thing as video baby monitors — in fact, audio monitors were only just starting to be in vogue. When my son was both five years later, we got a video monitor for his room, but the picture was black-and-white and quite grainy, and it had an extremely limited range. Now, with our new baby, this monitor feels like a massive improvement of technology, and I don’t know how I coped all those years ago! There are a lot of “ands” in the name of this monitor, because it does a lot of things. The full-colour video is the biggest draw card, so I can see my baby in living colour trying to remove her socks and eat her stuffed toys in her cot when she wakes up from her nap. The audio component is the next best thing, so I can determine whether that cry I hear is just her having a little moment in her sleep, or whether she’s full-on waking up and yelling for me to come get her. I love being able to talk back to her via the monitor, too, to let her know I’m on my way — and watch as she looks for me because she’s not sure where my voice is coming from! The added extras on this monitor make it even more worth the money. Lullabies, temperature gauge, date and time, an alarm clock — it’s really everything a new parent needs to survive those early days. Grandparents who are babysitting will love it too.
Things to remember:
- This product is not intended to substitute for adult supervision.
- Follow all instructions and warnings marked on the product and in the user’s manual.
- It is not intended to be used as a medical monitor.
- Don’t use it near water, such as next to the bath, kitchen sink, laundry, or swimming pool.
- Make sure the baby unit and adaptor are always out of reach of the baby and that cords are at least 1m away from the cot.
- Never place the baby unit inside the cot or play yard.
At a glance:
- Digital transmission providing superior security and sound quality — no annoying white noise
- Automatic infrared night vision
- Extended range
- Rechargeable battery with low battery alert in parent unit
- Pan, tilt, and zoom the camera from the parent unit
- Two-way communication between the two units (talk-back feature)
- 6 levels sound indicator
- Vibration alert in parent unit
- 5 preset lullabies on baby unit
Available from baby gear and electronics retailers including Noel Leeming, Farmers, Baby Factory, and The Warehouse.
BUMP&baby
BUMP & baby is New Zealand’s only magazine for pregnancy and early babyhood. Our team of mums and mums-to-be understand what it’s like to be pregnant in this connected age, and that’s why BUMP & Baby online is geared toward what pregnant women and new mums really want to know.
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