- best buy
- Range inside to outside
- Parent unit battery life
- Ease of use
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Don't risk buying a baby monitor that cuts out or lacks basic security to keep strangers from hacking into sound and images of your child.
The best baby monitors revealed by our tests include audio-only and video , as well as smart wi-fi models that connect to your smartphone. There are options to suit every budget and need.
We also offer expert advice on the best brands, features worth having and what you should spend.
Here's our pick of the top-scoring Best Buy baby monitor, the cheapest model to ace our tests, and other high-performing audio, video and smart wi-fi baby monitors.
Full Access first month £5, then £10.99 per month, cancel at any time
Full Access first month £5, then £10.99 per month, cancel at any time
Full Access first month £5, then £10.99 per month, cancel at any time
Full Access first month £5, then £10.99 per month, cancel at any time
Full Access first month £5, then £10.99 per month, cancel at any time
Tables last checked May 2023.
Join Which? to get access to all our Best Buys and baby monitor reviews. We’ve tested more than 70 models from brands including VTech, BT and Tommee Tippee, but only the very best make a Best Buy.
We ask parents how happy they are with their baby monitor brand, so you can get a complete picture of how well a monitor works when new and over time.
Best baby monitor brand | Worst baby monitor brand | |
---|---|---|
Average test score | 70% | 56% |
Customer score | 83% | 68% |
As you can see, there’s a big difference between the best and worst brands in our tests and in the customer score, which is based on real parents' feedback. See how all the brands score in our table below.
Only logged-in Which? members can view the full results of our independent tests and customer scores in the tables below.
If you're not yet a member, join Which? to get instant access.
Brand | Customer Score | Average test score | Number tested |
---|---|---|---|
Brand 1 | 83% | 67% | 3 |
Brand 2 | 79% | 70% | 7 |
Brand 3 | 79% | n/a | 0 |
Brand 4 | 79% | 70% | 3 |
Brand 5 | 78% | 56% | 8 |
Brand 6 | 77% | 69% | 16 |
Brand 7 | 76% | n/a | 0 |
With smart monitors, you also need to consider whether the device has good security against hacking attacks and threats to your home privacy. Find out all you need to know in our guide, Could my baby monitor get hacked?
These are typically quite inexpensive. They're generally comprised of two parts, one that stays in the nursery (the baby or nursery unit), and one you keep on you, in the room you're in or clipped to your belt as you get on with chores while your baby sleeps. You can listen out for them crying and go in to comfort them back to sleep.
Pros: Cheap to buy, generally simple to use
Cons: Can't see your baby while they sleep
See all our audio baby monitor reviews
A video monitor also has two parts, but the baby unit has a camera that sends pictures back to the parent unit, so you can see as well as hear your baby.
Some are quite basic, but some more expensive models have cameras that pan around the room or even zoom in.
The parent unit on a video baby monitor varies: some have a massive screen so you can get a good view, while others are much smaller, which limits what you can see.
Pros: Can watch your baby while they sleep
Cons: More expensive than audio monitors, screen size dictates visbility (and price)
Browse all our video baby monitor reviews
Some wi-fi baby monitors have parent units, but you usually monitor your baby using your smartphone or tablet via a compatible app.
A parent unit on traditional baby monitors will only work in the house and maybe as far as the garden, but a smart wi-fi monitor can work wherever you are as long as you have a decent wi-fi signal. This means if you're missing your little one, you can check in when you’re at work or away from home.
You’ll want to get one with strong security features and encryption to ensure your feed can’t be hacked – we've discovered models that are at risk of being hacked.
Pros: Convenient, plenty of options to monitor your baby's sleep
Cons: Even more expensive than video monitors, you need to consider security against hackers
Find your perfect model using our smart wi-fi baby monitor reviews
If you have more than one child, you might want to get multiple monitors connected to the same system, so you can supervise their sleep simultaneously.
Most models do this by having a split screen on the parent unit, with half the display devoted to each sleeping child. Depending on the size of the screen, this can make it tricky to see what's going on in each crib.
We don't test dual monitors, but there are various options from brands such as BabySense, Motorola and Vava.
Pros: Can monitor two children at once
Cons: Can be expensive to buy, split screen can make it harder to tell what's going on
Some baby monitors have motion sensors. Although not generally marketed as such, these are often used as a tool to protect against sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), also known as cot death.
The motion-sensor pads, or mat, can detect even the slightest movements. If your baby stops moving for more than 20 seconds, an alarm sounds and red lights flash.
Some parents find them reassuring but they can cause worry when false alarms happen. You may find they create more anxiety.
Infant safety charity the Lullaby Trust says there's no evidence this kind of monitoring can prevent SIDS. We don't test movement sensors or currently recommend them.
Find the perfect baby monitor for you and your baby with our best baby monitors
You can buy a basic audio monitor for less than £20 while a top-of-the-range model with multiple cameras could cost more than £300. An expensive, feature-packed baby monitor doesn't mean it will be the perfect piece of safety equipment for you, so we test its key features, such as battery life and signal strength.
You can get a Best Buy from £35 and we also now highlight Great Value baby monitors – these audio, video and smart baby monitors have scored at least 60% in our testing, but are also at least 20% cheaper than the average price for comparable monitors we've tested.
Join Which? to get instant access to all our Great Value baby monitor reviews
Up to the age of six months, parents will typically be in the same room as their newborn at night, so a baby monitor might not be required.
But one can be useful for daytime naps in case you want to move around the house to do some chores, or have a lie-down yourself.
While shopping for a monitor, make sure you also kit out your nursery with the highest-quality cot mattress and cot bed so your baby can sleep in comfort and safety
Some households find they can function perfectly well without a baby monitor, as any cries can be heard through an open door or thin walls. Even so, there are still reasons why you might need one:
Which? warns parents not to use a security camera as a baby monitor If you have a small house or not much to spend, don't be tempted to re-purpose a security camera as a baby monitor
When buying a baby monitor, make sure it's from a reputable seller. Check the retailer's returns policy, and pay attention to customer feedback and reviews. For more details on shopping online safely and arranging refunds for faulty products, see our advice on shopping online.
Argos, Amazon, John Lewis and Boots are some of the most searched-for baby monitor retailers at the time of writing. We’ve included links to these retailers because of their stock availability, best-value price or warranty options.
If you want to save money, you could buy second-hand. Baby monitors are only really used for a certain period, so they often pop up on second-hand marketplaces such as eBay, Facebook Marketplace and Gumtree.
As long as they're in working order, there is nothing wrong with saving money by buying a second-hand audio or video baby monitor.
With smart baby monitors, you need to be a bit more careful. Make sure the previous owner has fully deleted their information and account access before you take ownership of the product.
Also, smart monitors are only supported by the manufacturer for a certain period of time. Do your research before buying, by contacting the company to see if the model you're considering is still supported, and for how long.
Find out the best and worst baby products based on real recommendations from parents
Whatever type of monitor you choose, you'll need to consider how and where you place the baby unit near your child – so you can hear and see them while they sleep – and make sure there are no safety concerns.
Baby monitor reviews - browse more than 70 reviews offering expertly tested audio, video and smart wi-fi monitors from big brands such as BT, Vtech and more