The best baby camera monitors allow care givers to get on with other tasks, all the while knowing they can keep a close eye on the kids at the same time. It's an essential item for anyone looking after children, especially as they now come with extra features to help look after them.
This includes room temperature estimates, baby and child-friendly sounds and music and the ability to speak to and soothe your child through a speaker. If you go with a premium baby camera monitor, you can also get all manner of insights to help you best manage their sleep, such as movement maps, sleep efficiency and nightly sleep summaries.
Many of the more expensive baby camera monitors stream live footage to a separate display or smart device, such as a camera phone or tablet. Some can be moved remotely, allowing you to change the angle by panning, tilting or zooming, giving you a clear look at your child.
Resolution-wise, baby camera monitors aren't the greatest, but then they don't need to be. Most nowadays will offer a clear image with at least 720p HD, while the slightly more premium ones may go up to 1080p Full HD for more detail.
With so many devices on offer now, with so many features, it can be tricky to work out which one best suits your needs. Have a think about what you'd like it to do. Would you like it to play music/soothing sounds? Would you like a separate display, or live feed streamed to your smart device? Do you want one that can measure room temperature, or monitor your baby's breathing patterns?
We've picked the best baby camera monitors available right now in the UK below, with detailed features on each to help you make an informed decision.
The best baby camera monitors in the UK
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BT might not be the first company you think of when it comes to the best baby camera monitors, but the UK telecom company’s originally-named Smart Baby Monitor is loved by parents across the country. With almost 2,000 reviews on Amazon giving this device at least 4 out of 5 stars, it comes highly recommended.
The camera has a playful, child-friendly design, a large 5-inch display, and the option to check in on the temperature of your baby’s room. Smart home fans will be pleased to see how the BT Smart Baby Monitor integrates with Amazon Echo and Google/Nest Home. This means you can ask Alexa or Google Assistant to play a lullaby or check your baby’s temperature.
You don’t need to use the included display, as the BT Smart Controls app can be used to stream live video to your smartphone, or save photos and video. Being able to use the phone app too means you can leave the display at home for the babysitter, then check up via your phone from wherever you are – a big plus.
The Cubo Ai Plus Smart Baby Monitor really feels like the next generation of this type of camera. It's equipped with the latest in AI tracking technology, and as such, is able to detect when a baby might be in danger, It can spot a baby rolling over onto the front, or covering their face with a blanket, and notify the parents accordingly. It can even listen out for coughs!
It's also equipped with night vision, auto-light sensitivity adjustment, and a 135° wide-angle lens. You've got two-way audio, as well as a bank of built-in lullabies, and the Cubo can detect a baby's temperature and the level of humidity in the air.
We could go on about what the Cubo Ai Plus can do – it's a hugely impressive piece of kit. The only real strike against it is the cost, as it comes at a high initial price tag, and then to get the best features, you need to subscribe to one of the care plans, which puts you on the hook for a monthly cost. A premium option then, but worth it if you can afford it.
If you like to travel and want a wire-free baby monitor, you'd be hard pushed to find better than this option from Babymoov. It's two best features are its battery life, which can last up to 8 hours before needing a recharge (note: turn off voice activation mode to save power). And the lack of wires. Not being restricted to plug sockets mean you can place this device anywhere in your home or accommodation while travelling, which is a huge bonus.
As baby monitors go, it comes with everything you'd expect these days, including two-way talk, motion and sound alerts, room temperature and the ability to zoom. The only slight downside here is its suitability to a room and if the camera can be angled to best see the cot or bed. Accessories are available to help with this, such as a mount or bendy stand, but they all cost extra.
The display and resolution isn't the best on this list, but the battery life is the compromise here. It will last all night, but won't offer the clearest picture.
This popular option from VTech has a large seven-inch colour LCD display and a compact camera with a120-degree lens than can remotely controlled via a pan/tilt and zoom motor, for keeping an eye on your little one when they move around the cot.
There’s infrared night vision too, and a vibrating alert system for quietly getting your attention if the baby moves around at night. Two-way audio means you can comfort your baby from another room, and the two units are claimed to work up to 300 metres away, so you can head into the garden while still keeping an eye on your baby.
The system offers four nature-inspired background sounds and five lullabies to help promote sleep. There is a temperature sensor for making sure the baby’s room isn’t too hot or cold during the night, and an adaptive night light on the camera that adjusts to the lighting in the room by one-touch or remotely via the parent unit.
The live feed can also be streamed to your smart device, so if your little ones are at home with a babysitter, you can check in while out and about. This device will also automatically detect and record any movement, so you can see and save any precious moments. Without doubt, one of the best baby camera monitors in the UK right now.
If you are looking for a baby camera monitor on a budget, then the Motorola MBP481 is a popular low-cost alternative. Costing considerably less than options from Arlo and others, the Motorola still offering basic remote video monitoring.
There is no smartphone app or Wifi connectivity, but for anyone concerned about connected camera being hacked, then an offline solution like this could be appealing. The 0.3-megapixel camera and monitor unit are both fairly compact, with the former being mains powered and the latter having its own rechargeable battery.
The color display measures two inches diagonally and above it sits an LED sound level indicator, showing if your child is crying, and how loudly. The camera also has infrared night vision.
The Kodak Cherish C525 is an all-singing, all-dancing baby camera. It features an HD camera with 720p resolution, but more importantly is how the camera can pan, tilt and zoom; that way, you can clearly see your baby, even if they’ve moved around in the night.
The camera runs off rechargeable batteries, is wall-mountable if you prefer, and connects to your Wi-Fi network. It then streams live, HD video to the included 5-inch HD display, which can be switched on or off with a single touch. There’s infrared night vision for providing a clear view at night, and the camera can also be set to play soothing lullabies or white noise to help your baby fall asleep.
Footage can be stored locally to an SD card in the camera, or saved to the Kodak Smart Home app on your smartphone, and uploaded to the cloud for safe keeping. Finally, there’s a smart notification system to alert you to your baby’s noises, and a clear timeline in the app keeps all recordings and alerts in chronological order.
If you have twins, or want to sync up several cameras to one monitoring system, then the Babysense monitor is for you. This kit comes with two cameras and a monitor, but another camera can be added to the system helping you keep an eye on your little ones wherever they are sleeping.
Two-way audio means you can hear your baby and (optionally) they can hear you, and although the system doesn’t connect to Wifi, its makers claim a range between camera and monitor of up to 300 metres. There’s also infrared night vision, temperature monitoring to make sure the baby’s room isn’t too hot or cold, and a breathing movement sensor you can place under the mattress to ensure everything checks out.
The only real downside for this low-cost system is the display, which at 2.4 inches is fairly small.
This is a luxury baby monitor that offers some additional features to its rivals. First off, it is designed to give an aerial view of the cot - using a wall-mounted bracket, or a tall vertical stand that hides the wires from tiny hands. Swaddle bands and wraps can be used for parents who want to monitor baby's breathing patterns - rather than simply if they are asleep. You do need to provide your own smartphone or tablet to see footage, or to get the reports on how well your child is sleeping. For additional fee (from $50/year, but free for the first year), the Insights service provides access to video history, morning and evening highlight reels, sleep tracking, personalized sleep coaching, and breathing motion monitoring.
There is an alternative way of keeping your eye on the baby.... The Nest Cam Indoor is not a purpose-built baby monitor. Instead, it is a smart indoor security camera. But because it offers excellent video quality, two-way audio, night vision and motion detection, we think it could make a good alternative.
Nest is owned by Google and using the Nest Cam Indoor as a baby monitor would make sense if you already have other Nest or Google Home products in your property (such as a Nest video doorbell).
There is no monitor, but instead the footage can be viewed on a smartphone, tablet, or smart display like the Nest Home Hub. Nest cameras aren’t cheap, but if you plan on building out a larger home security system, using the Cam Indoor as a baby monitor could be a smart move – and once your child has grown up, it can easily be used for something else around the home.
Guides to other security products:
The best indoor security camera
The best body cameras for personal security
