8 Tips for Choosing the Best Travel Baby Monitor for Your Family

cartoon image of a baby monitor with smiling baby face

Traveling with a baby can be super stressful, but knowing you have the right equipment can decrease the bulk and lessen the stress. Do you really need to carry a travel crib, car seat, stroller, monitor, sound machine, diapers, and all that jazz? Let’s face it–babies require a TON of stuff.

While we love using Babyquip to rent the gear we need, using a monitor that isn’t your own can be tricky. Plus it’s basically one of the smallest items you carry.

That’s why a reliable travel baby monitor has become part of the essentials to carry along on any trip–from the baby spending a few nights with a grandparent to a fun family adventure. 

A travel baby monitor should be reliable so that it can effectively monitor the baby at any given time and place. 

In this article, Louse Sikora, an expert on baby safety equipment,

  • explains why a baby monitor is necessary travel equipment
  • gives us 8 tips for what to look for when buying a travel baby monitor, + what to avoid
mother's hands are holding a baby monitor while looking at infant sleeping in crib

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Why a Baby Monitor is Necessary while Traveling

There are many reasons why a baby monitor is an essential thing to consider carrying while traveling.

1. Safety

We can’t ignore the importance of safety in our daily lives, and the same is true when traveling. 

When traveling, both you and your child will be in an unfamiliar place. Having the ability to check in whenever you need to and soothe baby with your voice is important.

As parents, we want the best for our babies, and in this case, a baby monitor that has a perfect range allows you to monitor your baby when they are not right there with you. 

2. Convenience

A baby monitor lets you enjoy all the convenience you desire. You can quickly and easily move around–whether at a house or a hotel–because of the assurance that the baby is safe. 

It helps you track the baby and, at the same time, do all the other things you can’t accomplish when the baby is awake.

3. Comfort

Carrying a baby monitor you’re comfortable with makes all the difference when traveling. Knowing that you won’t be going through a bedtime routine while trying to figure out how to work a rented monitor gives such peace of mind. 

When you’re in the other room enjoying a quiet dinner and glass of wine, knowing your baby is safe in their unfamiliar space will make you feel better. 

4. Versatility

A baby monitor is a versatile tool that is convenient to carry. You can move along with the device wherever you go because it is wireless. Going on a multi-stop trip? No problem. You can just keep carrying it along. 

What to Look for When Choosing the Best Portable Baby Monitor

Portable baby monitors are ideal for parents when traveling with a baby because they give you so many options in terms of flexibility. 

Plus, when you’re anxious to get back out of your AirBnB and into the beautiful city you’re visiting, you can look for the slightest movement as an opportunity to grab a rested baby and go!

Here is what to look for before shopping for the best battery-powered baby monitor:

1. Size and Portability

Minimizing the packaging space of your travel monitor is fundamental when arranging essentials

for traveling. Small + lightweight = win! 

2. Wireless

Since you are traveling and want a comfortable and convenient travel experience, a wireless baby monitor is a great choice. 

Wireless baby monitors are portable and can be carried along easily, and you don’t have to worry about finding just the right place to situate it to hide the wires. 

3. Image Quality

High image resolution is key in any baby monitor, including one for travel. You can position a baby monitor with good image quality at any angle without worrying about image quality. 

You need one that produces high-resolution colors AND that has quality night vision function. 

You’re going to be tired, and you need to rest well knowing you can see baby if they start making noise!

4. Two-way Communication

Two-way communication is super helpful when traveling, especially when you intend to spend a night in a different room from your baby. 

When you’re both out of your comfort zone, the best portable baby monitors will have a two-way communication, letting you talk to baby when you hear them making noise. Nothing is better than soothing the baby to sleep with your own voice instead of having to get out of bed. 

5. Long Range

It is good to choose a baby monitor that has reasonable coverage. A long range baby monitor is necessary, especially when you are not sure what distance your room will be from the baby’s. 

Besides, a long-range baby monitor can be helpful when travel range is necessary, like if you want to move around the house or sit on the porch while baby sleeps.

6. Range Indicator

Besides having a long-range feature with your baby monitor, a range indicator feature is also handy. The range indicator will let you know when you are out of the range limit of the baby monitor you are using. 

In most cases, it warns you when you are too far away with a light signal on the parent unit. Since you’re likely trying to relax while baby rests on a trip, this will help you find the perfect, comfy spot where you know you can still keep your little love safe. 

7. Battery-powered

A battery-operated baby monitor is ideal for traveling. It works on the go, and you don’t have to worry about cord adapters if you’re traveling between different countries. 

Pro tip: Buy rechargeable batteries and put a solar-powered charger on top of your stroller while you explore!

8. Low Battery Warning

It is a wise thing to choose a baby monitor with a battery warning feature. You need to know when the battery is getting low so that you can arrange for fresh batteries or to recharge.

woman's hand holding up a baby monitor with an image of an infant on the monitor

What to Avoid When Buying a Baby Monitor

When buying a baby monitor, be sure to look for one that is reliable, with various features that offer convenience for monitoring your baby. There are portable baby monitors that work really well for travel, and there are some that are not great.

Travel baby monitors with Wi-Fi connection features should be avoided at all costs. Although they are convenient and you don’t need to worry about range, they can have some very real downsides for travel.

Since they depend on Wi-Fi connections to get the feed on your smartphone, tablet, or computer, the internet–or lack thereof–can be an issue.

You are not guaranteed that you will have a strong network at all times to monitor your baby.

There can also be issues with the baby monitor app on your mobile device that could prohibit you from properly monitoring your child.

Baby monitors that depend on Wi-Fi connections are convenient at a place like your home where you have full control of the internet, but not ideal if you’re traveling, especially if you’re camping or visiting another country.

Final Thoughts on Buying the Best Travel Baby Monitor

Although it can be really hard to travel with a baby, you can make it easier and totally worth it by finding the best portable baby monitor for you and your family.

Remember that the baby monitor you choose should be reliable at all times. Consider one that has good quality images and a clear sound and, if possible, avoid those that depend on Wi-Fi connections.

What travel baby monitor do you depend on when traveling with your little one?

3 thoughts on “8 Tips for Choosing the Best Travel Baby Monitor for Your Family

  1. Is image quality very important? I’m wondering – I just want to sea if baby is moving or not or awake and crying, right?
    We’re after HWL sleep training with this amazing book: http://parental-love.com/shop/baby-sleep-training and my son is pretty much taught to self sooth so he is a good sleep now. Although – especially when away – I’d like to have everything under control but I don’t want to spend too much.

    1. I think it really depends on what you want as a parent. Many parents are comfortable with sound-only monitors where they can hear cries. I, personally, need good enough video quality to see if he’s awake or asleep. It’s different for everyone. It sounds like you want a video monitor, but maybe to stick within your price point, it doesn’t have to be the best clarity available. A very personal choice, though!

  2. Loved your content. Being a mom of two and writing about the same topics at newbabylove.com to help other parents achieve their goals, I know how hard it is to find and recommend the right products. While researching about more products, I came across your your website and honestly liked the way you present the content to your audience. You are awesome and doing a real fantastic job. Keep rocking.

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