Wondering whether you need a baby monitor? Current NHS advice is to keep your baby in the same room as you until they are six months old, particularly when sleeping, as this can reduce the chance of SIDS. Most parents find them handy for those times when they need to leave the room momentarily. A monitor can be helpful when you need to pop to the loo or head into the kitchen to make dinner and still make sure your baby is sleeping comfortably. It’s easy to connect the BT device to your Android or iOS phone. You’ll be using the BT Smart Controls app once connected and it offers the ability to watch live HD streaming of the baby monitor’s feed as well as storing photos and videos on your device. The M7 monitor gives you a wealth of control over where to point the camera, without having to go and adjust it by hand. Pinch the screen to zoom in, or swivel the camera around (up to 360°) There’s also controls to pitch the camera up and down. You control it with iBaby’s app.

To find out which smart baby monitor offers the best features, we've tested ten of the latest designs. Over the course of some rather sleepless months and with the help of three-month-old Marnie, we tested the devices on their audio and visual quality, night-vision, added extras, app features and flexibility.You only really require a baby monitor when your baby starts to sleep in a separate room from you. As above, for the first six months of your baby's life, they should be in the same room as you when they're asleep, both day and night. However, many parents like to have a monitor from birth so they can nip to the toilet or make a cuppa while still keeping an eye on baby. Are baby monitors safe?

The Mumsnet Rated Nanit Pro Smart baby monitor may be one of the most expensive baby monitors on our list, but if you’re in need of extra reassurance and money is no object, then this monitor is pretty amazing. App-connected and recommended by 89% of Mumsnet testers, it comes with an overhead camera that can be wall-mounted or used with a stand to provide a bird’s-eye view of your baby. With intuitive buttons that allow you to pan the camera around in all directions, talk to them through the monitor, and raise and lower the volume, this easy-to-use system takes no time at all to get used to and even allows you to zoom in if you think you see something suspicious. As well as our independent testing, 28 Mumsnet users took part in a product test of Nanit's Pro Smart Baby Monitor. 89% said they would recommend it to a friend or family member. Here's our in-depth Nanit Pro Review. She then drew up a final shortlist of 12 baby monitors and got to work testing them all over a three-month period when her youngest son was just six months old. How we testedBreathing and movement alerts: Think about whether a breathing and movement monitor, complete with a sensor mat, will reassure you or make you unnecessarily anxious. Ease of use: If other caregivers will be looking after your baby, consider if they will be able to use it easily. Will you require remote access and additional cameras? Audio quality: You need to be able to hear your baby clearly while they are in a different room, so the sound quality of your chosen monitor must be high enough to meet your needs. Look for a decent volume range and a monitor that promises no signal interference or lagging. A night-light and lullabies: Night-lights and lullaby melodies on your baby’s unit can help comfort them as they drift off to sleep.

Transparency is really important to us and that's why we're always upfront about how we tested the products we recommend. We won't always recommend the cheapest products, or the ones with the most extra features. We write about products that we feel offer the best value to most parents – the ones we'd recommend to our own friends and family. The set up from the camera to the Kodak Smart Home App took a little longer than the other monitors in our test – but we’re only talking minutes - and after a few failed attempts and prompts we were successfully connected. The rechargeable batteries come in useful as they let you use the parent unit wire-free for up to five hours at a time. It also provides a good range and is designed to work in a home of up to 4,000 square feet.

About the author

The Nuby Garden is a comprehensive blender that includes everything you could need to make different recipes for your baby. Nuby included accessories to steam your baby’s food, letting you make small and large batches. It also includes accessories for you to store your baby food. Right now we have not received any data compromising reports. We are also working with members of the media to research and investigate their reports." The device also has two-way communication, infrared night vision and sound as well as motion notifications. You can view the sound and motion notifications via your smartphone app, which appears in a coherent timeline so you can analyse sleep patterns if you wish. There are lots of key decision-making factors to consider when selecting the best baby monitor for your family. Here are a few things to consider: Video baby monitors send signals from a camera to the parent unit via either digital signals or your Wi-Fi network, as long as the two devices are connected to the same network.

The camera has a night vision mode so that you can watch your baby’s movements whenever you want. It has a heatmap that shows where your Cocoon Cam detects movement. Best of all, you receive instant alerts if your baby’s breathing changes, he starts to cry or starts to wake up. That gives parents the ultimate peace of mind. The hardware is only as good as the app and the iBaby M7’s custom app is simple and easy to use. The safety features offer extra reassurance The difference between digital and Wi-Fi-based baby monitors is that digital monitors send signals over what’s known as the frequency-hopping spread spectrum (FHSS). These send a signal directly and securely from a transmitter in the camera to the receiver on the parent unit.

What you might like about the iBaby M7

There's quite a lot of variety in features in this category because, of course, most baby monitors do much more than simply monitor. Key specs – Range: 450m; Additional features: Low-battery indicator, out-of-range indicator, long battery life, light-up display when baby moves, belt clip; Warranty: 1 year