The best baby monitors not only let you know when your baby is crying, but can also offer additional support in the nursery—serving as night-lights, sound machines, walkie-talkies and more. After testing 19 top-rated models over the course of the last nine months, I believe the Infant Optics DXR-8 Pro is the best all-around choice, thanks to its robust range, active noise reduction and ease of use. However, if you prefer a monitor that comes with an app, I believe the Harbor Baby Monitor with its big touch screen, high-resolution camera and many extras is worth the splurge.
Our Top Recommendations
- Best Baby Monitor Overall: Infant Optics DXR-8 Pro
- Best Wi-Fi Baby Monitor: Harbor Baby Monitor
- Best Budget Baby Monitor: Hellobaby HB6550
- Best Portable Baby Monitor: VTech VM3254 Baby Monitor
- Best Baby Monitor With Sleep Tracking: Miku Pro Smart Baby Monitor
When selecting a baby monitor, the first big choice is deciding if you want one that connects to Wi-Fi or not. Two cons of Wi-Fi monitors are that they tend to be more difficult set up, and many parents have concerns about data, privacy and hacking. These issues can be avoided by selecting a non-Wi-Fi monitor, also called a local video monitor. “The pros to a Wi-Fi one are that you’re going to be able to see [your baby] when you’re away from the house,” says Katie Montell, a baby gear expert and founder of The Baby Planner. "If you have a babysitter or something like that, you have to have a Wi-Fi one for that to work.”
Below, you’ll find an in-depth look at all my picks for the best baby monitors, plus more about my testing process and a guide to baby monitor features.
Best Baby Monitor Overall
Easy To Use And With Excellent Range
Infant Optics DXR-8 Pro
Wi-Fi: No | Camera resolution: 720p | Parent unit screen size: 5 inches | Remote camera adjustments: Yes
Pros:
- Excellent range
- Easy setup
- Active noise reduction
- Ability to add additional cameras
Cons:
- Not the highest camera resolution
- No companion app
I selected Infant Optics DRX-8 Pro as the best baby monitor overall because it does many things well and because it makes life easier on busy parents. It requires minimal setup and has some of the most intuitive controls. Many parents I spoke with during my research process said they prefer simpler monitors. So while this non-Wi-Fi monitor lacks a phone app or sleep tracking, I found it offered exactly what a top baby monitor should.
To start, the camera and parent unit came paired right out of the box. You can adjust the camera angle or zoom directly from buttons right on the parent unit—no navigating into a menu. When you do access the menus, they are easy to understand and have helpful on-screen explanations of each function—so there’s no need to remember what each symbol or icon stands for.
Additionally, this baby monitor has a superior range. While it’s fairly standard to see 1,000 feet for baby monitor ranges, this number represents the range with nothing in the way. But most baby monitors need to be able to transmit signal through walls and floors, something I found varies hugely from model to model. Many models lost connection between my apartment’s kitchen and the baby’s room directly one floor below it. But the Infant Optics DRX-8 Pro had no problems maintaining signal everywhere in my apartment, and even when I took the monitor outside into our backyard.
Another feature I particularly appreciated is the monitor’s active noise reduction. Most monitors broadcast some level of room tone even with no devices running, but babies’ rooms are often filled with other low-volume sounds from humidifiers and air conditioners to white noise machines. If these sounds are bothersome, you can usually just turn the volume down, but Infant Optics DRX-8 Pro offers a proprietary active noise reduction, which dims these noises without quieting the sound of your baby’s cries or babbles.
Another nice add-on is a zoom lens that you can add or remove as needed. I found the default lens more than adequate in our small nursery, but the extra lens provides a more detailed close-up of your baby’s crib when attached. You can also add up to four additional cameras to add to other rooms or as your family expands.
A common problem across many baby monitor brands is that the rechargeable batteries in the parent unit give out after a couple of years. I’ve been using the Infant Optics DRX-8 Pro for about nine months as the monitor in my older toddler’s room and have not encountered any issues with battery longevity. However, Alicia Betz, who also covers baby and kids gear here at Forbes Vetted, says she needed to replace the battery of this monitor after a couple of years of use.
Best Wi-Fi Baby Monitor
Full-Featured Monitor With Remote Access And Built-In Alerts
Harbor Baby Monitor
Wi-Fi: Yes | Camera resolution: 1440p/2K | Parent unit screen size: 10.1 inches | Remote camera adjustments: No
Pros:
- High-resolution camera and large touch-screen parent monitor
- Many features included, including recording, custom alerts and access to remote night nanny
- Works with or without internet
- Can add additional cameras
Cons:
- Expensive
- Camera angle cannot be adjusted remotely
For a very-top-of-the-line experience, the Harbor baby monitor does the most (but not everything). A hybrid model that functions with or without Wi-Fi, this monitor comes with a big-screen parent monitor as well as an app. The camera’s 2K/1440p resolution, is among the highest of any I tested. It has a relatively painless app setup, and it comes with both USB-C cords and AC/DC wall adaptors. My only real gripe with this monitor is that you can’t tilt the camera angle remotely, although it does zoom in.
Of course, the other downside is that it’s much more expensive than many other more basic models on the market. However, it’s worth noting that lots of smart baby monitor require additional paid subscriptions to make the most of their services—a cost the Harbor does not have.
Unlike some of the other hybrid options I tested, the Harbor parent unit doesn’t feel secondary to the app itself. Importantly, it has good range—maintaining signal throughout my apartment and in the backyard. It has many of the same options to configure notifications and alerts as its app, which includes setting up text message or email alerts when your baby wakes up, the camera goes offline or the parent unit needs to be charged. In addition to showing the camera feed, it also displays the nursery temperature and the parent unit’s battery level. You can also set the sound sensitivity level, which means the monitor won’t wake up as easily for background noises—only louder sounds like crying.
Another fun add-on is that you can set up the screen to work as a digital picture frame when the camera is in standby mode.
Like all Wi-Fi baby monitors, the Harbor app gives you remote access to a livestream of your baby’s room anywhere you take your phone. The app also has a desktop version. I particularly like that the Harbor’s picture-in-picture feature, which lets you keep the video stream up in a corner of your screen while you access other parts of your phone, like the internet browser or photo library. You can record and save videos, and give additional caregivers access to the monitor via their phones.
Another unique feature that Harbor offers, but I didn’t test, is a suite of for-hire parenting services. This includes a remote night nanny, lactation consultants, sleep coaches and more. These services do cost extra—for example, the remote night nanny service currently costs $200 for five weeknights.
Best Budget Baby Monitor
A Non-Wi-Fi Monitor With Plenty Of Features For Under $100
Wi-Fi: No | Camera resolution: 480p | Parent unit screen size: 5 inches | Remote camera adjustments: Yes
Pros:
- Good range
- Range of features: two-way talk, temperature sensor, tilt and zoom
- Affordable
Cons:
- Lower picture quality
- Parent monitor menus can be confusing
If you want a more affordable option that still has a full suite of features, my recommendation is the Hellobaby HB6550 monitor. You can often find this non-Wi-Fi monitor for under $100. It has good range, a temperature sensor, two-way talk, a timer and a collection of eight lullabies/sounds. I found it easy to tilt, zoom and pan with buttons directly on the parent unit—and the camera can rotate 355 degrees on its base, so you can see just about every inch of the room. With the video turned to always on, the battery can last at least eight hours in my experience. After using this monitor daily over the course of about five months, I haven’t noticed an issues with battery performance.
One trade-off here is that the picture quality on the parent unit of this Hello Baby monitor is noticeably poorer than other monitors I tested, with some fuzziness to the edges of objects in the frame. Additionally, the menus and navigation on the parent unit are more confusing than other monitors; I often found myself clicking into things I didn’t intend to open. For example, you’ll find both the place to set the clock or an alarm under “Settings,” but under “Camera” the only option is to add more cameras.
Lastly, I’ll note that the preset lullabies on many monitors can vary a lot in terms of quality. The collection here is pretty uneven, with a few that are quite pleasant but others that I find grating.
Best Portable Baby Monitor
Tiny And Inexpensive—But Still Great
VTech VM3254 Baby Monitor
Wi-Fi: No | Camera resolution: 270p | Parent unit screen size: 2.8 inches | Remote camera adjustments: No
Pros:
- Excellent range and portable
- Extra affordable
- Easy setup
Cons:
- Some caregivers may prefer a bigger screen
- Camera has a lower resolution
- Monitor is quieter than others
Tiny but mighty is the perfect way to describe this affordable non-Wi-Fi VTech baby monitor. It arrived ready to go right out of the box with better range than many more expensive models and plenty of the same features. It has two-way talk, a temperature monitor, a night light, a good battery life and eight soothing sounds/lullabies. I actually quite like the “wave” white noise—it’s a sound that I could fall asleep to as an adult.
The VTech VM3254 monitor’s screen is just 2.8 inches, which might be too small for some, but is extremely easy to pack or carry in your pocket. Despite the diminutive screen and lower resolution camera, the picture is still quite sharp—even in the dark. The camera is also small and lightweight, and although it doesn’t have the option to remotely adjust the camera angle, you have a lot of options to adjust it manually with its stand’s ball joint. For about $40, it’s a great choice if you have a wall-mounted monitor for home, but want a second option to pack up with you to take on a trip or to grandma’s house. It would also serve you well as an affordable primary monitor, too.
There’s no app option for this monitor, but that also means you can use it on trips where Wi-Fi is spotty (like that cozy cabin in the woods). I found the range on this little monitor excellent—and it remained connected even when I took it outside to the edge of my backyard. One of the few downsides is that it’s relatively quiet, so if you need to use in a noisy environment, you’ll want to make sure to keep the parent unit close at hand.
Best Baby Monitor With Sleep Tracking
Reassurance That Baby Is Breathing At A Glance
Miku Pro Smart Baby Monitor
Wi-Fi: Yes | Camera resolution: 1080p | Parent unit screen size: No parent unit, app only | Remote camera adjustments: No
Pros:
- Easy to understand breathing and sleep tracking
- Room temperature and humanity sensors
- Nightly and daily sleep summaries
Cons:
- Video feed can be slow to load
- No options to pan or tilt camera
After the birth of my twins, I tested several smart Wi-Fi monitors with sleep tracking and other advanced monitoring features. The Miku Pro is my favorite in this category for a few reasons.
After spending so much energy getting your infant to sleep, an all too common worry is, “Is my baby breathing?” The Miku Pro can answer that question without the use of wearables or other add-on devices, unlike most of its competitors. Using just the camera’s sensors, it generates an easy-to-understand wave visual of your sleeping baby’s breathing at the bottom of the screen. This metric is respirations per minute, or RPM.
At the end of each night, Miku generates a nightly sleep summary, which estimates how long your baby spent sleeping or awake, and reports when the baby was picked up out of the crib. Although none of the smart monitors I tested were 100% accurate when it came to sleep tracking data, the Miku Pro faired very well in this department, giving me a pretty good picture of how well the night went—so I had sense of how many times my baby woke up. A correlated daytime sleep summary is also available if you baby naps in the crib where you’ve set the Miku Pro up.
I also appreciate that there are plenty of easy-to-adjust settings for notifications. When the baby naps and I’m out of the room, I set up push notifications for when he makes noise or if the camera detects no movement or breathing—and I’m pleasantly surprised that it doesn’t send an overwhelming number of notifications like some of the other monitors I tested. When needed, I can also put the camera on standby mode, and it cuts the live video feed.
The Miku Pro also has some additional standout features. The library of lullabies and soothing sounds is one of the best of any of the monitors I tested, with a “Blue Noise” that actually helped me sleep while sharing a room with my babies.
The automatic video activity log is another nice feature—the camera saves a short recording of each movement or sound event that it detects. This allows me to go back and see why my baby woke up when I’m out of the room: Did he wake up because his big brother was being loud in the next room, or did he wake up because he was just hungry? Without a subscription, Miku’s app stores these clips for a week. With a Miku Care+ subscription, you get storage for up to a month, and there’s a higher membership tier that allows you to keep your clips indefinitely.
I tested the Miku with the “Care+ 30” membership level, which also gave me access to additional health and sleep trend insights, as well as an activity tracker that let me log feedings and diaper changes. These were nice to have, but I’d still wholeheartedly recommend the Miku without a membership. The live monitor experience gives parents plenty of health and sleep insight.
Keep in mind that it’s a Wi-Fi-only monitor, so there’s no separate parent screen other than the app on your phone. The Miku Pro—like most of its Wi-Fi only peers—does give you the option to invite other caregivers to download the app and access the monitor’s feed, but you should decide if this is something you’re comfortable sharing with nannies or babysitters.
In total, I tested 19 monitors and am in the process of evaluating an additional two.
Momcozy 1080p Monitor BM01 (4/5 stars): This is a solid non-Wi-Fi monitor with a lot of nice features, but it has some range issues. It wouldn’t hold a connection in some areas of my apartment, which is why it didn’t ultimately earn a spot among the winners, but it has a lot of nice features and good picture quality.
Tiny Traveler Ai Wireless (4/5 stars): I liked this monitor a great deal and initially recommended it in a earlier version of this article. However, car seat safety professionals often warn against the use of after-market accessories like this unless explicitly approved by your car seat manufacturer. So before making a broad recommendation on this baby monitor, I recommend checking your car seat manual or reaching out directly to seat manufacturer before adding it to your vehicle.
Eufy Baby SpaceView Pro E210 (3.5/5 stars): This monitor is easy to use and has quite a few features. A previous tester initially really liked it, but when we tested it again—two years later—we decided to remove it from our selections. It simply didn’t maintain its connection when moving from room to room in my apartment and with only 720p the picture wasn’t the best quality. There are now better options on the market for this price.
Babysense MaxView Baby Monitor (3.5/stars): I tested the two-camera version of the monitor, and it was fairly simple to set up although one of the cameras wasn’t paired right out of the box. I found it has pretty good picture quality, thanks in part to the 1080p camera resolution. However, the cameras didn’t stay connected from the nursery to kitchen. If you want a two-camera setup and don’t have particularly thick walls or the need to take your monitor outside, this might still work for you.
Vava 5-inch 720p (3.5/5 stars): This monitor did better in terms of maintaining a connection around my apartment, but the signal didn’t travel outside. The setup was easy and the parent unit intuitive. However, it has slightly fewer features than other monitors that cost the same amount.
Motorola Nursery VM75 (3.5/5 stars): I tested this one as a possible budget option, but it compromises a bit too much for me. According to the user manual, a single charge lasts just 4 hours. The camera angle can be adjusted remotely, but it is confusing to find the menu for it. There is a zoom, but it’s buried deep in a menu. But for me, the biggest deal-breaker is that this monitor couldn’t maintain a signal within my apartment.
VTech RM7764-2 (3.5/5 stars): I tested the two-camera setup of this monitor, and there’s a lot I like about it. It has a bigger 7-inch monitor in addition to an app, and both offer a nice picture quality. However, I struggled to get this one set up, with issues connecting one of the cameras, and it took a longer than average amount of time to set up the mobile app. The cameras can pan remotely from both the app and parent unit, but not when the parent unit is in split-screen mode. This was another parent unit that lost connectivity at different points around our home, and I also noticed that the sound and video got noticeably more laggy the further it was from the cameras.
Chillax DM685 Giraffe Pro Max (3.5/5 stars): This is another former top pick of ours that hasn’t quite kept up with the competition since we originally tested it two years ago. A hybrid model with a base that clips to a shelf or the side of the crib (although it didn’t fit my son’s crib), the Chillax DM685 Giraffe Pro Max works pretty well with its parent unit. The downfall of this monitor was trying to set up the app, which required many attempts. Once I did get it set up, I didn’t have any issues accessing the live feed while I was out and about. The camera has an average resolution of 720p, with no option to adjust the angle remotely. This could still be a good choice for families that want a less expensive monitor with an app—and are willing to grit though the challenges of the initial setup.
Motorola Baby Monitor PIP1510 (3.5/5 stars): The manual to this baby monitor instructed me to charge it for 16 hours before use, but I was still able to turn it on immediately after plugging it in. The parent unit and camera come pre-paired, and app setup was pretty quick. However, the parent unit feels like an afterthought, and it prompted me to download the app every time I turned it on. It also didn’t stay connected throughout my apartment, and worst of all, it made a horrible noise every time it disconnected from the camera, with no apparent way to turn this alarm off.
Nanit Pro Baby Monitor (3.5/5 stars): The Miku edges out the Nanit Pro for best smart baby monitor for a couple of reasons. First, in order to track breathing, you need a Nanit band or swaddle with a special pattern—and although the live tracking works pretty well, these are additional items parents need to manage and wash. Secondly, during my three-week testing period, the sleep tracking data abruptly cut off after the 4:00 a.m. feeding several nights, meaning the nightly summaries were incomplete. One night the Nanit was unable to collect data entirely, and I got a “not enough data” notification for the nightly summary. I did, however, like the app’s manual tracking and daily diary features, which let caregivers log feedings and diaper changes.
CuboAi Smart Baby Monitor 3 (3/5 stars): This monitor had so many connectivity problems that I needed to set up a backup monitor while I tested it. When it was connected, I found it sent an overwhelming number of alerts with the default settings, and alerts were still something of an issue with the sensitivity adjusted downward (a previous tester experienced the same issue with the earlier model). The CuboAi Gen3 monitor can be paired with an optional sleep sensor pad for movement tracking, but I wasn’t able to test this feature, because it’s not compatible with bassinets. If I have a crib setup that’s compatible with the sensor pad in the future, I may revisit this monitor.
Lollipop Baby Monitor (3/5 stars): This uniquely-shaped camera is a Wi-Fi only monitor that comes with an easy-setup app but no user manual. Our previous tester liked how portable it is, but the crib mount did not fit on my son’s crib and I had a hard time getting it positioned anywhere in his room short of mounting it to the wall. However, for me the real deal-breakers are that the temperature sensor is sold separately and there’s no remote option to adjust the camera angle—features that are now pretty standard on less expensive models.
Philips Avent Premium Connected Baby Monitor (3/5 stars): This newer monitor has an app with a lot of features, including tracking for sleep and breathing which don’t require an additional baby wearable, and the ability to record/play audio. It also has a higher-resolution camera, but no remote pan or tilt, and the image has a distinct fish-eye distortion that’s visible on both the app and the parent monitor. The parent unit was particularly plagued by issues and wouldn’t turn on the second day of use despite being charged for a full night. Even when it is working, it’s quite slow to turn on.
Eufy E21 4K (3/5 stars): This is another hybrid model that does a lot but also gave me significant challenges. It was one of the longest app setups, then immediately required a firmware update, doubling the time until I could use it. The camera has an impressive 4K resolution, but also a curved fish-eye distortion to the image. The sound quality was below average, often breaking up. Lastly, the parent monitor struggled to stay connected, although the app is a good backup. One interesting feature on the pro side is that the camera can be charged and operated on battery power, so you don’t need to keep it plugged in at all times.
DM688 Giraffe Pro Max Portable: This is a higher-end version than the other Giraffe monitor I tried out in my first round of testing.
Owlet Dream Sight: Launched in September 2025, this new Wi-Fi monitor is compatible with the popular Owlet Dream sock.
I’ve been testing baby monitors in batches over the last nine months, grouping them by type: non-Wi-Fi, Wi-Fi only and hybrid. I set each camera up in one of my children’s bedrooms, taking copious notes about each one. Here are the key factors I evaluated:
Forbes Vetted previously tested a round of baby monitors starting in 2022, but many new monitors have since come onto the market. For this guide, we retested our previous winners or the most similar updated models. I continue to long-term test the winning models, to ensure they hold up with continued use.
Through the testing process, I learned that no monitor has everything I wanted: the option to be on or off Wi-Fi (or in other words, a hybrid model with both an app and a parent unit), a parent unit with excellent range, a temperature sensor and the ability to adjust the camera angle remotely. Those are just my personal top priorities—but it goes to show you will need to prioritize the features that are most important to you and your family. Here are some key deciding factors.
If you want a baby monitor that lets you check on your child from your phone, you’ll need one that connects to Wi-Fi. Many of these monitors also come with a traditional local-video parent unit, which is called a hybrid model. This type of camera may give you peace of mind that you can look in on your child even when you’re away from home.
However, Wi-Fi cameras can carry some risk of being hacked into, allowing strangers to see into your home or talk to your child, as well as data privacy concerns. “I think it’s also really important to remember that hacking is not the only risk,” says Caitlin Fennessy, vice president and chief knowledge officer with the International Association of Privacy Professionals. “The other big consideration is how the company that is selling a connected device themselves use and share personal information.”
If you do want a Wi-Fi monitor, she recommends looking for one that encrypts its data and puts data privacy at the forefront of its product description. “If the company selling the device is putting privacy and security out there as part of the advertising, you know at least that they’ve thought about it and you can dig deeper into what the protections that they’re offering are.”
Another easy way to avoid these types of issues is to use a non-Wi-Fi monitor, also called a local video monitor. In my experience, this type of monitor is much easier to set up and still comes with a whole host of helpful features. For even more options, consider my guide to the best non-Wi-Fi baby monitors.
The sharpness of the video feed depends on both the camera’s resolution (measured in pixels or “p”) as well as the monitor itself. In my experience, the baby monitors with cameras of 1080p resolution produced pretty good picture quality, but you can find 1440p (2K) and 3840p (4K) cameras as well. However, cameras with a resolution as low as 270p—like my pick for the best portable monitor—can still get the job done if the other features are solid.
Personally, the features I’ve used the most as a mom are remote camera adjustments and temperature monitoring. But there are a wide range of other functions that baby monitors can have—including playing white noise or lullabies, setting timers, different alert settings, humidity monitoring, two-way talk, night lights and more.
Apps open up an even wider set of feature options. Apps can offer things like video recording, the option to record and play messages, all kinds of health tracking features, and push notification alerts for things like temperature changes, baby movements and if the camera goes offline.
There are a few things to keep in mind before selecting any smart monitor, including the Miku Pro, my pick for the best monitor with sleep tracking. First, bassinets that rock the baby for you—like the Snoo or 4Moms Mamaroo Sleep Bassinet—interfere with your sleep tracking to some degree. For example, when the bassinet is rocking, the Miku registers the baby as “moving,” even after they’ve drifted off to sleep. Personally, I wasn’t particularly bothered by this inconsistency in the data. If you want a sleep setup with both a bassinet that rocks and no data interference, you may want to consider the Cradlewise smart crib, which has a built-in smart monitor and performed extremely well in my testing.
Secondly, most smart monitors have some features that require a monthly or annual subscription to access. You’ll want to factor that in when thinking about the cost of the monitor.
Lastly, if you’re a less-is-more kind of person, or if getting a lot of data about your baby gives you anxiety, a smart monitor might not be the right choice for you. “How much data do you really want in your life is maybe the big question to ask yourself,” says Emily Hosie, founder and CEO of Rebel, a retail platform that sells a range of baby monitors, among other home goods. “Some parents love that for safety reasons, other parents find it stressful.”
For hybrid and non-Wi-Fi models, baby monitor manufacturers advertise a device range that’s based on a clear, unobstructed path between the monitor and the camera. A typical range is about 1,000 feet. However, in real life we need our baby monitors to transmit video through floors, walls and other obstacles, and I found the ability to do this varies a lot. Our winners all performed well in this area, but if you’re considering a different model, it’s worth looking at reviews to see if other users have had problems with their cameras connecting at different points around the house.
For models that rely on apps, the connectivity is partly dependent on your home’s Wi-Fi. Most of the monitors I tested didn’t have any major issues staying connected to their respective apps—but of course, if my Wi-Fi were to go down, I’d lose access to the video feed.
Most baby monitor cameras are designed to be placed on a shelf near your crib, and most also come with some kind of small bracket or screws that allow you to attach it to the wall. A few come with their own floor stands or crib mounts, or an additional floor stand can be purchased separately. You’ll want to think about the layout of room where you use the monitor, and take this into account. Keep in mind that all cords should remain out of reach of your baby—and many experts recommend putting the baby monitor at least 3 feet away from the crib, bassinet or play yard.
The makers of baby monitors with some of the more advanced monitors with functions like sleep tracking recommend an above-crib mounting system that’s quite stable, like a wall mount or floor stand. Some parents don’t want the permanence of mounting a camera to the wall. Not only is this option less renter-friendly, but many parents want a monitor that’s more portable and can be moved from room to room, and there are safety concerns to consider here.
The baby and kids gear team at Forbes Vetted tests and reviews a range of parenting products, keeping busy parents in mind, as well as safety. We also have deep experience in testing cameras and home monitoring devices like security cameras.