Baby Monitors

You can start using one as soon as your baby comes home, but a monitor does not replace sleeping in the same room. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that your baby sleep in your room, on a separate sleep surface, ideally for at least the first 6 months. A video monitor helps when your baby naps in another room while you are awake, and after the recommended room-sharing period, when your baby moves to their own room.

Put the camera on a wall, a high shelf, or a dresser where it sees the whole crib, and keep the camera and its cord at least 3 feet from any part of the crib, as the US Consumer Product Safety Commission advises. Do not put the monitor inside the crib or on its edge. Our guide on where to put a baby monitor covers wall mounting and spots to avoid.

Used correctly, a baby monitor can stay on all night. Follow your model’s instructions for overnight use, power supply, and placement. Keep the camera and all cords at least 3 feet from the crib and out of your child’s reach, and make sure both the camera and parent screen remain powered.

Common signs include voices or sounds you did not make, a camera that moves on its own, an indicator light that turns on unexpectedly, settings you did not change, or a jump in network data. But these signs only suggest that a monitor may have been hacked, so there is no need to panic if you notice one. First, rule out normal causes, such as a family member with shared access, night vision or another automatic feature, a firmware update, or a recent settings change, and check which accounts and devices can access the monitor in its app. If you still suspect unauthorized access, disconnect the monitor from the internet, change your monitor account and Wi-Fi passwords, and update the firmware.

Yes, for many families. A monitor lets you see and hear your baby from another room, and some models add alerts for crying or room temperature. It does not lower the risk of SIDS and can miss things if the battery runs out or your baby moves out of view, so use it alongside safe sleep practices, not instead of them.

There is no set age; it depends on your child and your home. A monitor is still useful if your child's room is far from yours or on another floor, if your child cannot yet call out or come to find you at night, or while your child is sick. You can stop once your child sleeps through the night in their own room and you can hear them when they need you. For more signs to look for, see when to stop using a baby monitor.

Yes, an app can turn an iPhone into an audio or video monitor, but both phones need to stay charged and online, and the phone you leave in the nursery is tied up for the night. A monitor with its own parent screen keeps working when your phone is busy, and many models do not need Wi-Fi. Our guide on how to use an iPhone as a baby monitor walks through the setup.