Hi Moms,
I was curious if you had recommendations on baby monitors that have a long life. I currently have the Graco Digital iMonitor and it lasted us a good year. It still works now but not too well. The hand held units batteries die fairly quickly and without notice now. Also, if the baby cries the monitor dies immediately. Are there standard monitors that last longer than a year? We do not need a monitor with a bunch of bells and whistles, just a quality monitor with a good reception range. Thanks!
Thank you all for your responses! Based on your recommendations we did purchase the Sony NTM-910 and love it. This monitor is much louder than our Graco and works great. Thanks for your time to recommend it!
We have a very basic First Years monitor that has lasted for over 3 years now. After about 2 years of regular use, the battery in the main part got worse and worse at holding a charge. We had to leave it on the charging base or it would die in the middle of the night. My husband called the company to ask about replacement batteries, and they sent one, free of charge. So you might try calling Graco to see if they'll do the same for you.
We have a Fisher Price one that is great. My daughter just turned two and we've had the same monitor with no problems since she was born. The base and receivers both plug in and then the receivers just charge and then can travel around the house. We got ours at Babies R Us or Target.
http://www.amazon.com/Fisher-Price-Private-Connection-Mon...
Updated
We have a Fisher Price one that we've had nearly 3 years and it's still working just fine. We usually leave the hand held parts plugged in and one dies quickly, the other holds the charge for at least a couple hours while it's on. I think it was abot $60 and we've been happy with it.
We have a fisher price sounds and lights for about 1.5 years now that shows no signs of giving up. The handheld unit can be plugged in as well as run on batteries (we keep it plugged in). I think it is mid-range, we have a small house so it works everywhere for us and even in the backyard. It's fairly inexpensive and a good basic baby monitor.
I bought my current monitor at Goodwill for $4. No money spending guilt when it dies! Of course it's like cheap sunglasses--the cheap ones you never lose, the expensive ones disappear in a week. Anyway, check out Goodwill or CL to save you money. It stinks that these things don't last longer. You can recycle them through special electronic recycling days through your city.
Best,
AMD
I highly advise you get the Sony baby monitor - you can search for it on Amazon to read reviews
Sony NTM-910 900 MHz BabyCall Nursery Monitor, NTM910
But I have had mine 3+ years and still works great. It has gotten wet, thrown on the floor, against the wall, you name it (I have 2 little boys). The thing I like most about it is it has 2 settings, one where you hear EVERYTHING, and one where if you have a fan or soft music playing you will only hear it for like 10 seconds and then it will be quiet, but if there is a new noise - like crying - it will come back on. This is perfect for if you have a fan in the baby's room and you are trying to sleep and want to hear the baby but not the fan.
I used something called Angel Response or something like that. I used it for over 4 years. I took it on every trip and it was great. Had very little frequency issues. It came with a sids pad you put under the mattress but I never used it.
I second the Sony monitor. Had mine for almost 2 years now and it is fabulous! Very good quality product. I was referred by several people that this monitor was the one to get for quality and price, and I definitely agree.
We have a "the first years" monitor. It is pretty simple, but the hand help unit is waterproof and it has a low battery light on it. It also has 2 channels, to if you are monitoring 2 rooms, it won't interfere. I bought mine off of craigslist, so it was used. The previous owner said she had had it for a year and a half. I have been using it for a year now, and it is still going strong with no issues. I can be kind of clutsy, so it has been dropped several times and that has not seemed to have an effect.
Good luck!
large LCD screen monitor after 2.7 years works great!
