Baby Monitors

1. The baby monitor is pretty standard fare for new parents these days, but as with anything that takes batteries or plugs into a wall, the technology is changing faster than anyone cares to learn it. Digital, video and other features are now available that make baby monitors even more reliable and, for those who swear by them, necessary.

2. Interference is the primary complaint among parents when reporting on the performance of baby monitors. All kinds of things cause interference that you may not know about. Obviously, cordless phones are a source, but also cell phones, fluorescent lights, and many appliances.

3. One of the biggest benefits of having a baby monitor is so that you don't have to check in on Baby every five seconds. Unless, of course, you want to.

4. Because the main source of interference is the portable home phone, cross check your potential baby monitor with the cordless phones you use at home. It shouldn't be hard to find one with an appropriate frequency, but it's better to check than make a second trip to the store or wait for a replacement to come in the mail.

5. Since many parents use the baby monitor, you must find out if your neighbors with babies are using a monitor. If they are, it would be best to invest in a digital baby monitor so you don't cross signals. Digital signals are carefully encoded to be interpreted only by the intended receiver.

6. Baby monitors of all varieties can be found from many reputable vendors. Fisher-Price, Mobicam, Phillips, Safety 1st, Summer Infant, and The First Years all produce excellent products ranging from about $20 to $200.

7. If you have a video monitor, there are a few things to know: The closer the parent unit is to the baby's unit, the better the picture quality; the ideal distance between the camera and baby is about 5 feet; and your home wireless router may interfere with the reception. In the last case, you'll have to contact the router manufacturer to reconfigure the router.