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Every parent will tell you that having a baby was one of the most joyous, but also stressful, times of their life. If you’re about to become a parent for the first time (or a second, or a third), one of the best things you can do for yourself and your baby is to buy a baby monitor.
Baby monitors give parents a ton of peace of mind. And that peace of mind is invaluable. A baby monitor will let you listen for your baby’s cries, monitor the temperature and humidity in their room, be alerted when they’re moving around, check a video feed, and even talk to your baby. Not every baby monitor will offer every feature, but a lot of them come pretty close!
If you think a baby monitor is a needed addition to your nursery, we’d love to help you find your perfect match. Baby monitors will vary in things like price, audio and video capabilities, installation type, size, and whether or not they have those extras. And to get the most out of your money, you’ll want to match all of those features to your space and your needs.
This comprehensive guide will investigate the best baby monitors in Canada right now and outline the criteria you should consider while making your purchase decision. Let’s dive right into our top five products.
Audio Pick: VTech DM111 Safe and Sound Digital Audio Baby Monitor
Video Pick: VTech VM819 Video Baby Monitor
Upgrade Pick: Nanit Pro Smart Baby Monitor
Wi-Fi Pick: Arenti Baby Monitor
Budget Pick: Wyze Cam v3 Indoor/Outdoor Camera
The VTech DM111 Safe and Sound Digital Audio Baby Monitor is our favourite audio-only option right now. And we’ll tell you why! For such an affordable monitor, the audio quality is crystal clear. And you’ll never have to worry about interference from other signals either. That’s the bread and butter of audio monitors, right? All of your data will be encrypted, too, for security purposes.
One of the things we like best about this monitor is that the parent unit runs on a rechargeable battery instead of disposable ones. Not only is this better for the planet, but it’s also more cost-effective. You’re welcome. The parent unit also has adjustable volume controls, a belt clip (that actually works!), and alerts for a poor connection to the baby unit or when you go out of range.
As far as audio baby monitors go, this one is pretty perfect. The only people who won’t love it are the ones who are looking for video monitoring as well, or people who want extra baby features built-in like night lights, sound machines, and temperature/humidity monitoring.
Overall, the VTech DM111 Safe and Sound Digital Audio Baby Monitor is a pretty flawless audio-only option. It doesn’t have any bells and whistles, but it’s offered at an excellent price and does its simple job extremely well.
Performance: 5/5
Usability: 5/5
Price: 5/5
Quality: 5/5
Reviewers have a great opinion of the VTech DM111 Safe and Sound Digital Audio Baby Monitor. The audio quality is perfect—they never have any static or interference from other signals. The belt clip keeps the parent unit secure no matter what they’re doing, and the range is perfectly adequate for even the largest houses. They’re all really happy with it for its price!
Buy If…
You’d prefer a rechargeable battery instead of replaceable ones
Data encryption is important to you
You want to be able to wear the parent unit
You want a super affordable and easy-to-use baby monitor
Don’t Buy If…
Video capabilities and extra baby features are important to you
Baby Unit Dimensions: 3.3” x 4.6” x 2.3”
Type: Audio only
Mounting Type(s): Table
Range: 1500 ft
Two-Way Audio: No
Night Vision: No
Warranty: 1 year
The VTech VM819 Video Baby Monitor is one of our favourite baby monitors around. And it’s certainly number one for video capabilities. Day and night, the video quality is crystal clear—there will never be any distortions or glare. And since there’s no Wi-Fi involved anywhere in the system, privacy won’t ever be a concern either. Isn’t that great?
We love this monitor the most for its parent unit—it’s got a great screen size and tons of features that let you control the two-way audio, the night light, and the lullaby settings without scrolling through a bunch of different screens. Since it has a 19-hour screen-on battery life and 20 hours of battery when the screen is off (audio-only alerts for overnight) you won’t be charging it constantly.
We don’t really have many negative things to discuss with this one, and that’s why it’s our number one video pick. The main thing you might not love is that you can only use the monitor when you’re in the house—it doesn’t have a companion app or a Wi-Fi connection that would let you check in from farther distances.
Overall, the VTech VM819 Video Baby Monitor is our top recommendation for folks who are looking for stellar video performance. Throw in all the baby features you love and a reliable baby-unit-to-parent-unit connection and you’ve got an easy choice on your hands. Right?
Performance: 4.5/5
Usability: 4.5/5
Price: 5/5
Quality: 4.5/5
Reviewers like a lot of things about the VTech VM819 Video Baby Monitor. The video and audio quality is perfectly respectable (not too high-end, but they don’t mind at all), the range is great, and the Wi-Fi-free setup gives them a lot of peace of mind over their security. They also appreciate that things like a night light and lullabies are included.
Buy If…
You want a fully loaded parent unit
Every baby feature is a must-have
You don’t want to charge the parent unit all the time
Privacy is a concern
Don’t Buy If…
You want a companion app for long-distance monitoring
Baby Unit Dimensions: 4.7” x 1.3” x 2.5”
Type: Audio and video
Mounting Type(s): Table
Range: 1000 ft
Two-Way Audio: Yes
Night Vision: Yes
Warranty: 1 year
The Nanit Pro Smart Baby Monitor has a lot of excellent features to offer. It’s the absolute best choice for sleep tracking. Not only do you get a sensor-free breathing band that your baby can wear to monitor their breathing right, but you also get a free one-year subscription to Nanit Basic Insights for a sleep profile evaluation. Cool, right?
If you purchase an extra camera, you’ll be able to keep watch over two babies at once with the unique split-screen mode offered by the companion app. You won’t find that anywhere else. And both the wall mount and floor mount options have cord protectors built in to keep babies safe. Throw in all the standard baby features (sound machine, night light, motion/sound alerts, etc.) and you’ve got a pretty flawless monitor.
While there’s nothing actually wrong with this baby monitor, we do want to warn you about a few things so you can be certain that it’s a good fit. First of all, it doesn’t come with a parent unit, so it’s 100% reliant on a Wi-Fi connection. Might be inconvenient at times. Also, it’s pricey, and won’t be a feasible option for everybody. (It is worth it, though). Last, just be aware that it isn’t very travel-friendly.
All in all, the Nanit Pro Smart Baby Monitor would make a pretty spectacular addition to any nursery. As long as you don’t mind a Wi-Fi-dependent monitor and you won’t need to travel with it, you’ll love everything this option has to offer.
Performance: 5/5
Usability: 5/5
Price: 3/5
Quality: 5/5
Reviewers have a very high opinion of the Nanit Pro Smart Baby Monitor. The data they get with the sleep tracking is incredibly valuable, and the entire system brings them a ton of peace of mind. Some of them would prefer it was easier to travel with, but for the most part, they’re just grateful for the camera’s reliability and the monitor’s extra features.
Buy If…
Sleep tracking is your priority
You want to check on multiple babies at the same time
You’d like to allow multiple users
You don’t want to fuss with cords
Don’t Buy If…
You’re looking for something budget-friendly
You need a travel-friendly baby monitor
You want to use it without Wi-Fi
Type: Audio and video
Mounting Type(s): Floor or ceiling
Range: Unlimited
Two-Way Audio: Yes
Night Vision: Yes
Warranty: 1 year
The Arenti Baby Monitor has a lot of awesome features to woo you. One of the first things you’ll notice is the bunny ears. Yup, we said bunny ears. This adorable attachment makes the camera a lot more fun for your little baby to look at (and you, too, let’s be real). We’re also really happy with the viewing options on this one—you can use the parent unit or the companion app on your smartphone!
This thing is loaded up with baby features too! It’s got humidity and temperature sensors, lullabies, nursing reminders, white noise, sound and motion alerts, and a night light. So, basically, everything. It knocks the ball out of the park with the field of view too. The flat field of view is 100º, but you can rotate the camera 60º vertically and 355º vertically to see (again) everything.
There are a couple of things we don’t quite love about this option, though. The two-way talk has its issues—there’s a significant lag and it tends to distort your voice. It might end up scaring your baby instead of soothing them. Also, the general quality of this camera leaves something to be desired—the housing is durable, but don’t be surprised if the parent unit video feed just quits one day.
Overall, the Arenti Baby Monitor is a solid choice if you aren’t too concerned about using it with multiple kids in a row. It simply won’t last that long. But we’re sure you’ll love all of the baby features, and it’s super easy to set up anywhere.
Performance: 5/5
Usability: 5/5
Price: 4/5
Quality: 4/5
Reviewers have mostly good things to say about the Arenti Baby Monitor. Some parents have scared their babies with the two-way talk, so they don’t use that feature, but otherwise, they’re really happy with its performance. All of the baby features work great, and they really enjoy having such a wide field of view. The video quality is equally great on the parent unit and the companion app, too.
Buy If…
A cute design is right up your alley
Versatile viewing options are a must
You want all of the baby features
Field of view is everything to you
Don’t Buy If…
You’re looking for a long-lasting solution
You’ll be using two-way talk a lot—the audio quality isn’t great and can startle infants
Baby Unit Dimensions: 3.5” x 2.4” x 5.1”
Type: Audio and video
Mounting Type(s): Table or wall
Range: 1000 ft with parent unit, unlimited with smartphone app
Two-Way Audio: Yes
Night Vision: Yes
Warranty: 1 year
The Wyze Cam v3 Indoor/Outdoor Camera is a pretty high-quality choice considering its budget-friendly price tag. And this is most apparent when you take a look at its night vision. If you’re mostly wanting a baby monitor to check on your infant while they’re asleep, this is a perfect choice—its Starlight Sensor night vision adds tons of colour to those nighttime feeds, letting you see every detail.
It’s also compatible with voice assistants, so you can go hands-free in order to use the two-way talk system and any of its other features. You’ll be able to throw in a 32Gb MicroSD card in order to use the continuous recording mode. One of the things we love most is that it’s fully waterproof—once your baby has grown up, it can easily be repurposed as an outdoor security camera.
We have two major low points to mention before we wrap this up. First of all, this camera is not a true baby monitor—it doesn’t have any of the baby features you’re probably expecting. And while it might suck to do without those in the short term, you might appreciate it later on when you repurpose it. Also, it doesn’t come with a parent unit, so you’ll need to keep your phone with you at all times.
Overall, the Wyze Cam v3 Indoor/Outdoor Camera is a solid camera that can easily be used to keep an eye on your little one(s) while they’re out of sight. It might not be equipped with any true baby features, but you really can’t beat the quality of its night vision or its ease of installation.
Performance: 4/5
Usability: 4/5
Price: 5/5
Quality: 4.5/5
Reviewers are pretty happy with the Wyze Cam v3 Indoor/Outdoor Camera. Some of them had trouble getting it connected to their Wi-Fi network since the range for that is pretty low, but that’s really the only issue they ran into. They love that they can view the camera’s feed from anywhere, and the colour night vision makes it so, so easy for them to see every detail at night.
Buy If…
You want to repurpose it after your baby has outgrown it
Continuous recording appeals to you (it can fit a 32GB MicroSD card)
Nighttime viewing clarity is a priority—Starlight Sensor coloured night vision is unbeatable
You want to connect it to your home assistant
Don’t Buy If…
Baby features are important to you—it has none
You want a separate parent unit—it only connects to a smartphone
Baby Unit Dimensions: 1.5” x 1.5” x 3.4”
Type: Audio and video
Mounting Type(s): Table or wall
Range: Unlimited
Two-Way Audio: Yes
Night Vision: Yes
Warranty: 1 year
Some baby monitors will be priced lower than $35, others can cost $400 or more. In general, the more expensive baby monitors on the market will offer a full selection of baby features, will have exceptional audio and video quality, and will offer multiple viewing/listening options.
Baby monitors can offer either video or audio feedback, or both. Audio-only monitors will be the most affordable but will also be the most lacking in features. Video-only or dual monitors will be more expensive, but they also offer you way more information and are typically tricked out with all (or at least most) of the extras.
The range on a baby monitor can go in one of two directions. If you’re working with a parent unit linked to a baby unit, the range typically maxes out around 1000-1500 ft. If you have a monitor that is connected to Wi-Fi and has a companion app on a smartphone, you’ll be able to monitor the video feeds from anywhere. Choose what works for your lifestyle!
Almost every baby monitor will offer two-way audio, but the quality can vary significantly. If you want to be able to communicate with your baby when you aren’t in the room, you’ll want to check the reviews carefully to make sure that the audio will go through clearly and won’t end up scaring your young child. It happens.
Many baby monitors come with extra baby features that can make your life (and your baby’s) so much easier. These features can include a sound machine for lullabies, white noise, or nature sounds; a night light; temperature and humidity monitoring; sleep tracking (movement, breathing rate, etc.); and more! Not every baby monitor will have every feature, so it’s up to you to decide which ones you want.
Disclaimer: The prices displayed are accurate at the time of publication. We’ll do our best to keep them as up-to-date as possible, but you may see slight changes. The products in this list are ranked by independent third parties. Rankings are based on both reviews and independent testing.