Best Baby Monitors of 2023

Nearly all baby monitors have a camera and mic that stay in the baby’s room. (There’s currently just one audio-only model in our baby monitor ratings.) Many models also let you talk to the child through the monitor or even play a lullaby. Typically, you can buy a second camera that you can monitor on the same screen if you have more than one small child. Most baby monitors can use an infrared function that allows you to watch the baby even when the room is dark, albeit in black and white.

When it comes to watching the video feed, baby monitors fall into two broad categories. Some models transmit the sound and visuals via radio waves to a receiver unit that you can carry with you from room to room. The second type of baby monitor doesn’t come with a receiver but instead connects to WiFi, and sends the audio and video through the internet to the manufacturer’s servers, then to your smartphone. Each type has benefits and drawbacks. 

Models that use your smartphone as the display are convenient because many of us carry our phones around with us at all times. If you’re out on a date night or at work, you can check in on your baby directly, instead of just asking the caregiver for a report.

However, baby monitors that come with a separate display unit have an advantage when it comes to security. The video feed stays local, in your home. That means the feed is less likely to get hacked—something that has happened from time to time, though it’s rare. And the manufacturer can’t access the video and other information that can be gleaned from the device, either. 

Consumer Reports tested baby monitors on factors including ease of use and the quality of the video feed. But we put the internet-connected baby monitors through additional evaluations because of potential risks. Most of them received middling marks for security against potential hacking and for privacy—how the companies collect and handle data from the devices.