After the nine months of pregnancy, the baby is born and then the infant is brought home from the hospital. Having a baby can be a wonderful as well as a nerve wracking experience, especially for new parents. However, it is virtually impossible to stay with your new baby every moment of the day and night, so a baby monitor will prove to be a valuable tool in caring for your baby and yourself.

A baby monitor is actually a radio transmitter that enables you to listen in on your little one at all times of the day and night. Baby monitors are compact, two-part gadgets. There is a transmitter that is placed near the sleeping infant and a receiver that the parents keep near them. The receiver will amplify any noise that your little one makes.

Different types of baby monitors are available, there are audio and audio-visual baby monitors as well as specialized ones that can even sense the body movements and breathing of the baby. For something as essential as a monitor, it's worth getting the best model you can afford.

The audio monitor, which is the most popular kind of baby monitor, has two types, namely: analog and digital. However, there are interferences, which let analog monitors lose their capability. Mobile phones and cordless phones cause analog monitors to function poorly. The more modern monitors, like so much else these days, use digital technology (Digital Enhanced Cordless Technology). This would mean a clearer signal, and an increased range of operation.

Audio-visual monitors are considerably more costly than basic audio monitors, but make some parents feel much more comfortable about being in a separate room. It allows you to see your baby as well as hear every movement. Some camera monitors work in color and some have infrared technology to work in poorly lit rooms. Always make sure that the microphone attached to the camera is ultra sensitive so that you can even hear a pin drop.

There are also baby monitors with mattress motion sensor wherein a pad is placed under the crib mattress that senses every move of the baby. It doesn't mean that an alarm is going off frequently, as all babies move while they sleep, but when the baby doesn't move for a specific amount of time then the alarm in the monitor will sound. This is especially good for peace of mind if you're worried about Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS); however, don't rely on it as prevention.

In this day and age, there are a number of safety measures we all must abide by to ensure the well being of our babies. In the home, a baby monitor can be a great device allowing you to keep tabs on your little one; it offers parents an added element of safety and security.

Although a baby monitor is a great help in caring for infants, it can never be a substitute for proper parental supervision. So, you should always make sure you could get to your baby immediately whenever he or she needs you. Go to the Internet to find a very good selection of baby monitors at competitive prices.

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