These are the best baby monitors money can buy and here's why

Packed with useful features that we'd expect on a premium monitor - including colour night vision, temperature monitoring, and tilt, zoom, and 360° pan functionality - yet significantly cheaper than many smart monitors, this is our pick of the best baby monitor to buy in 2023.

Buy it if: You want a smart baby monitor that you can access via your phone. 'I like the fact that it comes with a smart app that I can access on my phone,' says our tester. 'It gives you free live remote access to the camera so I can keep a close eye on Logan at all times - even when I'm out and he's with a babysitter.' It also has adjustable tilt, zoom, and 360° pan functionality, so you won't miss a thing during naps or at night.

Don't buy it if: You want to spend less time on your phone and you're not really into smart gadgets. You do have the option to use the parent unit with this monitor if you would prefer not to use your phone to view footage from your baby's room but there's little point choosing a smart monitor if you're not likely to use the smartphone functionality - you're better off with a simpler model that you access via the parent unit.

Read our full VTech RM7767HD Smart 7-inch Video Baby Monitor review 

The Nanit Pro Smart Baby Monitor is an expensive option so it won't appeal to everyone but it's one of the best baby monitors you can buy if you're looking for a premium smart monitor with an array of features that you won't find on less expensive devices.

Buy it if: You're happy to download an app and pair the camera with your smartphone, where you'll be able to view high-res images and video footage. It's also a good choice if you like the idea of your partner or perhaps the baby's grandparents being able to view the camera too, as you can add multiple users but it's data encrypted for security.

Don't buy it if: You're not interested in analysing your child's data and just want a simple baby monitor. 'The insights on how well your baby has slept and for how long could be very useful if you're trying to establish a good sleep routine,' says our tester. 'The app also tracks developmental milestones - including baby's height - and collates all the information in a digital scrapbook. This could be lovely to look back on as it's hard to remember much when you're sleep-deprived in the early days.'

Read our full Nanit Pro Smart Baby Monitor review

We've named this the best budget baby monitor you can buy. For significantly less cash than other monitors, it comes with everything you need to keep tabs on your baby - plus the addition of a reliable movement sensor for further peace of mind.

Buy it if: Tracking your baby's breathing is important to you but you'd rather not attach a wearable device to your baby. The movement sensor can be placed under the cot mattress and tracks your baby’s chest as it rises and falls, as well as every wriggle and turn so you know how your baby is sleeping at all times. The alarm on the parent unit sounds after 20 seconds of no movement, and our tester reported zero false alarms.

Don't buy it if: Super-sharp high-resolution camera footage is your number one priority - other monitors do that better, although this one does a more than adequate job of giving you a clear picture of your baby in real time. The zoom and pan camera gives a good view of your baby and the large full-colour LCD display on the parent unit has easy-to-use touch controls.

Read our full Angelcare Ac327 3-in-1 Baby Movement Monitor review

With the ability to view video footage of your baby on both the five-inch parent unit and on a smart app on your phone or tablet, this monitor has rechargeable batteries and WiFi connectivity so you can use it freely around the house or take it with you on holiday.

Buy it if: Picture quality is your priority. ‘As it’s made by Kodak we expected the image to be great quality and it was, particularly at night due to infrared night vision,’ says our tester. ‘Additionally, you can take photos using the app, which is a nice feature when your little one is sleeping in a funny position and you want to capture the moment.’

Don't buy it if: You're not likely to use the tilt, pan, and zoom functionality as these features make this monitor stand out from others, along with the vox function - which lets you talk to your baby from another room - and is 'invaluable' according to our tester. 'The ability to turn down the sensitivity setting means you aren’t disturbed every time your child moves or if they are a noisy sleeper - which Oli most definitely is,' she says.

Read our full Kodak Cherish C525 Video Baby Monitor review

The Owlet Monitor Duo+ combines the Smart Sock - which your baby wears while sleeping - and the new Owlet Cam which tracks your child's heart rate, oxygen level, and sleep trends with HD video.

Buy it if: You're happy for your baby to wear the sock provided and don't mind running the monitor via an app on your phone. The camera then needs to be positioned at the optimum height so you can see your baby clearly. Finally, you need to download the Owlet Care app and link your smartphone to the camera.

Don't buy it if: You're not an avid phone user - unlike our tester. 'It's really handy having the dedicated Owlet app on my phone and I like the fact that it will send you notifications if it detects movement or sound,' she says. 'This is useful when my phone is on mute. I found the sock readings really interesting and I think it would be really useful if you have a poorly baby as you can see the heart rate and oxygen levels clearly.'

Read our full Owlet Duo Smart Sock + Cam review

The digital feed on the Babymoov YOO Moov baby monitor goes straight to the 4.3-inch parent unit so it's a brilliant buy if you're keen to avoid a baby monitor that relies on you having the accompanying app or smartphone.

Buy it if: You just want a basic but reliable video monitor rather than a smart model that doesn't rely on using your phone as the parent unit. It's sometimes the case that a basic monitor offers basic image quality but that's not a problem with this one - our tester found the picture quality sharp and says it offered a good view of the child.

Don't buy it if: You don't really need a 360-degree view of your baby's room as that's its main selling point. Our tester thinks this is the best baby monitor if you have siblings sharing a room and want to keep tabs on both kids simultaneously. 'It's easy to see them wriggling around or, hopefully, sleeping soundly. The camera moves almost silently so I didn't worry about it waking Oli up - this is particularly reassuring if you have a baby that stirs at the slightest noise.'

Read our full Babymoov YOO Moov Video Baby Monitor review

Designed to monitor children up to five years old, this camera provides a high-definition video stream of your child directly to a dedicated smart app on your phone or tablet and will alert you if they move or make a sound. Should your child’s face become covered or if they roll over in their sleep, you'll receive alerts directly to your smartphone.

Buy it if: Tracking sleep data and movement is important to you. The app tracks your baby's every move throughout the night so you can easily get to know their sleep routine. For older children, the app can alert you if your child has moved from a certain ‘safe’ zone in your home. For instance, if your child was about to enter the kitchen, you would get an instant notification on your smartphone.

Don't buy it if: You're not keen on techy gadgets. Our tester found the setup process time-consuming but the camera was quick to pair to the app on his smartphone. 'But the first night we used it, the camera disconnected and wouldn’t reconnect and this was frustrating,' he adds. 'However, I think it was something to do with our WiFi connection. Once it was paired up again I was able to access a live video stream with a chronological display of auto-captured photos and videos as Arlo moved around throughout the night.’

Read our full Cubo Ai Plus Smart Baby Monitor review

With a parent unit that has an impressive 300m wireless connectivity range, this monitor delivers high-definition footage directly to your smartphone. The remote pan, tilt, and zoom feature means you can control the angle of the camera from your smartphone or the parent unit, while infrared night vision gives you a clear view of your child when night falls.

Buy it if: You want the flexibility of choosing whether to view the camera's footage on the parent app or on your smartphone. We also like that you can flip down a shutter on the camera to temporarily block live stream footage. A flashlight on the back of the parent unit is a nice touch and gives instant light when it’s dark.

Don't buy it if: You're not likely to use the musical features or take advantage of its flexibility. ‘I like that I don't have to worry about downloading the app on the babysitter's or my mum's phone when they are looking after Noah,' explains our tester. 'I also think it has a good range of lullabies, white noise, and stories you can play to soothe baby. In particular, Noah liked the Hubble version of Twinkle Twinkle.' The parent unit also doubles up as an ‘interactive baby tablet’.

Read our full Hubble Connected Nursery Pal Premium review

Like the Angelcare AC327, the Tommee Tippee Dreamee Sound, Motion, and Video Baby Monitor features a movement sensor pad. It also has the functionality to play lullabies and sounds to soothe your baby, along with tilt, pan, and zoom functionality. Additionally, the night light works automatically when the light level falls.

Buy it if: You're looking for a simple but effective baby monitor with lots of useful features but without needing to use your smartphone to view the footage. Our tester found the settings on the parent unit intuitive to use and could customise how she viewed all the information, choosing easily between the six lullabies and nature sounds. 'It even has a feeding reminder, which would be particularly useful during the newborn stage of parenthood,' she adds.

Don't buy it if: You'd prefer a baby monitor with smart capabilty. 'That's the only thing this monitor lacks, so you can't get information directly to a smartphone unfortunately - it's only accessible via the parent unit,' says our tester. That said she thinks it's a good buy. ‘I like the reassurance the sensor mat provides and the fact that the camera isn’t too noisy and only transmits when the baby makes a sound.'

Read our full Tommee Tippee Dreamee Sound, Motion & Video Baby Monitor review