Bump Ahead: Summer Infant BabyTouch Color Video Monitor Review

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When our son was born, I couldn’t take my eyes off him. I never wanted to put him down. Or leave him in a room without me nearby. Taking a shower while he napped was somewhat terrifying to me – I was sure that would be the exact moment something would happen.

I’m sure my new mom anxiety was overblown a bit. But boy it would’ve helped to have had a video baby monitor to give me a little more peace of mind! For this next baby, we will be using a video monitor (especially since I’ll have a toddler to entertain during our newborn’s napping hours, so I can’t be just star-gazing at a baby 24/7!).

We’ve been checking out the Summer Infant BabyTouch Color Video Monitor to keep track of our new little one! There’s many innovations on this video monitor:

• touch screen controls pan, scan, zoom, and brightness
• handheld unit (with a wireless, rechargeable docking station) lets you travel through the house while keeping an eye on baby
• magnetic docking station keeps the handheld video unit charged
• talk-back option lets parents speak into the handheld monitor and have their voice projected through the camera

The baby video monitor was easy to set up and install in our son’s room. The video shows up black and white when lights are out, but in daytime /lit rooms, the video is color.

We keep the handheld unit near us on the coffee table and giggle while watching our 2.5 year old’s antics when he is supposed to be sleeping! Boy, we had no idea he was singing and inventing so many great adventures when we thought he was in la-la land. And just yesterday, I saw him putting his WHOLE LEG up out of the crib! Yikes – this video monitor is alerting us that he will need to be transitioned to a big boy bed soon!

We did have an issue introducing the camera to him – for several weeks he would sob if he saw the camera out in his room. Finally, we realized it was the little green “on” light that alerted him something was different. So hubby colored a piece of tape with black marker and taped over the light. Now our son doesn’t mind the camera at all.

Then we had the obstacle of the talk-back feature. I was very excited, hoping it would be a great option for talking to him when he woke up too early in the morning and getting him to go back to sleep without me getting out of bed. We painstakingly sat with him and showed him how we talked into the handheld and the voice came out the camera (he tried it and was entertained). However, when we use this feature while not in the room with him, he is terrified and starts screaming and sobbing. So… we’ll have to wait and see how this feature will work with the new baby.

The voice quality on the talk-back feature is clear, although speak quietly because it can be a lot louder than you think when talking in a normal voice. I notice a faint static from the handheld when our son is sleeping (ie, when no other noises are present) – a teeny hiss that is minimal, however, I cannot have ANY noise when I sleep (not even “white noise”), so this monitor does not work well for me during the night, unfortunately.

Overall, though, we’re enjoying using the video monitor from Summer Infant and can’t wait to try it out with our newborn! I’d love to get additional cameras to see both the baby and our son as they will be in different rooms for awhile. It will be a good investment for us to make!

Summer Infant is a company with over 25 years of history making innovative baby/child products. From cribs to bathtubs and everything in between, their products focus on safety and nurturing your child! And, Summer Infant products have won many awards over the years for their ingenuity!

BUY IT:Find the Summer Infant BabyTouch Color Video Monitor at BabiesRUs.com and n stores. ARV $279.99.

WIN IT:One lucky reader wins their own Summer Infant BabyTouch Color Video Monitor! ARV $279.99. Enter in the Rafflecopter form below!
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GIVEAWAY RULES: Open in US. 18+ to enter/win. Winner will be emailed directly and have 48 hours to respond to claim their prize! Ends 11:59 on June 27, 2012. Fulfillment handled by Summer Infant. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook.

Thanks to Summer Infant for providing a monitor for review and offering the giveaway! All opinions are 100% my own!