Best baby monitors 2024: our expert picks from independent tests

Our Best Buy recommendations and expert buying advice will help you to avoid buying a baby monitor that cuts out, or lacks basic security to keep strangers from hacking into the video feed of your child.  

The best baby monitors revealed by our tests include audio-only and video, as well as smart wi-fi models that connect to your phone. There are options to suit every budget and need. 

We also offer expert advice on the best brands, features worth having and what you should spend. 

Go to our baby monitor reviews to see and compare more than 60 models we've tested

Best baby monitors for 2024

The following baby monitors are the very best of all the products we've tested.

Only logged in Which? members can see the results of our lab tests and find out which baby monitors are best. Which? is a not-for-profit organisation – every member subscription helps fund our charity's campaigns to make life simpler, fairer and safer for everyone. Not yet a member? Find out more, including how you can join Which?.

Best baby monitors overall

To discover the best audio, video and smart w-fi baby monitors we subject them to rigorous lab testing. We find the monitors with the longest battery life and the best signal, and weed out the models where the sound quality is so poor or the picture so fuzzy that you won't be able to tell if your baby needs you or not. 

If you're worried about stories you've read about wi-fi baby monitors being hacked, you'll be relieved to hear that we test for security and privacy as well.

Thanks to our test results, we can also save you money. Our results show that you don't always need to spend a fortune to get a Best Buy baby monitor.

Only logged in Which? members can see the results of our lab tests and find out which baby monitors are best. Which? is a not-for-profit organisation – every member subscription helps fund our charity's campaigns to make life simpler, fairer and safer for everyone. Not yet a member? Find out more, including how you can join Which?.

Baby monitor reviews by type

• Audio baby monitors
• Video baby monitors
• Smart wi-fi baby monitors

Baby monitors by price

• Baby monitors under £60
• Baby monitors under £100
• Baby monitors under £150
• Baby monitors under £200

Why you can trust our baby monitor reviews

We buy every single baby monitor that we test – that means we accept no 'free samples' from brands. 

We subject every model to the same independent lab testing and assessments, to make sure the results are accurate and comparable, regardless of how much the baby monitor costs. 

By doing it this way we find out which baby monitors have poor signal or underwhelm on video and picture quality. Whether you want an audio, video or smart baby monitor, our Best Buys will tick all your boxes for quality, reliability and performance. 

Read more about how we test baby monitors to find out exactly how tough and thorough our tests are.

Three key baby monitor considerations

• Picture and sound quality. Although you won't be watching Netflix on your baby monitor, you'll want to be able to see and hear your baby clearly. The best baby monitors will have smooth, steady video quality on a parent unit and/or app, and well-produced sound will help you tell a snuffle from a full-on cry.
• Battery life and range. If the baby monitor has a parent unit, you'll want its battery to last a full evening to maximise convenience. When moving it around the house or garden while your baby sleeps, it must always get a steady signal without dropping out.
• Convenience. All baby monitors are fully tested for how easy they are to set up and use. We also look at how convenient they are, in terms of well-designed parent units and useful apps to download to your phone. Good models will have useful features such as room-temperature sensors and sound-sensitive lights. 

Preparing for a growing family

Our expert advice helps you make the best decisions for your loved ones

Visit our growing families hub

Audio, video or smart wi-fi baby monitor?

Audio baby monitors

These are typically quite inexpensive. They generally comprise two physical parts: one that stays in the nursery (the baby or nursery unit) and one you keep with you (say, clipped to your belt) in the room you're in. You can then listen out for any cries or noises.

Video baby monitors

A video monitor also has two parts, but the baby unit has a camera that sends pictures back to the parent unit. This means you can see, as well as hear, your baby. Some are quite basic, but more expensive models often have large screens and cameras that can pan around the room or even zoom in. 

Smart wi-fi baby monitors

Some wi-fi baby monitors have parent units, but typically you monitor your baby using your phone or tablet via an app. 

A parent unit on traditional baby monitors will only work in the house and maybe as far as the garden. But a smart wi-fi monitor can work wherever you are, as long as you have a decent wi-fi signal. This means you can check in when you’re at work or away from home. 

Make sure you get one with strong security features and encryption to ensure your feed can’t be hacked and read our tips on keeping your baby monitor safe from hackers.

How much do I need to spend on a baby monitor?

You can buy a basic audio monitor for less than £25 while a top-of-the-range model with multiple cameras could cost more than £300. An expensive, feature-packed baby monitor doesn't mean it will be the perfect piece of safety equipment for you, so we test its key features, such as battery life and signal strength. 

You can get a Best Buy baby monitor from £35 and we also now highlight Great Value baby monitors – these baby monitors are decent options that are also at least 20% cheaper than the average price for comparable monitors we've tested. 

Where to buy a baby monitor

When buying a baby monitor, make sure it's from a reputable seller. Check the retailer's returns policy, and pay attention to customer feedback and reviews. For more details on shopping online safely and arranging refunds for faulty products, see our advice on shopping online. 

Amazon, Argos, Boots and John Lewis are some of the most searched-for baby monitor retailers at the time of writing. We’ve included links to these retailers because of their stock availability, best-value price or warranty options. 

• Amazon – has hundreds of baby monitors in stock, but check the listing carefully, as some tech may not be UK models. You should also try to stick to products fulfilled by or sold by Amazon, as it’s much easier to resolve issues direct if something goes wrong. 
• Argos – sells a mixture of video and digital audio baby monitors. Prices start at around £20 for basic models and go up to nearly £400. Argos offers same-day in-store collection at selected Sainsbury's stores, and you can bump up your Nectar points when you shop there. Boots
• Boots – stocks a small range of baby monitors, the majority from Angelcare, BT and Motorola. Prices range from £30 to £300, and you can get free home delivery or in-store click and collect. You also get points on your Advantage card. John Lewis
• John Lewis – sells a range of baby monitors from brands including Angelcare, Babymoov and Nanit. Prices start at around £30 and go as high as £300. Most come with a one or two-year warranty at no extra cost and John Lewis generally scores highly in our annual retailer survey of more than 2,000 members of the public.

How to set up your baby monitor safely

Whatever type of monitor you choose, you'll need to consider how and where you place the baby unit near your child – so you can hear and see them while they sleep – and make sure there are no safety concerns.  

• Don't mount the monitor on the cot – the cables could pose a strangulation risk or parts could become loose and cause a choking hazard. Plus, older children could use the monitor as a foothold to climb out of the cot.
• The baby monitor ideally should be placed at least a metre (3ft) away from a cot, crib or play area.
• If you wall-mount the monitor with the required fittings, be careful of any dangling cables, as they could pose a strangulation risk.
• With smart monitors, you also need to consider whether the device has good security against hacking attacks and threats to your home privacy. Find out all you need to know in our guide, could my baby monitor get hacked? 

Can I use a second-hand baby monitor?

In our 2024 survey of 3,030 parents, nearly a third told us their old baby monitor was given as a gift to family/friends (16%), donated to charity (8%) or sold on a second-hand marketplace (6%). 

As long as they're in working order, there's nothing wrong with saving money by receiving or buying a second-hand audio or video baby monitor.

With smart baby monitors, you need to be a bit more careful. Make sure the previous owner has fully deleted their information and account access before you take ownership of the product. 

Also, smart monitors are only supported by the manufacturer for a certain period of time. Do your research before buying, including contacting the company to see if the model you're considering is still supported, and for how long. 

Our survey also showed that 8% of parents disposed of their baby monitor by putting it in the bin. If you aren’t able to donate or sell your baby monitor please be sure to check whether your local recycling center accepts devices like baby monitors to avoid it going straight into landfill.