Recently, I was pleased to have a chance to review the Motorola MBP 41 Video Baby Monitor! I used it with my 2 year old son. I haven’t actually used a monitor that often for him since he was a really tiny baby, but I knew we had a trip coming up where we would be staying in a hotel and my husband and I wanted to be able to use a monitor so I could be in Grandpa & Grandma’s room next door while he (and the other two kids) were asleep.
The only type of monitor we’d ever used before was the basic type with the receiver and unit that goes in baby’s room. It didn’t have very good range, so I was excited to see what I could do with a baby monitor that had a longer range and had a camera/video screen to boot.
One of the things I liked most about the monitor was that the camera pans and tilts to such a degree that I could make it move from one side of the room all the way around to the other and check on all three of my kids at the same time, as they slept at different ends of the room. I thought the picture quality was quite high, even when it was dark. If you zoom in too far, it gets more grainy, but the 2x zoom that the camera provides as an option wasn’t really necessary. When the lens of the camera turns and tilts, it is super quiet, so no noise to wake a sleeping child. In the photo below, you can see the quality of the monitor’s screen. My little guy was in his crib for a nap at home when I snapped this picture, and the room was pretty dark.
When I had the volume turned up, I noticed there was some feedback, but that could have been because I had a noise machine going in the room at the same time. You can easily mute the volume if you are constantly looking at it to check anyway. You can talk to your baby through the parent unit, and when we tested it at home before leaving for our trip, the kids had fun talking back and forth to each other.
The Motorola monitor could really be used for a number of purposes. You could put it on in the playroom and keep an eye on the kids while you step away for a few moments. I even used it out on my covered deck to keep track of the older two while they played in the sandbox. It has a 590 ft range and it warns you if you’re going out of range, so no guess work required like there is with my regular monitor. It has a good battery life and an antenna to help stretch the range. The 2.8″ screen is apparently smaller than some previous models, but I don’t necessary think a huge screen is necessary, especially because of the range of motion of the camera unit.
To be honest, I never thought I’d want to pay money for a video monitor, but after having tried the Motorola model, I really think this would be a worthwhile investment, especially if you are traveling or have more than one child. It gives me peace of mind to know I can see my little guy, especially when we’re away from home. I’m not always having to constantly check on him and listen at the door to see if he’s awake or if he needs something, because I can just take a quick peek at the monitor!
The Motorola MBP 41 Video Monitor retails for $199 and is available exclusively at Babies R Us. The unit comes with one camera, but can be expanded to up to four cameras. For more information, visit www.babiesrus.com.
I was provided a Motorola MBP 41 Video Monitor for the purposes of review. All opinions are my own.
Thanks for your review. I’ve been eyeing this baby monitor for a while and my hubby has finally given me a green light to buy. but we need 2 cameras. how difficult is it to set up the additional camera?
It shouldn’t be too hard! I haven’t done it, but I know that there are instructions for setting up a second unit and “syncing” it with the parent unit. I’m sorry I couldn’t be more helpful! But it shouldn’t be much trouble 🙂 I hope you enjoy the monitor!