Disclosure: I am part of the PTPA Brand Ambassador Program with Philips Avent and I received compensation as part of my affiliation with this group, however all opinions are my own!
Hands down, one of the hardest things about having a baby is the lack of sleep. I never really appreciated sleep until I had a colicky baby. If you are one of those moms that has a magic unicorn baby that came home and slept through the night – well then, move right along and don’t tell me that. I might cry. Neither of my kids slept through the night until a year (for real, y’all. It was painful), and right now we are smack dab in the middle of Lily’s 18-month sleep regression. If there one thing that has consistently worked for me as a mom, it is the fact that sleep training works. It’s not easy by any means, but it works. I won’t get into all the methods and techniques, because there are SO many different options with SO many opinions on the matter. I will share the why – because I was exhausted and needed sleep to survive. So, we used gentle sleep training methods with both our kids with success.
Although it requires commitment and persistence, sleep training is worth it. One thing that made sleep training infinitely easier for us was using a video monitor. It allows you to check in on bebe, it helps calm your nerves, and just makes life with a baby a little bit easier. I don’t think Ryan was 100% on board with getting a video monitor when I was pregnant with Andrew – I’m pretty he sure he thought it was a waste of money. However, our first video monitor died when Andrew was still a young infant, and Ryan was as adamant as I was that we NEEDED a new video monitor that same day. Even the Budgetmaster saw the value in a video monitor (I’ll be honest, they’re not cheap, but SO worth it. If you are debating on whether to splurge on a video monitor, I would strongly suggest you do it!)
The Philips Avent Digital Video Monitor has all the features to help with sleep training – plus more that are just nice to have! The video is crystal clear, and the audio is fantastic. The battery even lasts for ten hours unplugged – you know, for moms like me that fall asleep with monitor on their lap while sleep training. For me, having a video monitor was critical so I could check on them without going into the room to gauge whether they might settle without Ryan or I going in to soothe them. There were definitely times when it sounded like they were pretty upset and not even close to sleeping, but a quick check on the video monitor allowed us to see that they were lying down and settling themselves. If I didn’t have the video, I definitely would have gone in and disturbed them as they were trying to sleep.
An amazing feature of the Philips Avent Digital Video Monitor is the vibrate feature. It is SO difficult to listen to a baby trying to learn to fall asleep on their own, as they fuss and try to soothe themselves. The vibrate feature actually allows to you turn off the audio, and it vibrates whenever a sound is detected. Definitely a sanity-saver.
The Philips Avent Digital Video Monitor has so many great features, as well as all the standard video monitor features – it has a nightlight to turn on (perfect for middle of the night feedings!), you can check the temperature in the room, turn on lullabies, and even has a talk-back feature. I made a lot of wise-ass cracks about the talk-back feature when I was pregnant – “Who is actually going to sit on the couch and talk to their baby through the monitor?!?” Uh, this mom. I definitely did that ALL THE TIME. When we were sleep training, I used the same phrase over and over to encourage sleep. When Andrew would wake up or fuss, I would sit there on the couch, grab the monitor and repeat that same phrase, and he went right back to sleep. Yup, I definitely ate my own words. Another great feature is the ability to adjust the sensitivity to make sure you’re only hearing what you want to hear. When Lily is sick, I can crank it up to listen to her breathing, or turn it down on normal nights so I’m not listening to cars driving by on the street. It is really easy to use – I figured out how to use all the features without looking at the manual.
The monitor comes with hardware to mount it, but I just leave it on a shelf – it provides a perfect view of the crib, and I can grab it easily when I’m putting the kids down to sleep somewhere else. It’s so light and portable, it’s perfect for travelling.
The Philips Avent Digital Video Baby Monitor has created a device that will most definitely help new parents – especially when it comes to sleep training!
Want to hear the most exciting part? Philips Avent is giving away TWO video monitors to two lucky winners! Enter through the link below. For Canadian residents only excluding Quebec.
I’ve never had a video monitor before but would love one with our new baby we are expecting next month!
We originally had an audio only monitor, but you’re right, for sleep training the video makes a huge difference. Our first video monitor died and now we have an older second-hand one. An upgrade would be welcomed, for sure!
We had a video monitor and it was great! Especially when we switched my older into a big boy bed. I could see him escape and go collect him and put him back to bed. We went through two different ones so far. Apparently we break everything in our house!
I have a grand niece coming in Feb. and her Mom would love it!
We are currently expecting our first in 3-4 weeks and know a monitor like this would be perfect to help watch over our little one!
I do not have a video monitor but would love to have one
Wow, sounds like this video monitor has it all. Great features that would definitely help with sleep training. Currently have a 8 month old that is up 3-4 times a night and I’m exhausted. Video monitor would be a life saver.
I do not have a video monitor and I have a baby on the way and would really like this video monitor!
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