Your baby’s safety and security is your topmost priority as a parent, which means that you need to know how to mount a baby monitor properly. Baby monitors are indispensable tools for parents because these gadgets allow you to keep an eye on your baby even if you are in other parts of the house doing chores, working, or simply taking a break. Baby monitors also help parents alert them when their baby is hungry or needs their diaper to be changed.
This article will help you find the best place to mount a baby monitor in your home and the precautions you need to take to ensure that the baby monitor is fixed firmly in a discrete and unobtrusive location.
How to Mount a Baby Monitor
Read the Manual First!
Every good baby monitor will come with a comprehensive manual. This manual will teach you how to use the baby monitor correctly, but it will also tell you other important details, such as where to mount the baby monitor, how to connect it to your Wi-Fi network, and how to sync it with your phone. The manual will also give you an overview of the baby monitor’s details, such as the clarity of audio and video, the size of its memory storage, and whether it can upload a video to cloud storage.
Location, Location, Location
According to the American Association of Pediatrics, it is recommended that the best place to mount a baby monitor is at least three feet away from the crib, especially if the baby monitor is wired. Babies have a tendency to grab hanging wires, and they can accidentally tug on the wire and cause the monitor to fall into the crib and injure them. The wire can also accidentally wrap around your baby and restrict blood flow or breathing. Even a baby monitor clip might not be enough to prevent your baby from accidentally pulling the monitor inside their crib.
Even if you have a newborn who might not tug the wire, you should still know how to mount a baby monitor at a safe distance. Just like any electronic gadget, baby monitors give off a small amount of radiation. Since your baby is at a critical phase of their growth and development, exposing them to even that tiny amount of radiation might not be a good idea.
Finding the Right Angle
Finding the right angle is critical to learning how to mount a baby monitor properly. You need to find a location that will give you the best view of your baby and a view of any entrance into your baby’s room, particularly the door and the windows.
Luckily for you, many baby monitors come with both wide-angle and moveable lens. The wide-angle will allow you to view a large part of the room, even if the focal point of the camera is on your baby’s crib. Since the camera is also moveable, you can adjust the camera’s view to a specific point in the room if there is something that you want to look at more closely. Furthermore, many high-end baby monitors come equipped with motion sensors and clear night vision, giving you peace of mind and confidence that your baby is safe and sound.
Be Mindful of the Cords
While injuries and deaths from dangling baby monitor cords are thankfully rare ( the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission or CPSC has recorded seven deaths and three near strangulations since 2002), it is still a nightmare scenario that no parent should ever experience. If possible, choose a wireless baby monitor to eliminate this possibility.
However, wireless baby monitors are expensive and might not be an option for all parents. If you have a wired baby monitor, do you know how to mount this baby monitor? The best thing for you to do is look for a cord management device, whether by using cord covers or double-sided tape to prevent the wire from dangling down into your baby’s crib.
Types of Baby Monitor Mounts
Here are four of the most common types of baby monitor mounts and how to mount each baby monitor:
1. Camera Stand
This type of baby monitor mount is best for placing your monitor in a fixed position. It should be mounted on a flat surface such as a diaper changing station or a shelf.
2. Flexible Tripods
Flexible tripods are great if you have limited space in your baby’s room because they have bendable legs that you can wrap around any pole or bar. They can be mounted either vertically or horizontally. However, these mounts are not as stable as mounts on a flat surface, and if the baby monitor is too large or heavy, it can topple over. What’s more, not all baby monitors can be mounted on a tripod.
3. Universal Mounts
There are many universal mounts available on the market these days, and they are designed to work with any baby monitor model. Many of them even come with a flexible arm so that you can adjust the monitor’s angle and a clip to help secure the mount. However, as with all generic items, they might not offer a stable mount for your baby monitor.
4. Baby Monitor Mounting Kit
A baby monitor mounting kit looks and works like a shelf specifically designed to hold a baby monitor. If you don’t have a free surface in your baby’s room, you can use a baby monitor mounting kit to mount it to the ceiling or the wall.
Conclusion
Now that you know how to mount a baby monitor properly, you should also consider whether the monitor’s signal is strong enough to reach you wherever you may be in your home. High-end monitors generally have stronger and clearer signals. While they are more expensive, you should consider investing in one since you will be gaining peace of mind, security, and confidence in your baby’s safety and security. Find out more about baby monitors.