Cloud Baby Monitor
Don’t do this.
Video monitor while traveling? A must. And it can be yours for just a few bucks (plus at least two Apple devices) (okay, more than a few bucks).
We’ve had a fine and perfectly acceptable audio monitor since Miles was born. However, the monitor won’t charge on 220 volts, which is used throughout most of Europe and Asia. I also wanted a video monitor so that I could watch Miles napping in out of the way, shared, or non-baby-friendly spaces. He has been napping his PeaPod, travel cot, or on a low/floor bed this summer, and I wanted to see what he was up to during naps.
So, in a pinch, right before I was supposed to go on stage and rehearse for the Indy Convergence, and when Miles had just begun a late-starting nap, I downloaded to the Cloud Baby Monitor to my iPad and iPhone. This app is dynamite. It works beautifully, and I have loved having a video monitor for the first time. The bad news is that you have to have two Apple i-devices or computers at the ready–one that you’re willing to leave in the room with the baby. You assign one as the parent unit and one as the child unit. The parent unit will run the monitor in the background if you want to use other apps while monitoring. You’ll continue to hear the audio when you’re posting your latest travel selfie to Instagram. Or, let’s face it, using the bathroom in peace.
The Cloud Baby Monitor will work on Bluetooth, WiFi, LTE or 3G. The Bluetooth feature is very handy when you’re staying somewhere without WiFi, or when it’s spotty, or when you don’t have unlimited cellular data coverage. If you’re travelling internationally, that’s likely. You can also talk to your little one, play music or white noise, use a cute nightlight or blackout the screen, and set sound and motion alarms, among other very useful features.