Nanit Pro Baby Monitor Review
With crystal-clear 1080p HD video quality and advanced tracking of your baby’s vitals, the Nanit Pro baby monitor sets new standards for monitors all around. According to manufacturers, it brings state-of-the-art technologies to your nursery, guaranteeing you better sleep at night and more freedom during the day.
However, like all mothers, I was a bit hesitant to try it once I knew its price. Is it worth it to buy the Nanit Pro when more affordable monitors are available everywhere? That’s what I’m about to unveil in this detailed review, so tag along!
Nanit Pro Baby Monitor in a Nutshell
Having tried many baby monitors up to this day, I can confidently say that the Nanit Pro lives up to its expectations. It can operate with or without WiFi and has an innovative companion app that you can use to watch your baby from anywhere in the world, as long as you have your smartphone. Using it, you’ll enjoy a premium-quality 130° view of your baby.
Best of all, the monitor comes with a breathing band that tracks your baby’s breath rate and alerts you in case of any changes.
Pros:
- Provides 1080p HD video quality
- Unlimited distance range, thanks to its WiFi compatibility
- Comes with a companion app where you can track your baby’s vitals and sleep quality
- The app provides personalized tips to help you improve your baby’s sleep quality
- Has three mounting options that you can choose from while purchasing (wall mount, floor stand, and flex stand)
- Doesn’t come with a battery, so you don’t have to worry about it losing charge and dying
Cons:
- Pricier than the average baby monitor
- Doesn’t come with a parent unit, so you’ll have to use your phone to watch your baby
A Breakdown of All Nanit Pro’s Features
If you’re having trouble choosing a baby monitor, here’s a breakdown of the Nanit Pro’s features to help you figure out if it’s the one for you!
Operating Method
The Nanit Pro baby monitor mainly operates over WiFi, which is how most baby monitors work nowadays. You’ll need a stable internet connection to use the monitor for the first time and connect it to the application on your phone. After that, you won’t need WiFi 24/7.
While having an internet connection allows you to use more features on the Nanit application, the monitor doesn’t need it to work. You’ll still get a clear image on your phone of your baby sleeping if the power goes out and your router turns off.
As long as your smartphone and the Nanit Pro are connected to the same local network, even if the WiFi isn’t on, you’ll be good to go. However, this means that while the WiFi is off, you won’t be able to go very far from your baby, as your phone and the Nanit camera need to stay close.
Now, I find this feature excellent because my biggest beef with WiFi monitors is the fact that they don’t work if the power goes out. Nanit solved this solution with their innovative technologies, redefining WiFi baby monitoring everywhere.
Video and Audio Quality
The Nanit Pro doesn’t disappoint when it comes to video quality. It gives you a high-quality view of your baby with its 1080-pixel camera and zoom option. While zooming will reduce the quality a bit, you’ll still see your baby’s features as clear as day.
Best of all, the Nanit camera provides a wide-angle view of your baby, so no matter where you put the little bundle of joy to sleep, you’ll be able to keep a watchful eye.
While I love the crisp quality of this monitor, I don’t think it’s a feature worth denting your wallet over. As a mother, I only care about seeing if my baby moves and wakes up. I don’t need the extra details unless I’m recording a video of a dear memory. It’s an appreciated feature, but if you’ll stretch your budget beyond reason for it, you should think twice.
As for audio quality, it’s not as high-quality as video, but it exceeds expectations. It might sound a bit hollow, but you’ll still hear clearly if your baby cries.
Mounting Options
The Nanit Pro comes with three mounting options that come at different prices, a flex stand, a wall mount, and a floor stand.
Flex Stand
The Nanit monitor’s flex stand is my favorite out of the three, and I’ll tell you why. First off, it’s the most portable. At 3.5 x 3.5 inches, you can fit it anywhere, even your purse, if you go out with your baby. Also, it’s the most affordable option.
While it doesn’t give you a birds-eye view of the crib, it’s an ideal choice if you put your baby to sleep in different places, like the bassinet or car seat.
Wall Mount
Nanit’s wall mount is a highly practical option, especially for parents who don’t want to bother with finding a suitable place for the monitor every night. Instead of putting your Nanit camera on any surface, you’ll mount it on the wall next to the crib in an overhead fashion.
This setup gives you a birds-eye view of the crib, but it provides poor portability when compared to the other two options. If you put your baby to sleep anywhere other than the crib, you won’t be able to use the Nanit Pro to watch them.
Floor Stand
Nanit’s floor stand is the manufacturers’ newest addition to the monitor, and it gives you a crystal-clear overhead view of your baby. It comes with adjustable heights that you can change according to where your baby is sleeping, and you can rest assured that it never topples.
While I prefer the flex stand because I travel with my children a lot, the floor stand comes a close second. You can put it anywhere in the house, and it doesn’t take up much space. The only catch is its expensive price.
No Battery
The Nanit Pro doesn’t operate with batteries. Instead, it needs to be plugged into an electrical outlet. This feature was a double-edged sword for me because while I didn’t have to worry about the monitor dying, it limited the places where I could put it.
If you buy this monitor, you need to make sure there are conveniently placed electrical outlets in your nursery. If not, you’ll have to use a power strip, which makes for a tripping hazard if you have toddlers running around.
Companion App
There’s one feature I enjoyed the most while trying the Nanit Pro, and it’s definitely its companion app. It’s intuitive and insanely easy to use, even for grandparents and uneducated nannies. Once you open it, you’ll be greeted with a live feed from the camera, along with a few metrics, like the temperature in the nursery.
If you dive deeper into the app, you’ll be able to adjust the output audio levels, monitor your baby’s breathing band vitals, and read reports about how well your baby sleeps at night.
Also, the application gives you a free year of Nanit’s introductory subscription plan, Insights Basic. This plan gives you customized tips according to your baby’s sleep patterns, which is an exceptional feature for first-timers.
The only issue I faced with the app was that the live feed drained my smartphone’s battery. Considering that the Nanit Pro doesn’t come with a parent unit, you’ll have to use your phone to monitor your little one, which can be inconvenient. If you get the Nanit Pro, I highly recommend dedicating an old phone in your house to it, rather than using your own.
Breathing Band
The Nanit Pro comes with a sensory breathing band that your baby can wear around the chest while sleeping. It’s a small piece of fabric with a Velcro fastener to close around your baby’s clothes tightly.
The band tracks your baby’s breathing rate and sends you an alert if it changes for any reason. This feature proves worthy for babies with allergies or respiratory problems, as it gives the parents more peace of mind, knowing that they’ll know in case of any problem.
While the band is said to last from 0-3 months only, you can use it till your baby outgrows it without an issue.
Extra Features
The Nanit Pro comes with a few luxurious features that make your parental experience much easier. Here’s a brief roundup of them.
Nightlight
If your baby fears the dark and you’re trying to transition them into sleeping in a separate room, you’ll appreciate the Nanit Pro’s nightlight feature. It gives off a warm glow that lights the room just enough to calm your baby without waking them up. This feature makes the monitor more cost-effective, as you won’t have to buy a separate nightlight.
Talk-Back Functionality
The Nanit Pro features a talk-back functionality that allows you to communicate with your baby through it. Suppose your baby wakes up, and you want to lull them back to sleep without getting up. You can use the monitor to sing a lullaby or tell them soothing words.
While many parents adore this feature, it wasn’t it for me. My babies didn’t fall back asleep just from hearing my voice, so I had to get up each time. The only times I found it useful was when I left my children with a nanny and wanted to talk to her through it!
Noise Maker
Most babies nowadays need white noise to sleep, and the Nanit Pro makes it easier for parents to play it. It features an innovative noise maker that produces white noise, soothing nature sounds, and more. I absolutely loved this feature when I tried the Nanit monitor, as it saved me the cost of buying a separate white noise device.
Split-Screen Functionality
The Nanit Pro has a remarkable feature for parents with twins. It allows you to view visual outputs from two cameras at once, giving you the chance to monitor two babies simultaneously on the same screen. Instead of using two cameras and two parent units, you’ll use two cameras and one smartphone.
The Nanit Pro Baby Monitor: Buy or Pass?
I loved every second of using the Nanit Pro baby monitor, but I admit it fell short at some points.
Its pure video and audio quality exceeded my expectations, as I felt like I was right there with my baby in the room. I also liked its mounting options, calming nightlight, and non-WiFi operating method. Still, the companion app was my favorite feature because of its intuitiveness and detailed reports.
On the other hand, I felt like the Nanit Pro is a bit overpriced for a baby monitor. It’s an excellent choice if your budget allows it, but if it doesn’t, I think that you can find more suitable options.
My final verdict is that the Nanit monitor is an exceptional choice if you can handle its price and have a smartphone that you can use to watch your baby.
If you want to have more options, check out my guide about the best baby monitors!