A baby monitor is a handy piece of equipment for many reasons. Because of how popular they are, many brands offer baby monitors to new parents in the hopes of making their lives less stressful. Today I’ll be taking a look at Nanit vs Nanit Plus vs Owlet vs Miku to help you decide which product is worth your time, effort and money.
Want to cut right to the chase? While the battle between these is a close one, the Miku Smart Baby Monitor comes out victorious. This is thanks to its impressive design, fantastic features and superior level of customer support. If you’d like more information on this wonderful product, scroll down to the very last review in this article. This product is the one I’m getting since my daughter is getting her separate room soon and we want to be able to monitor her during her resting time.
- What You Need to Know Before Buying a Baby Monitor
- My Top Picks
- Product Reviews
- Conclusion
What You Need to Know Before Buying a Baby Monitor
Before you dive right in and make your decision between Nanit vs Nanit Plus vs Owlet vs Miku it’s important to understand the basics of baby monitors. In this section, I’ll be filling you in on what a baby monitor is, why having one is important, the different types available, questions to ask before buying one as well as what features to keep your eyes peeled for.
What is a Baby Monitor and Why is it Important to Have One?
While a baby monitor does not necessarily form part of the basic needs of a parent, many parents class it as an essential piece of equipment. Why is that? It’s all in the name. A baby monitor allows you to monitor your baby without you physically having to be with them. The benefits of baby monitors are seemingly endless. From tracking your baby’s sleep to keeping your own anxiety at bay, here are the top benefits of baby monitors:
- Minimizes the risk of waking your baby up during nightly check-ins
- Allows you to monitor what your baby is up to
- Tracks baby’s sleep
- Assists in the infant sleep training process
- Gives you peace of mind when you’re in bed, at work or even doing chores around the house
The Different Types of Baby Monitors
There are three main types of baby monitors: wearable baby monitors, video baby monitors and audio baby monitors. All of the options on my list are classed as a combination of video and audio monitors, except for the Owlet Smart Baby Monitor Duo (Smart Sock + Camera) which is a wearable baby monitor.
In layman terms, a video monitor allows you to see your baby while an audio monitor allows you to hear him or her. As the name implies a wearable monitor is worn by your baby and reports important data like breathing patterns and sleep status back to dad.
Questions to Ask Before Buying a Baby Monitor
Choosing a baby monitor is an exciting task for fathers who love technology. That’s not to say that it doesn’t come without its challenges. Here are some important questions to ask to ensure you pick the right monitor for your needs.
- Is the monitor app compatible and will I be able to view my baby from my smartphone?
- What’s the range like? Will I be able to see my baby from the office? Will the range be able to penetrate plaster walls?
- Can I adjust the monitor remotely?
- Is the monitor mounted or portable?
Fantastic Baby Monitor Features to Keep Your Eyes Open For
Above and beyond being able to see and hear your baby at all times, not much else is required of a monitor. But the tech-savvy amongst us will appreciate the following features which are certainly worth having.
- Two-way communication – This feature allows you to communicate with your baby instead of just them to you.
- Room temperature reading – This feature means you’ll never again wonder whether your baby’s room is too hot or too cold.
- Vital monitoring – This feature allows you to track your baby’s vitals such as breathing patterns, pulse and sleeping status.
- Built-in lullabies or soothing sounds – This feature allows your baby to feel calm, soothed and ready to embrace sleep all without distorting the audio quality that the parent hears on the other end of the device.
My Top Picks
- Nanit’s 1st generation – Nanit Smart Baby Monitor and Wall Stand Gen 1 (Discontinued by Manufacturer)
- Runner-up – Nanit Plus – Smart Baby Monitor and Wall Mount
- Owlet Smart Baby Monitor Duo (Smart Sock + Camera)
- Best Overall – Miku Smart Baby Monitor
Product Reviews
Nanit’s 1st generation – Nanit Smart Baby Monitor and Wall Stand Gen 1
The first product I’ll be sharing with you is the Nanit Smart Baby Monitor. It’s important to know that this model has been discontinued but it IS still available for purchase. This product offers its users all sorts: overhead camera view, real-time data reporting and analysis, cable management and coaching. Working off Wi-Fi, this baby monitor visually and audibly tracks your baby and feeds the video and imagery to your smartphone.
Who This Product is Ideal for
Ideal for all parents but especially for those that have more than one baby. This is thanks to the seamless switching between camera views. Just click on your child’s name to bring up the live HD feed.
Why You Should Buy it
The Nanit Smart Baby Monitor Gen 1 enables you to monitor your baby in HD – from anywhere! You can also snap, share and save memorable moments it captured. It doubles as an LED nightlight which is great for soothing babies as well as helping dad navigate his way around the nursery at nighttime.
Product Specifications
- Dimensions: 24″ x 10″ x 66″
- Weight: 8.45lbs
- Sensor technology: Nightvision and room temperature
Pros
- Extremely easy to set up
- No blind spots
- Dual local and cloud streaming
- Audio continues to play even when you lock your phone
- Extensive data tracking capabilities
Cons
- Expensive
- Doesn’t work well with smart cribs
- Nanit Insights is not free
- Customer service is below standard
Runner-up – Nanit Plus – Smart Baby Monitor and Wall Mount
The Nanit Plus – Smart Baby Monitor is the next product up on my list. As you may have guessed, this product is the Nanit Smart Baby Monitor Gen 1‘s upgrade. The Nanit Plus Smart Baby Monitor offers users everything its predecessor does with a few major upgrades. It has two-way audio, advanced user permissions and is able to play nature sounds as well as white noise to lull your little one to sleep.
Who This Product is Ideal for
Ideal option for parents who are always on the go. This is thanks to its impressive compatibility with iOS, Android, Kindle and Echo Show devices. It should also be compatible with a SNOO smart sleeper bassinet – see the comments section of this post for more info or a blog post I wrote about it.
Why You Should Buy it
You should purchase it because it offers everything the previous model does and more. The ability to communicate back to your baby is priceless and is this product’s standout feature. This product’s LED lighting and white noise capabilities make this an excellent choice to soothe fussy babies. And, it comes with a floor stand option too.
Product Specifications
- Dimensions: 3.3″ x 3.5″ x 1″
- Weight: 1lb
- Sensor Technology: Nightvision and room temperature
Pros
- Same pros as found in the Gen 1
- Two-way audio
- Able to invite multiple members of your parenting team
- Able to zoom in on baby
Cons
- Same cons as found in the Gen 1
- Visual struggles to switch between day and night mode
- Connectivity issues
Owlet Smart Baby Monitor Duo (Smart Sock + Camera)
The Owlet Smart Baby Monitor Duo (Smart Sock + Camera) is the only wearable baby monitor that worked its way onto my list. Through smart socks you’re able to track your baby’s oxygen levels and heart rate while the Wi-Fi enabled HD camera allows you to monitor your baby’s activities. An incredible alert system is integrated into the design that includes app notifications as well as visual and audio alerts. The smart socks are designed to fit babies who weigh up to 25lbs and fit most babies until 18 months of age.
Who This Product is Ideal for
Perfect for first-time parents or those who are particularly anxious about their baby’s health and wellbeing.
Why You Should Buy it
If you love innovative technology you should undoubtedly buy the Owlet Smart Baby Monitor Duo. Plus, the Owlet Connected Care App is an invaluable tool for any parent – especially those with premature babies or babies with health conditions.
Product Specifications
- Dimensions: 3.5″ x 3.5″ x 0.7″
- Weight: 3.45lbs
- Sensor Technology: Nightvision
Pros
- Portable
- Monitors your baby’s vitals
- Two-way audio
- Able to x4 zoom in on baby
Cons
- Expensive
- Unable to monitor your baby while using other apps or when you lock your screen
- Shoddy customer support
- Socks have a low battery life (approx. 8 hours)
- Size of socks limits the amount of usage you get out of them
- Difficult to wash
- Owlet Connected Care App is not free
Best overall – Miku Smart Baby Monitor
The fourth and final baby monitor I’ll be sharing with you is the Miku Smart Baby Monitor. This award-winning baby monitor is sleek, streamlined and sophisticated. It offers its users portability, live data tracking, the ability to monitor your baby’s breathing as well as sleep status and his or her nursery conditions. Plus, it plays custom lullabies and sleep sounds designed to soothe your baby through the built-in dual Ole Wolff speakers. This baby monitor has been the recipient of all kinds of awards – from biotech awards to best of baby tech awards.
Who This Product is Ideal for
This product is ideal for each and every parent who can afford it. Whether you want to track and analyze your baby’s sleep health or check in on your little one while you’re at work, this product is ideal for any type of parent. The Miku Smart Baby Monitor is fitting for those who wish to track their baby’s breathing, sleep patterns and problems as well as the conditions of his or her nursery.
Why You Should Buy it
It is an award-winning product for a reason. You should consider purchasing it because of its extensive data tracking capabilities, sharing capabilities and built-in custom sleep sounds. Plus, it is the only product on my list that doesn’t ask users to pay a separate monthly fee to use its app which is something I appreciate – especially given the cost of how expensive all of these products are to begin with.
Product Specifications
- Dimensions: 2.6″ x 2.8″ x 5″
- Weight: 5.25lbs
- Sensor Technology: Nightvision and room temperature
Pros
- App fees are included in the cost to purchase
- Extensive data tracking capabilities
- Responsive customer support
- Two-way audio
Cons
- Expensive (although Miku does offer a financing plan through Affirm)
- Connectivity issues
Conclusion
And there you have it: the lowdown on Nanit vs Nanit Plus vs Owlet vs Miku and which one, in my opinion, is the best of the bunch. Both Nanit products, so the floor-stand and wall-mounted options are great and while I love the idea of the Owlet Smart Baby Monitor Duo its list of cons is simply far too long. The Miku Smart Baby Monitor simply offers parents everything they could ask for from a baby monitor – and more. However, if you have a SNOO bassinet, it’s not compatible with it. Miku’s is undeniably expensive but it makes for an incredible investment into the arsenal of a parent. Information is power and that’s what the Miku Smart Baby Monitor gives you.
If you fully benefit from what the high-tech world has to offer and happen to have a smart sleeper, e.g. from SNOO, then you may want to opt for Owlet. This baby monitor will pick up on your baby’s breathing regardless of whether the SNOO bassinet is moving or not so it won’t give you any false alarms. I wrote about it in another post.
Are you ready to get your baby monitor to get back some of your sleepless nights?
Last update on 2024-12-04 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
Have you been able to get the Miku to work well with the snoo? I have ours set up but it seems to pick up the snoo’s rocking pattern as breathing instead of the baby’s actual breathing patterns…
I’ve asked Miku Customer Care Team and they came back with some good answer. See my updated article!
We received the Owlet as a gift and I couldn’t be more disappointed. Its less than 6 months old, about 2 or so months of actual use and the sock base needs to be replaced already. Its covered under warranty but that means waiting anywhere from 4-8 days for them to process, ship, and us to receive the replacement. Meanwhile my wife won’t get ANY sleep in that time. No, sorry, we cant expedite that sir… You guys do realize we went to the moon right? You absolutely CAN expedite it, you are choosing not to. Just be honest about it. Additionally, the camera won’t connect now either and they are telling me that I need to call my ISP and have them split my internet because despite it being the last quarter of 2020, their product can’t work on a combined 2.4/5 ghz internet line. Just everything about this company is subpar, from the product, to the customer service, for the price you pay its simply a boarderline scam IMO. Ill be ordering the Miku out of pocket and shelving the Owlet once it arrives.
Dave, I’m very sorry to hear about your disappointment with the Owlet. This is why I didn’t really recommend this product in my comparison. I very much appreciate your detailed description of your problems: you’re helping a lot of other parents who read your comment and my review. I’m looking forward to hearing about your experience with the Miku. BTW, Miku should connect to your 2.4 GHz Wifi at home – both frequencies (2.4/5 GHz) can be running, just Miku will connect to a channel at the lower frequency. Hope your wife can get some sleep soon. I’ve just checked and Miku should arrive in just a few days when ordered via Amazon.
Does the Audio continue to play even when you lock your phone on the Miku? Or is this only true for the nanit? Thanks!
Miku audio should work also in that case – see this Q&A on Amazon https://www.amazon.com/ask/questions/Tx1MBFB46M9WI4R/ref=ask_ql_ql_al_hza
We just purchased the nanit based on reviews over the Miku. The quality of the camera is not what we were expecting for 1080p. It also seems to have loading issues. We have tested our WiFi and it seems to be more than adequate. Any suggestions on what is wrong? Should we try the Miku? We went with the nanit because of supposed better picture quality and less loading issues. As well as the sleep lab that is supposed to help with getting baby to sleep through the night. We have not been able to use the breathing wear with the nanit yet, when we put it on our baby it swallowed him whole and is just too much fabric around the neck currently. He is 2 weeks old and not quite 7 lbs. Also, another disappointing issue that we were not expecting.
You can try to check your available bandwidth to ensure you’re getting the best connection. Check the settings of your internet connection, and also your Nanit’s position with respect to the Wi-Fi router (Nanit says that they would need the same level). If it still doesn’t work, try to reset your router and try to connect again your Nanit. You can also ask for assistance with Nanit’s technical support for how to set it up properly. Regarding the sleep lab, you also need to check the size so it fits properly on the body. Make sure that the breathing band is not too tight or not too loose. To deliver the best sleep insights, Nanit needs to be set up properly according to the guidelines/tips. Otherwise you may go for the Miku which I selected in this review as the best device to go for.
Do you have a recommendation for a baby monitor to be used with the snoo?
That’s a great question. I’ve recently also thought of that possibility. The thing is many baby monitors incl. Nanit’s rely on using video and audio to trigger alerts when your baby is moving. At the same time SNOO creates both motion and sound which might interfere with Nanit’s operation. However as I’ve heard from other parents there are some users who use a Nanit and SNOO together without any issue (Nanit’s sensitivity to motion and sound is adjustable). I have to research more how other baby monitors operate, though if there can be an issue when using both a SNOO smart sleeper bassinet and a baby monitor.