Baby monitors are one of my favorite items to review, and often my most asked about item for baby registries. I think everyone knows I consider it a must-have nursery item. So what makes someone choose one video monitor over the other? The answer gets a bit more complicated since it all comes down to what you need it to do for you. With several new tech companies trying their hand at video monitors (quite impressively, I might add), you have the pick of the pack. But Summer Infant started it all, and they came back strong with the Summer Infant Baby Pixel. Let’s see why the Baby Pixel, in my opinion, is the best monitor they have ever made.
Summer Infant Baby Pixel
Somewhere around 7 years ago I bought my very first baby monitor, the Summer Infant Baby Touch. Despite a few scratches from use and a crack from being dropped, I still have that monitor in the closet. I use it for travel now. What this says is the original is still the best — and I would know, I’ve made it my job to find these things out. Summer Infant monitors are durable, easy to use, are packed with features and if you ever do have an issue, their customer service is second to none. I actually had an issue with my camera about 6 years ago and they helped me in the kindest way possible. Since then I have raved about them and recommend them at every corner because when it comes to tech products, customer service is half the battle.
What we love
The Summer Infant Baby Pixel comes with all your standard features for a first class video monitor including pan/tilt/zoom, 100% digital technology, night vision, temperature reading (a must have in my opinion), talk back, an expandable system (meaning you can add other cameras to the system), a huge 5” LED touchscreen, and a whopping 1000 foot range.
However it is also packed with goodies you won’t find on other systems, my favorite being the SleepZone™ Virtual Boundary. I didn’t know I needed that feature until I got it! The SleepZone™ Virtual Boundary lets you set a virtual box around the baby and alerts you if they leave the zone at any time. Why is this so important? Well, have you ever have a kid that climbs out of their crib? This feature lets you know before those little toes ever hit the ground. This is also great for the little ones that like to roll around in bed. So, so smart.
Other unique options include Moonlite™ Night Vision Boost, which is a small light that subtly lights up the viewing area. It gives you a clear, in-color, view of baby at night. I found it handy when my night vision just wasn’t enough and I really needed to see what the heck was going on in there. There is also a really clever two colored on/off nightlight feature that comes from the camera and 360Tilt™ Camera Steering. I liked that super fun, gadgety way to move the camera around just by tilting the handheld monitor.
What we don’t love
To be honest, of all the video monitoring systems I’ve had lately, this has been the most feature packed and easy to use. If I can get super picky, I would say I wish they made a model with wifi. But if you really want wifi and this monitor, you can purchase the additional Summer Infant LIV Cam. Also, the volume light bar seemed extremely bright, which felt a little annoying but not a deal-breaker. Great for seeing but not hearing baby, bad if you like to sleep in a completely dark room. But like I said, I’m actively searching for something to complain about here.
Final thoughts
The Savvy Scale ranks products between 1-5, with 1 being an absolute no-go and 5 being best in the biz. Let’s see where the Summer Infant Baby Pixel ranks.
Features: 4
Picture Quality: 4
Ease of use: 5
Design: 5
Overall score: 4.75
The Summer Infant Baby Pixel is absolutely incredible. At a price point of $200, you get more features for a smaller price tag than similar systems available. Now if we can get some wifi up in here I will just die and go to baby gear heaven. If you need a feature packed, durable, and reliable video monitor, then I cannot recommend this one enough.
