After my second child was born, I realize that I needed a double of so many things. But I wonder if I needed 2 different baby monitors to watch both of my kids. It had to have a better solution, so did some research on baby monitors with 2 cameras, and here’s what I learn about baby monitors for multi rooms.
The best solution for parents who want to monitor 2 baby’s rooms or more is to get a multiple-rooms baby monitor. Parents have the choice between an audio monitor with 2 child units or a multiple cameras video monitor. Before getting one of those monitors, you should consider the following options.
Best baby monitor for two rooms
Whether you have twins or two consecutive babies, like me, you’ll need a solution to monitor both cribs at night.
Here’s the best baby monitor for 2 rooms I founded.
| Baby monitor | Types | Transmission | Range | Price | More details |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eufy | Video | FHSS | 460 ft | $$$$$ | Check price on Amazon |
| Motorola MBP50-G2 | Video | 2.4 GHz FHSS | 1000 ft | $$$$$ | Check price on Amazon |
| VTech DM221-2 | Audio | DECT 6.0 | 1000 ft | $$$$$ | Check price on Amazon |
| Infant Optics DXR-8 | Video | 2.4 GHz FHSS | 700 ft | $$$$$ | Check price on Amazon |
| VTech DM112-2 | Audio | DECT 6.0 | 1000 ft | $$$$$ | Check price on Amazon |
| Babysense | Video | 2.4 GHz FHSS | 9000 ft | $$$$$ | Check price on Amazon |
I did use the audio-only VTech DM221-2, but after speaking with friends who had twins, I would recommend a video monitor with split-screen (such as the Motorola MBP50-G2. It’s so beneficial to take a look inside the room before actually entering the room. It helps recognize a false alarm, such as a dream or a cough, and prevents from waking your other by peaking inside the room.
Use 2 baby monitors for 2 rooms
Your second child is ready to sleep in his own bedroom, and you want to use a baby monitor in this room too.
There’s a good chance you already have a baby monitor. But you’re planning a monitoring two rooms.
Don’t get rid of it right now. Don’t get a multiple room baby monitor right now. You can just get another single room monitor and use both to monitor 2 rooms.
Get a second baby monitor
As a matter of fact, many parents are only getting a second baby monitor.
It’s not because you can buy a multi-room monitor at the store that you should. Keep your money and keep on using the first baby monitor.
You already have it, and you already know how it works. The range of its signal, etc. And if you have been really satisfying with it, why not get the same brand/model for the second one.
Advantages
There’s more advantage than you think of getting a second baby monitor and using 2 baby monitor for 2 rooms.
The first advantage is you don’t have to try and test new baby monitors to see if the work correctly in your house. You already use the other one, so you know if it works well (or not).
Secondly, a single room baby monitor is less expensive, in most case, than a multi-room monitor.
Finally, this is an eco-friendly decision. By keeping the old one, you are not throwing away a perfectly working monitor just to get a new shiny one. You can be eco even more eco-responsible buy getting a second-hand monitor. Each year there’s too many, still working products, getting thrown away only because they are not shiny anymore.
Interference possibilities
Ok, you get the point, and you want to try only to use a second baby monitor, but you must be aware of the possibilities of interference between the monitors. I must underline the fact that it’s a possibility and there’s a good chance that interference will not be a problem.
It depends on the type of baby monitor you have.
Let say you have two different audio monitors and turn them on, it could make feedback. If they work on the same channel, you could be picking up the other rooms in your house, and your neighbor’s house, and the radio station. This is a widespread problem with audio monitor working in the same range or the same frequencies.
To solve this problem, you could get 2 different models from different brands.
Add an extra child unit
Of course, you could be lucky enough to own a model that you can just add an extra child unit. Many monitors, audio and video, offer the possibility to add a second monitor.
Some baby monitor models even offer to add up to 3 extra child unit so you could monitor 3 rooms.
Use 1 baby monitor for 2 rooms
If you think your life is already complicated enough and you just want the simple solution, I suggest you use 1 baby monitor for 2 rooms or more.
Having multiple kids mean having numerous things around the house. Me, I like to keep the cluster to a minimum. That why I think the multi-room monitor is genius.
Also, in the multi-room monitors’ department, you have different options.
Multiple cameras
Video baby monitor with multiple cameras is my ideal solution when it comes to monitoring various rooms. You can have your personal security center in the palm of your hand.
Some video monitor can have up to 4 cameras that work on one receiver. You can monitor 4 child’s and/or rooms at the same time. If you have big bedrooms, you could have 2 cameras per rooms so you can cover the entire rooms.
The system rotates views amongst them every 5 seconds approximately. You can also scan automatically between them.
If I had 2, 3 or 4 kids sleeping in different rooms, you bet I would use a multiple cameras monitor. I can’t imagine doing it without. Guessing which rooms the noise is coming from. Opening each door to peek inside. Wakening up one of them by accident. Ending up with everyone crying and asking for help simultaneously. OMG.
I love the idea of being able to watch my babies rooms in the middle of the night rather than just rushing in!
I highly recommend this.
P.S. If you’re seeking for the best monitor with two cameras and hoping to find real reviews from real parents. You should check out this list I created of the top baby monitors of 2020.
Split-Screen Mode
In my experience, the best multi-room monitors offer the split screen video function. This feature lets you monitor two rooms with two cameras simultaneously. For some model, it shows each video stream on a 5 seconds cycle. So you don’t have to switch from one room to another manually.
On top of this feature, you want a video baby monitor that is sound activated. This means that the monitor will alert you and display the video from the appropriate room.
Split screen baby monitor with dual audio
Another excellent feature for split screen baby monitor is the dual color sound lights. This means that you can see from which room the sound is coming from. This is great when you have two kids sleeping in different places.
It’s also a useful feature when you want to monitor two rooms. Example: you can place one child unit in your kid’s bedroom and the other in the playroom or the basement, whatever room from the house you kid might access. It gives you the liberty to accomplish task around the house while your kid is playing. You just don’t have to move the child unit around the house each time you want to monitor another room. It’s kind of an around-the-house surveillance system.
Audio baby monitor with two child units
Some audio monitor where especially design for monitoring multiple rooms. You have two child units that you can place in separate rooms. You only carry one parent units that let you receive the audio from both monitors.
This function is also available with some multiple camera video baby monitor. They will let you use the audio only.
Audio baby monitor with one child units
You might not need to buy a second baby monitor or get a multiple room monitor. It depends on how far apart your kid’s rooms are and how thick are the walls.
Baby monitors can be really sensitive. You might be able to hear both rooms with only one baby monitor.
I first experienced this while I could hear crying from my son room and realize it was from my daughter room. For some reason, the monitor in my son room was off, and it’s the monitor from my daughter room who pick the sound.
Maybe you already order the second monitor, so keep the receipt and the box. First, test if one monitor will pick up both rooms. This could save you a couple dollars.
If you use only one baby monitor for two rooms, you could put it in the hallway, between each door.
Baby monitor with 2 parents units
If you are waiting for a second child and you already bought one baby monitor for the first, you could just get another one. You don’t need fancy multiple room monitors with cameras. If for some reason you already have the monitors, you can keep your money and use both simultaneously.
This means you will have one child units in each room and you will carry two parents units.
Even if they are the same models and you worry about interference. Most audio monitors have the A or B channel. Just use a different channel for each. From what I heard with my friends this could work.
Because it has two channels, they just keep one monitor on channel A and the other on channel B. Then they only carry one receiver around, and they could switch it from A or B to check on their kids. Sometimes, each parent had a receiver unit. This could come in handy if one parent is in the basement ant the other one outside in the garden.
But if you were already picking up other neighbor’s signals, there’s a high chance that you will double your problems by using a second baby monitor. In this case, I would advise going for a WIFI monitor or any monitor with DECT technology. So you can use them on a secure channel without interference.
Baby monitor for 3 rooms
There are different reasons why parents want a monitor for 3 rooms. Some families have the luxury to have each kid in their own bedroom. Some parents want to monitor different places from the house, like the playroom, the bedroom, the living room, etc. Others just don’t want the hassle of moving the monitor around the house when their little one is going from room to room.
If you are looking for an easy solution to monitor multiple-rooms, I would suggest going for the model of monitor that you can just add an extra monitor. Some models can add more child unit while still using one parent unit (receiver base).
Or you could use 3 different baby monitors and walk around the house with a bunch of receivers attached to your belt. You need to know your limit, for me, it’s two different monitors. More than that it’s just going to be confusing.
Monitoring multiple-rooms doesn’t have to be a hassle
Now that you know the different options, I hope you will consider all of them and choose the right one for you, your family and your budget. It’s not because you have 2 kids that you need everything in double.
Since your having another baby, you should check out my other article about baby proofing.
Or perhaps you need help choosing the right type of baby monitors.
P.S. If you’re seeking for the best baby monitor and hoping to find real reviews from real parents. You should check out this list I created of the top baby monitors.
To get the best insights and tips to find the best baby monitor, I read more than 300 reviews online and ask my friends or others parents. From all their insights and my own experience, I’ve built this list of the best baby monitors.