At a glance:
Our panel of mum testers loved the ability to see, hear and talk to their baby using the Motorola MBP36XL. The rotating camera allows you to keep an eye on both children if you have more than one baby sleeping in the room. That said, a few of our mums found that the noise picked up by the camera was a little noisy for those light sleepers amongst us.
What they say:
“With a large five-inch curved colour display parent unit, a remote-controlled pan, tilt and zoom and two-way communication, the Motorola MBP36XL is the ultimate peace of mind.”
Tested by mum Mary Alice for the Mother & Baby Awards 2018:
Would you recommend this to other mums?
Yes, I would recommend this product to a friend, especially if they had twins or two children sleeping in the same room. Being able to move the camera from the parent unit allows you to view the entire room – great if you need to keep an eye on two children. It was very simple to set up and really easy to use. I also loved the large parent unit display screen.
How did this product make your life easier?
I like the fact you can turn music or white noise on from the parent unit, without having to go into the bedroom and mess around with the monitor, potentially waking your baby up. The moving camera is a good feature as you can see around the whole cot, zoom in and out and see your baby in a quality picture. The monitor also has five different white noise/song settings to suit your baby’s mood.
Would you choose this product to win?
Overall, I would not choose the Motorola MBP36XL over my current baby monitor. Although there are certain aspects that are better than my original monitor, like the moving camera and being able to turn the music on from the parent unit, there are also a few negatives, such as the music playing continuously with no time limit. You also need to position the monitor quite far away from the cot in order to get a good view.
What changes would you make to this product?
I think this monitor would be a better product if the camera zoomed out a bit more, as it was difficult to position it far enough away from the cot to get an all-round view.
Tested by mum Aimee Evans for the Mother & Baby Awards 2018:
Would you recommend this to other mums?
I would recommend this product to a friend because it gives you peace of mind when putting your baby down for a nap. You can move the camera from the monitor controls so you don’t need to go into your baby’s room to reposition he camera. It’s self-explanatory, but also has easy-to-follow instructions. Whilst the actual parent handset is quite bulky (you can’t comfortably carry it round in your pocket), it has a big clear screen.
How did this product make your life easier?
This makes life easier as you can see your baby when they cry, allowing you to assess whether you need to go in to your baby’s room straight away, or settle them using the two-way talk function. You can also reposition the camera from the monitor controls, allowing you to see your baby.
Would you choose this product to win?
I think the monitor is really smart and stylish and the parent unit has a nice big colour screen. The feedback from the microphone on the camera to the monitor handset was really quick, especially compared to a lot of other monitors on the market.
What changes would you make to this product?
The one thing I would change about this product is the night mode, as it takes a while for night vision to come on, especially compared to other monitors. This means I was unable to see my baby clearly on the monitor when it was dark, but the monitor was still in daytime mode. I think this monitor would be hugely improved if there was a setting that allowed you to switch the monitor to night mode manually.
Tested by mum Sara Carol for the Mother & Baby Awards 2018:
Would you recommend this to other mums?
I would recommend this monitor to my fellow mummy friends as it has changed our lives. We have always used sound monitors in the past and at every slight sound, I’ve been up in the baby’s bedroom checking on them. Being able to see them enables me to leave them to sleep and is the biggest reassurance possible through the night. It is also so heart-warming to wake up and see your baby sleeping peacefully!
How did this product make your life easier?
This monitor definitely makes life easier as a mum as it saves me rushing into my little one at every sound, which usually results in waking him or disturbing his sleep. The Motorola MBP36XL reassures me throughout the night and allows me to feel right next to my sleeping baby when I’m out in the garden or getting jobs done.
Would you choose this product to win?
I would personally choose this product over the other monitors I have had in the past. It’s the next best thing to being in with my little one during his naps and throughout the night. I also love the hand-held unit. Friends of ours have their monitor hooked up to their phones, but I love the separate video monitor, especially as two days of the week grandparents care for our little ones.
What changes would you make to this product?
If I had to find something, it would be the size of the camera unit itself as we had to rearrange our little boys shelf to fit the camera in and position it. That said, the camera does not look out of place there now, nor does this impact on the quality of the product.
Tested by mum Sammie Wright for the Mother & Baby Awards 2018:
Would you recommend this to other mums?
I personally wouldn’t recommend this product as I found the noise picked up by the camera too much – there was a light buzz throughout the night which was awful for me as I’m such a light sleeper. My current monitor only picks up noises made by my baby and blocks everything else out, meaning it is far less noisy.
How did this product make your life easier?
The product made my life easier as a mum by being a camera monitor. I love the fact that you can move the camera, so if your baby moves you can move with them and check they are ok. I also thought the screen on the parent portal was great as it was nice and big and had a good volume on it. What’s more, the actual camera is nice and small, so your baby isn’t distracted by it.
Would you choose this product to win?
I personally wouldn’t choose this product over my current monitor because of the background noise picked up. I probably would have got used to it eventually, but I know there are other products out there that better suit my needs. That said, I do like the size of both the monitor and the camera – they are both nice and discreet.
What changes would you make to this product?
As mentioned, I would change the background noise that gets picked up. I would also have liked a stand for the hand-held unit, so you could take a quick glance at it rather than picking it up.
Tested by mum Danielle Binner for the Mother & Baby Awards 2018:
Would you recommend this to other mums?
I’ve recommended using a video monitor to many of my friends, as it’s so reassuring being able to see your baby, even when they’re fast asleep. I’ve not had any issues with the signal or picture on the Motorola MBP36XL and take the screen with me everywhere – even to the end of the garden. The camera looks great in the nursery and my partner has fitted it under one of the design shelves so it doesn’t look out of place at all.
How did this product make your life easier?
I’m a hairdresser and work a lot from home, so this video monitor has been brilliant for me, allowing me to work, yet still see my little boy. It’s fantastic as it also starts a talking point for my regulars and saves me having to rush off at every cry, as I can see when he’s stirring or when he’s actually ready to get up.
Would you choose this product to win?
We have really enjoyed testing this video monitor and would definitely recommend it.
What changes would you make to this product?
There’s nothing I would specifically change with this monitor as it provided us with everything we needed. I’m not sure if I’d pay over £100 for a baby monitor, but that’s not to say the quality of the monitor isn’t fantastic.