I love finding good deals on baby items. I subscribe to websites that feature deeply discounted baby items for a limited time, and can barely contain my excitement when a product I’ve been coveting for a long time appears at 50% off its regular selling price.
What I love even more than finding a good deal on a baby item is when I get a baby item for free. I was recently contacted by an employee of The First Years baby brand, wondering if I’d be willing to test and review one of their latest models of baby monitors. He said they would send a model to me for free to try out, and I would get to keep it afterwards.
Can you imagine my excitement? I’d be crazy to turn down a free baby product, especially an upgrade of one we already had. I, of course, said yes.
The baby monitor we already had was also The First Years brand, but it was one of their cheapest models. It served its purpose just fine: it had the option of using batteries or plugging into the wall, it came with two receivers, and it easily allowed us to hear when our baby was crying. The down side to getting a cheap model? If we brought a cell phone or computer near the receivers, there was a lot of buzzing, feedback, and static. We felt like we could deal with the static, though, since the alternative would mean spending money that we don’t exactly have.
I anxiously awaited the new monitor, and when The First Years True Choice Monitor: Model P400 arrived in the mail, I couldn’t wait to try it out. I’m going to highlight some of the features I really like about the monitor:
1. The monitor and receivers are small, thin, lightweight, and have no annoying antennae sticking up. They’re very easy to “hide.” I don’t know about you, but sometimes I feel like baby items are taking over my entire house. It’s nice having one thing be inconspicuous.
2. The receivers can work as two-way radios. If you push one button, you can talk between the two receivers, and if you push another, you can talk to your baby through the monitor. Instead of shouting across the apartment to each other, my hubby and I can communicate with each other through the receivers. This comes in very handy during certain sticky situations where I don’t want to leave to leave the room to get my hubby’s attention (i.e. “Honey, she’s peeing and pooping all over the bed and I need a wash cloth and an extra set of hands NOW!”). We haven’t used the feature that allows us to talk to or soothe our baby, but it might come in handy when she’s older.
3. I really like that the receivers come with rechargeable batteries. We usually plug them in to charge them at night, then carry them around the house with us during the day. It’s easy to misplace the receivers, since they’re small and wireless, but there’s a button on the monitor that makes the receivers beep, so they’re easy to find.
4. The monitor has an optional night light attached to it. It provides the perfect amount of light for me to be able to check on my baby without being so bright that it keeps her awake.
5. My favorite part about this monitor? There’s no static or feedback. Hallelujah! I can finally sit down with my laptop, receiver nearby, and not feel like I’m walking underneath power lines. The sound is very clear – I can even hear the clock ticking in the room our daughter sleeps in.
So, I’m happy with this monitor. Not only do I get to use an awesome monitor, I get to use it it for free!