The Best Baby Monitor for Deaf Parents In 2020
Premium choice
VTech DM221
best overall
Summer Infant Babble Band
the best value
Philips Avent SCD570
Creating a safe haven and protecting your child against all forms of danger is a never-ending job. You have to feed them when they are hungry, console them when they cry, and soothe them to take a nap when you want them to sleep.
But you can’t be in your little one’s room all the time and still get your personal stuff done. It is for this reason that the best baby monitors were invented.
Built to help you keep an eye on your little one from anywhere around your house, baby monitors give you the space, the freedom, and enough time to complete your house chores, work, or relax.
But what if you are a parent with hearing difficulties?
Or, what if you cannot hear anything at all?
Can you still use a baby monitor to connect with your little one with ease and soothe them when they need comforting arms?
Yes, you can.
In fact, parents at Baby Center Community agree that a baby monitor is a go-to device for connecting with your child, whether you are partially hearing parent, or a completely deaf mother/father.
And although many brands don’t accommodate the deaf community, the few options in the market should work quite well.
Ideally, a baby monitor for the deaf should have visual signals and a vibration function to alert a mother whenever a child is uncomfortable, or crying, or needs help.
Best Overall
Featuring a sound level indicator and a vibration function, and equipped with DECT 6.0 for signal security and sound clarity, VTech DM221, which you can buy here is the best baby monitor for deaf parents that immerses you into your child’s every moment up to 1000 feet in range.
The vibration alert, together with the five-level sound indicators, lets a hearing-impaired mother determine noise levels in their little one’s room and act accordingly depending on the situation at hand.
Perhaps the biggest problem with VTech DM221 model is that it takes up to 15 seconds to power on. So if you are patient enough to wait this long for the device to boot, then this shouldn’t really be a deal breaker.
Comparison Table and Summary
Image | Product | Range | Vibrates | Sound Indicator | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| VTech DM221 | 1,000 feet | Yes | Five-Level Sound Indicators | |
|
| Summer Infant Babble Band | 800 feet | Yes | Sound Light Alert Included | |
| Sonic Bomb Baby Cry Signaler | Unknown | Yes | Sound Level Indicator NOT Supported | |
|
| Philips Avent SCD570 | 1,000 feet | Yes | Five-Level Sound Indicators | |
| Graco Secure Coverage | 2,000 feet | Yes | Five-Level Sound Indicators |
Frequently Asked Questions
Below are 5 commonly asked questions that you may find useful when searching for a baby-monitoring device for parents with special hearing needs.
How do baby monitors for deaf parents work?
If you are a deaf parent or you can’t hear very well unless with the help of a hearing aid, then you can stay connected with your baby in three ways:
You can use a video-enabled unit to see your toddler in real time. This will let you see everything they do in the nursery, from cooing and crying to gurgling and giggling.
Units with sound level indicators, like VTech DM221 and Philip AVENT DECT, are ideal. Their bright flashing lights let you know whether your child is calm, playing, or crying, depending on the level of noise in the nursery.
You can also try monitors with vibrating alerts that don’t have built-in sound level indicators. Whenever a toddler cries, the parent unit will vibrate for up to 8 seconds to alert you that they need help.
Can a hearing-impaired parent hear a baby cry?
On the one hand, if you are a parent with just a minor hearing difficulty, you can wear your hearing aids and use any monitor to connect with your child, no matter where you are around the house.
One the other hand, a study carried out by Mommy Gone Tropical shows that deaf parents cannot hear their babies because, after all, deaf people don't hear anything at all.
However, they can use their sense of sight and touch to know if their child is crying or playing on their own.
More often than not, a deaf mom or dad can utilize a baby monitor with a vibration sound alert or sound level indicator to know what's going on in the nursery.
How Does a Vibrating Baby Monitor Work?
They are worn as a wristband, placed under a pillow at night, tucked on clothes using belt clips, or placed on tabletops for easy visibility.
Whenever a baby cries, the unit will vibrate to alert you that they need immediate assistance.
Can video monitors help deaf people?
You can take advantage of a long distance video baby monitor to keep in touch with your little boy or girl, even if you spend a lot of time outside the house.
If you choose to use a video-based unit, you’ll see everything that goes on in the nursery – mostly in real time.
Baby Monitors for Deaf Parents in 2019
1. VTech DM221 Audio Baby Monitor
Vera Baby Spot's Rating
Built for those with difficulty in hearing and those who cannot hear anything at all, VTech DM221 is, perhaps, the cheapest sound-based monitoring device that deaf people can buy right now.
Besides encrypting and transmitting secure audio signals from the baby unit to the parent unit, its DECT 6.0 eliminates background noises to improve sound clarity between the two units.
With a range of up to 1,000 feet from the baby’s unit, beyond which the sound indicators and vibration alert stop working, VTech DM221 works well in open spaces, thick walls, and even in basements.
While the talk back communication is less than ideal in this context, you can still use it to talk back to your child whenever they cry.
When they hear your voice, they’ll stop crying, calm down, and even go to sleep knowing that you are not so far away from them.
You won’t hear your little one giggle for happiness. And you won’t hear them cry because they are hungry and sleepy.
However, the five-level sound indicators will let you know the noise levels in their room so that you can take action accordingly.
Pros
Cons
2. Summer Infant Babble Band Wearable Audio Monitor
Vera Baby Spot's Rating
This baby monitor features a soft and easy to adjust wristband, a working range of up to 800 feet, and a rechargeable battery with a decent life.
Summer Infant Bubble Band allows both mom and dad to monitor a child continuously for up to 8 hours on a single charge.
Commonly known as a vibrating wristwatch for the deaf, the band has 3 monitoring mode that you can customize depending on how you would like to monitor your child.
You can turn on audio and sound lights, switch to vibration and sound lights, or choose the sound lights alert.
Each time your child cries, giggles, or makes any sound, the base unit in the baby’s room, which apparently doubles as a charging unit, will transmit audio signals to the wearable bracelet.
Then, the band will vibrate for about 8 seconds to alert you that your little boy or girl needs your attention.
Since the audio signals are securely encrypted, you do not have to worry about signal disruption or baby monitor hacking.
Pros
Cons
3. Sonic Bomb Baby Cry Signaler
Vera Baby Spot's Rating
The Sonic Bomb Baby Cry Signaler is a light up transmitter that sends out an alert to a receiving unit in the event of noise in a child’s room.
With an adjustable sensitivity control that is highly adaptive to even the lowest sound levels, this baby cry signaler is an ideal choice for parents that want to know if their babies are awake or still sleeping.
What sets Sonic Bomb Baby Cry Signaler apart from similar products in its class is how fast it works.
It is triggered on your baby’s first cry, and then it immediately transmits the audio signals to the receiver.
Simple in design and lacking built-in flashlights, this unit is a budget pick for parents that have kids who are light sleepers.
It is important to mention that this signaler only work well with Sonic Blink Strobe, Table Top Remote, Boom Alarm Clock, Remove Horn, and Wall Mount Remote receivers.
All these receivers can adjust them to pick certain noises as well as their sensitivity. Also, you can easily adjust the sensitivity of the signaler to make more sense of your baby
What You Will Like
- Good for babies who are light sleepers
- Works well with a number of receivers
- More affordable than some traditional units
- It is 100% wireless
- Good battery life that offers up to 8 hour of nonstop monitoring
What You Won't Like
- It does not come with a receiver; you have to buy it separately
- It is not a good option for babies who are noisy sleepers
4. Philips Avent SCD570 DECT Baby Monitor
Vera Baby Spot's Rating
Built by a business that has over 30 years of experience in learning and innovation, the DECT-backed Philips Avent SCD570 is a more reliable device that connects you with your baby whenever you are not in the same room.
With an indoor range of up to 170 feet, the signals can cut through thick insulated walls, reach a basement, and pass across multiple rooms with zero obstruction.
The outdoor range is about 1,000 feet, but this, too, is subject to the nature of the surrounding.
Apart from encrypting audio signals for 100% privacy and zero interference, the DECT 6.0 technology gets rid of background sound and filters out white noise for accuracy and clarity.
The sound level indicators, together with the vibration alert function, let you know when your baby needs you in their nursery.
If you cannot make it to the nursery as soon as your child starts to cry, play for them the lullabies included in the monitor.
Also, take advantage of the two-way communication if you are a hearing impaired who uses hearing aids.
What You Will Like
- Secure data transmission between the baby and the parent unit
- It has a thermometer gauge that you can use to monitor temperature in your baby’s room.
- The connection between the units is stable, thanks to the effective operation signal range.
What You Won't Like
- For an audio monitor, we think that Philips Avent SCD570 is very expensive
- The many buttons on the baby unit can make the device hard to use
- It is hard to charge
5. Graco Secure Coverage Baby Monitor
Vera Baby Spot's Rating
Graco Secure Coverage was built for three audiences: the hearing parents, the deaf mothers, and those who use hearing aids to connect with their children.
If you are a hearing parent, take advantage of every feature that this unit has.
If you cannot hear anything at all, the vibration alert is enough to let you know that your baby needs you in their room.
And If you hear partially, use the bright light indicators and the vibration alert to monitor your child.
Graco Secure Coverage doesn’t rank on the same level with the likes of Infant Optics DXR-5 in terms of functionality, but it is almost close enough.
And unlike the VTech models that feature only a single parent unit, Graco Secure Coverage comes with two.
You won’t need the two parent units if you don’t move around a lot, but they are still useful, especially if you and your partner share babysitting responsibilities.
Built to operate on the 900HMz frequency and working perfectly up to 2000 feet in operational range, you can use the Graco Secure Coverage to keep in touch with your little one from anywhere around the house without worrying about internal and external interference.
What You Will Like
- Has two parent units
- Combines both vibration and sound level alerts
- Has an impressive range with minimal signal interference
- Good sound quality
What You Won't Like
- Not one of the most durable baby monitors
- It has a very short battery life
How to Choose the Best Baby Monitor for Deaf Parents
Choosing a baby monitor that perfectly meets your needs and match your hearing disability can be quite a challenge.
We know that there are many options, from so many different brands, and at different prices. But given that many manufacturers don’t accommodate the hearing-impaired community, not all baby monitors will work well for someone who has this kind of a problem.
Because this article is focused on the deaf and people who cannot hear well, we will highlight the features that you should look for when choosing a unit that can perfectly meet this kind of a need.
Sound Level Indicator & Vibrating Alarm
Make sure the monitor has sound level indicators on the parent unit to help you determine the noise level in the nursery.
Without these, it becomes difficult to tell if your little one is crying or just playing on their own.
If it does not have the sound level indicators, it should have at least a vibrating alarm.
You will need the vibrating alarm if you are a deep sleeper, because the alarm is so strong that a single instance of a vibration is strong enough to wake you up.
Talk Back Communication & Lullabies
The monitor should have built-in lullabies and supports talk back communication.
When the monitor vibrates or the sound level indicator lights up to show that your baby is crying, play tunes to calm them down or soothe them with your own voice.
Video Display
Video baby monitors can work well for those having difficulties in hearing, but they are more expensive than what we’ve reviewed on this list.
With a video monitor, like Infant Optics DXR-8, Motorola MBP36S, and Samsung SEW-3036W, you can keep a closer eye on your child from in and outside the house.
With a video-enabled unit, you see your child in real time and never miss a moment of anything that goes on in the nursery.
You can see them play, giggle, hiccup, and cry, and then attend to them with immediate effect if need be.
Vibrating Pad
Some people say that if you are not a fan of audio or video monitors, you can opt for a vibrating pad or rod instead. This, in most cases, is a good option for connecting with a child at night when everyone is asleep.
The working concept is quite simple:
You will need to buy a separate receiver and install it in the nursery and then tuck the vibrating pad or rod under the pillow.
Every time your baby cries, the pad or rod will vibrate to notifying that your child needs you in their room.