Best Android Apps for Parents: Baby Monitor & Alarm

By Booya Gadget

Every parent knows how crucial your baby monitor can be, but you can't take it with you everywhere you go.

As a parent of a 17-month old son I have been without a monitor on several occasions; when I visit my family in another state, go on vacations, or crash at my in-laws. Without a monitor in those instances my wife and I are always on alert, many times needing to check on him or put him back to sleep. Not optimal.

Baby Monitor to go

With this super amazing application (by TappyTaps) called Baby Monitor & Alarm on Google Play, my wife and I now have a monitor wherever we go.  To be honest I was upset when I first discovered this app for two reasons, 1) we paid $150 for the monitor we use at home and this application cost $2.99, and 2) I didn’t find the app until my son was 16-months old.  I could have avoided so many anxious nights and countless room checks if I had just known a little earlier.  Better late than never I guess, we do plan on having another little munchkin.  After I show you all the things this app can do. I’m sure you’ll agree Baby Monitor & Alarm is truly amazing!

Best Android Apps: Baby Monitor Alarm by BooyaGadget
Android Baby Monitor Alarm
How it works

In order to utilize this application you will need two phones, typically one would be yours and one your significant others.  The second phone does not need to be an Android phone, much less have the Android application installed.  The concept is simple, brilliant, and innovative; the phone with the application acts as a sensor/speaker/monitor, it picks up sound coming from your child.  When the sound gets to certain level for a designated length of time (both of which are completely customizable), the phone with the application will call whatever phone number you program (your significant others phone).

I set my phone up in my son’s room (highly recommend plugging it in) I turn on the monitor and that’s it.  If my son makes noise for more the 3 minutes my phone/monitor will automatically dial my wife’s phone.  Spectacular!  You can immediately hear clearly what’s going on.

Features: Completely Customizable via Settings

In my opinion the best aspect of this application is that there are so many customizable options.  You can set the amount of time you need to get out of the room before the monitor is activated.  You can adjust the sound sensitivity level of the monitor.  You can decide how long your child can make noise before you are notified.  You can manually check on the monitor.  There are also two alternatives you can set up before the monitor makes an alert call.  This application has so many options, you can really set it up just the way you want to meet your child’s individual needs.  That’s just not something you can do with the typical $150 monitor.

Mommy’s Voice and Sweet Dreams

Before the monitor (phone with the app) calls you to make you aware your child is up or making noise, there are two options.  You have the ability to use either, both, or none of them.  You can set it up the monitor up so that mommy’s voice comes on after your child makes noise for 5 seconds to 3 minutes (whatever you choose).  You can record whatever you want to and it will be activated after a designated amount of time.  You can also program the monitor to alert you after Mommy’s voice has been played and your child is still making noise (again you get to choose how long after Mommy’s voice played before you are alerted).  The possibilities are endless.  Sweet Dreams works very much the same way…I am currently using a lullaby I downloaded.  Both of these options can record your voice or use an audio file from your phone.

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Mommy's Voice
Activity Log

The activity log tracks what happens all night.  It tells you exactly how long your child was sleeping and how long he/she were making noise.  Not only does it tell you how long they were making noise it RECORDS the sound so you can hear if they were snoring, talking in their sleep, or crying in the middle of the night.   Can your $150 monitor do that?

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Activity Log
STATE & CALL (monitor from anywhere)

From the alert phone (the phone the monitor will call, not in child’s room) you can text the word “STATE” to receive the current information from the monitor.  You can also text the word “CALL” and manually check on the noise in the room.  These options are listed as (experimental) in the application, but worked perfectly for me when I tried them.

Summary

I have now downloaded and sampled over 50 applications made specifically for parents…and this one is by far the most useful and satisfying.  Most parents are just not able to take their baby monitor wherever they go, now they don’t have to.  The combination of ease of use and an unparalleled ability to customize make this app one of the best on the market.  In my opinion this ability to personalize the application is essential and sets this app apart from its competition.  For $2.99, which is crazy when you think of how expensive real baby monitors are, you can have a mobile monitor that has a plethora of options and functions perfectly.  I am estatic to have found this application and it makes me even happier that I can share it with you.  If you have a young child this will likely be the best $2.99 you ever spend.  BOOYA!