Using Your Video Baby Monitor Beyond Infancy

While a video baby monitor is essential for infancy, it can also come in handy as your kids get older. I've partnered with Motorola to show you how you could be using your video baby monitor to give your preschooler a little autonomy while still keeping them safe.

Now that our daughter Harper is almost four, there are times she wants to play on her own. With a one-year-old brother she can't use her tiny toys like Legos or Barbie accessories unless she's in her room. Her brother puts everything in his mouth! Needless to say, certain toys must be kept out of his sight. Also, I think it's good for her to play on her own sometimes. She's incredibly creative and it's great when she can occupy herself for a bit. When I'm lucky I can even get some dishes or laundry done!

That being said, there have been a couple times she's gotten into a little mischief while playing by herself. Just last week, in fact, I found her with a pair of nail scissors and she had cut her hair! Thankfully it was just a small section and I was able to trim the rest so it's not noticeable. If I hadn't checked on her, though, it could have been much worse. Another time I caught her trying to give a 'check-up' to our poor cat. She had him pinned down and was trying to look in his ears with her toy otoscope. I needed to think of a way to keep an eye on her while still letting her have some space.

Using a Video Baby Monitor for Our Preschooler

We got the idea of setting up a video baby monitor and it has been the PERFECT solution. I set the video eye up in her room on a bookshelf and then take the monitor downstairs with me. If I want to work on dishes or put our son down for a nap I can still see and hear what she's doing.

I've been using the Motorola MBP853CONNECT and I really appreciate all the features it offers. The full 3.5" color screen is just the right size and it has a kickstand in the back. Most of the time I prop it up on the shelf above my sink and wash dishes.

I can see and hear what our daughter is doing in her room. If she moves out of the camera view, the buttons to the left of the screen let me rotate the eye to bring her back into range. I would highly suggest a video monitor that has this feature because we all know kids move around a lot.

I also like using the video baby monitor when I give her little chores to do, like hanging up her dresses. She's just starting to help out around the house and putting her own clothes away is one of her favorite tasks. I can watch her and even talk to her as she's in her room with the two-way communication feature. She thinks it's awesome that we can have conversations through the monitor!

Sometimes I move the camera head to a different room which is easy because it's small and portable. Our living room isn't view-able from the kitchen. If both kids are in the living room playing, I can make sure they're being nice to each other while I make dinner. The 300-degree zoom really helps in the living room because it's larger than our daughter's bedroom.

I appreciate having a temperature reading on the monitor. At night I like to see if it's too hot or too cold for the kids. I've heard stories about rooms getting too hot and that's always been a concern of mine. To have the peace of mind is great!

Additional features are always a plus on baby monitors, and this Motorola product doesn't disappoint. You can adjust the volume, zoom, brightness, set an alarm, and set recording times. I'd highly suggest finding a monitor that plays lullabies like this one does. It's super handy, especially at night, to be able to play a song from another room.

I can also control the camera head with the free Hubble app on my phone. It took me a few minutes to set up but it was worth it. In addition to watching and listening, I also get notifications on temperature and movement in a room. Yes, that's my daughter running across the couch-a common occurrence!

I can also keep track of events with a timeline in the app.

Overall I love using a video baby monitor to keep an extra eye on my preschooler. It gives her space to play by herself but to do it safely. It's also nice to use during my sons naps instead of going in to check on him every so often. I'd highly recommend keeping your baby monitor to use as your kids get older!

BUY IT: You can purchase the Motorola MBP852CONNECT from our affiliate Amazon!

Do you use a video baby monitor with an older child?
What do you use it for?

Disclaimer: I (Amber) received this video baby monitor at no cost to facilitate an honest review. All opinions are my own. Amazon links are affiliate links.