I think we all know who really needs the night light.

If you’ll recall, a few weeks back I [accidentally] chucked my beloved monitor down the stairs with all the grace (and holding back) of an irate bison. Shockingly, it broke.

Even more shockingly, kismet and the kind souls at Graco sent me a brand new digital monitor to try for free- if I’d be so kind as to write a few words about it. (I have arrived. Maybe I should break something bigger next time?)

So. The Graco Direct Connect digital monitor. Lights, sound, temperature, vibration, a ‘talk’ option to the nursery- a belt clip. It showed up, all shiny and full of promise. Nora and I were understandably excited. While I figured out the charging action and gave the directions a cursory glance, she made short work of the packaging. 

I decided to go about my review the way that I tend to treat new techie purchases in my life: flying by the seat of my pants and seeing just how “user friendly” the product really is. The results?

I should really start reading the directions. For I’m rather below average on the user error scale. 

The first night we had it, Peej and I had a glass of wine outside after Nora fell asleep and brought the monitor to the backyard. The audio was crystal clear- granted, her bedroom was directly above us a couple of floors, but still. Crystal clear. At one point I wanted to check the temp in her room and pressed the button for light to see what the display read (it was pretty dark out, after all.) Nothing happened. Pressed it again. Turns out, I had been activating various levels of a night light on her monitor. Whoops! 

Later that night as I was charging the jobber, it crackled slightly. And once every now and again it would cut out for the shortest of milliseconds. Then again, I also have an iPhone in the city of Chicago. Slight gaps in communication shouldn’t phase me at all. 

On to the temperature gauge. I REALLY like this action. I am, in no small manner, obsessed with this feature.  Glancing over and knowing in an instant if Nora needs an extra blankie or a cracked open window? Rad. Although I do bug Peej with the slightest temperature fluctuation- and he reminds me each and every time that she survived July in the city. (This makes me feel like a bad parent, retroactively. And presently. Maybe even a little bit for the future.)

The ‘talk to baby’ option is hilarity incarnate. I love walkie talkies. Always have. (Kate and I used to rock them in bedrooms that shared a wall. “Can you hear me?” The NEIGHBORS could.) That said, Nora hasn’t needed my soothing voice over the intercom- yet- but I can totally see it having future uses as she gets older: “Make smart choices, Nora Jane.” “…God?” “…Yes.” Also, my voice sounds really good over this monitor. This is neat. 

The size of the parent base is slightly bigger than my palm. A good size for something that you’ll be hefting around in the evenings and at naptime- especially if you use the belt clip. Which I currently am. Granted, I still miss the incredibly teensy size of my lamented mini Graco. I kinda liked having an object that made me feel like I lived In The Future. However, this trumps the smaller one insomuch as it looks like it could totally take a fall down some steps. (I’ll let you know, eh- in about a month. That’s my rate of household incidences these days.)

Nora and I decided to road-test it. With the nursery base on, we took a stroll down to the corner pub. Not in, mind you. (It was closed.) Sadly, the monitor only had range past the neighbor’s house. But still- that’s awesome. Especially if you consider that our home is on a double lot and her room was 2.5 floors up. In the back. Through brick. And lots of stuffed animals. Then we took it into the backyard, past the garden, through the garage and into the alley. Total range. Which is great for those times when- wait a sec. I will never ever be alone in this alley. Ever. Especially not at night. Not even with a glowy monitor to protect me. 

But I could be, and that’s my point.

So then I took a look at the actual spex for this monitor. (A good time for it, no? After I’ve taken it all over the neighborhood and used it for two straight nights?) Beside the features I’ve mentioned, here’s what else it does:

-If Nora cries (not that uncommon of an occurrence), a bar on top of the parent unit lights up to the degree of her yells. (It can go up pretty high. So can she.) It also vibrates, much like her head and body do in the midst of a [rare] tantrum. 

-There’s an out-of-range [2000 feet!] alarm. Like for when you’re at the bar. (KIDDING, MOM. I just said it didn’t reach that far.)

-I cannot mention the belt clip enough. I love to accessorize.

-The 900MHZ frequency means there’s no other gadgety interference. (Although, again, in Chicago, this cannot be said 100% of anything. Not even on an Etch-A-Sketch.)

-There’s a parent unit finder button on the nursery base. This is clutch! I lose things much bigger than this thing all the time. (I initially read it as “parent finder.” That would be unnecessary in this household. Her other parent is the one who gave her that giant grin and furrowed brow. He’s been “found.” Unless they mean a Search Out P.J. function. Like if he’s at the bar.)

-The digital technology on this baby is secure, ensuring that no one can listen in on my kiddo’s shrieks of dismay. (Whatever. It’s my feeling that if Nora has teething pain, we should all teething pain. Especially my neighbors.)

I’m pretty stoked with this baby monitor. It does the job very well- and has enough new stuff to make me feel futuristic. (That is important.)

The only slight design flaw is the lack of lighting on the parent unit display. It’s a pretty sad state of affairs when, at 2am, I have to read the monitor from the light of my phone. (But at least there’s no interference!) Maybe the lesson is that I should stop checking the temp in her room at 2am. 

Or at the very least stop hitting the light bulb button.

The mini nursery rave is very distracting, and she’s trying to sleep.