This LeapFrog baby monitor hits all the right notes when it comes to key specs, like a high-definition display screen, 1,000-foot working range, up to 8x zoom, and the ability to remotely pan and tilt the camera. The camera’s built-in nightlight adjusts to the brightness of the room, can be dimmed with a touch, and can be controlled from the parent unit. It has temperature and humidity sensors (which is rare at this price point) and it alerts you when these readings are outside a set range. The parent unit allows you to remotely pan and tilt the camera, as well as zoom in up to eight times to better view your little one on the monitor’s 5-inch, 720p high-definition screen. Rounding out the features, it has VOX mode, a 1,000-foot range, two-way talk, and built-in lullabies. It’s also available with a 7-inch screen if you love these features but seek a larger display.

Helpful Review: “This camera provides great crystal clear picture in any light. The pan/tilt/zoom features are easy to use and really helpful. The thermometer is a great way to ensure the baby is resting in a safe room. The alerts for sound are great too! Overall, this is one of the best baby monitors that we have had. This does not have any app/wifi component and I prefer that! The closed system reduces security concerns with folks hacking/snooping.”

Resolution: 720p | Zoom: 8x | Remote Pan/tilt: Yes | Two-Way Talk Mode: Yes | Range: Up to 1,000 feet | Battery life: Up to 15 hours in display mode & up to 22 hours in power-saving mode

The highly-rated Infant Optics DXR-8 PRO baby monitor is Wi-Fi-free and boasts nearly 4,000 five-star ratings. This model has a 5-inch, 720p screen with a unique patent-pending active noise reduction feature that screens out background noise, so you hear your baby and not the fan or humidifier. This monitor has up to six times zoom with a combined optical and digital zoom, so you can see those sweet fleeting sleep smiles with greater clarity. While it has two-way talk, this model is missing voice-activated (VOX) mode, built-in lullabies and white noise. The LED sound-activated lights on the parent unit allow you to see if your baby is crying and they have adjustable brightness which can be dimmed at bedtime. It comes with an interchangeable zoom lens and there’s also a wide-angle lens available that’s sold separately.

Helpful Review: “We have both - the Infant Optics PRO and the normal one and it's worth the extra $$ for the PRO. Better picture quality, you can zoom, add extra cameras and the best feature is it can block out white noise and only play when your baby calls out. That's what I hated about the normal one was listening to the sound machine through the monitor. That alone is worth the extra cost to me. We love this monitor and I like that it doesn't use WiFi”

Resolution: 720p | Zoom: 6x | Remote Pan/tilt: Yes | Two-Way Talk Mode: Yes | Range: Up to 1,000 feet | Battery life: Unavailable, but reviewers report 6 to 10 hours

This affordable VTech Wi-Fi-free baby monitor can last for 19 hours on a single charge with the screen on and a generous 29 hours in audio-only mode. The budget pick is missing a few bells and whistles that other monitors have: you’ll need to manually adjust the wall-mountable camera at the crib angle you want because it doesn’t remotely pan and tilt, and the screen is on the smaller side at 2.8 inches, but this has an upside: It’s small enough to slip in your pocket. The camera has an invisible infrared LED for night vision without adding light to your baby’s room. It also has lots of baby-soothing features like two-way talk so you can reassure your baby over audio, two white noise sounds, and two lullabies. It has temperature monitoring and it also has VOX mode and a range of 1,000 feet.

Helpful Review: “I bought a fancy $130 monitor that I couldn’t figure out for the life of me. I finally caved and bought this one and OMG. I turned it on and it was working! No syncing, no pairing, no connecting to the wifi, etc! I could see and hear my baby and felt so much better knowing I had a reliable monitor! It even has a button to talk to baby and monitors the temp in the room. HIGHLY recommend to anyone tired of the expensive and difficult BS technology!”

Resolution: Unavailable | Zoom: 2x | Remote Pan/tilt: No | Two-Way Talk Mode: Yes | Range: Up to 1,000 feet | Battery life: Up to 19 hours in display mode & up to 29 hours in power-saving mode

The Kidsneed baby monitor has all the features of a higher-end model at a more affordable price. It has remote pan, tilt, and digital zoom of up to two times that can be controlled from the parent unit, as well as key features like a moderately sized 3.5-inch screen, two-way talk, optional VOX mode, and lullabies. The temperature monitoring can be set to alert you when the temperature in your baby’s room is outside a comfortable range. Invisible infrared night vision lets you clearly see your baby even in a pitch-dark room, and it features a sound-activated LED bar for a visual alert. You can even set a feeding alarm to remind you or other caretakers, too. The monitor’s eco mode screens out background noise and it has a 960-foot range and an indicator warning if you’re out of range.

Helpful Review: “So far, I love it! I think we will replace our current one with this one because of how portable it is and the fact that it's not tied to wifi. The price point was a big seller for me. I also wanted to find something that didn't require the use of my phone to check on my baby. The parent part of the monitor is pocket sized, which makes it easy to take around the house and outside, if needed. The sound and video are clear. It sounds like my baby is right next to me when I hear her on the monitor. I would purchase again.”

Resolution: Unavailable | Zoom: 2x | Remote Pan/tilt: Yes | Two-Way Talk Mode: Yes | Range: Up to 960 feet | Battery life: Unavailable

This closed-circuit baby monitor has lots of nice-to-have features and a unique one: A split-screen display that allows you to monitor two kids at the same time. With this pick, you’ll also gettwo-way talk, temperature monitoring, and up to four-times zoom with remote pan and tilt, and VOX mode with three different levels of sensitivity depending on what level of noise you’d like to activate the screen. This monitor has a 5-inch 720p high-definition screen. The strong battery life of 18 hours with the screen on and 30 hours in audio-only VOX mode is the most impressive of our picks. The monitor is expandable to up to four cameras.

Helpful Review: “We were looking for a non-wifi baby monitor, over concerns of hack ability with wifi baby monitors. We've had the Dreo baby monitor for a week and it is really good. [...] Our bedroom is on the far side and our daughter's room is on the opposite far side. So the signal not only goes through our room, but the living room, a spare room then into our daughter's room with no signal loss. We turn on the VOX and choose the medium sensitivity level in the settings, then the screen will go into sleep and stop broadcasting sounds from the camera side until the audio detected is above the alert level, which ensure our own good rest as unnecessary sound will be avoided. But, when my daughter wakes up crying, the screen will be on and we can hear her immediately.”

Resolution: 720p | Zoom: 4x | Remote Pan/tilt: Yes | Two-Way Talk Mode: Yes | Range: Up to 1,000 feet | Battery life: Up to 9 hours in display mode & up to 30 hours in power-saving mode

Once you have your nursery monitor set up, you’ll also want to make sure you have a reliable noise machine to ensure more successful naps and nighttime sleeps. This baby soother is perfect for the nursery, travel, or anywhere you need to soothe baby. This adorable portable noise machine has all the features of a full-size model with the ability to clip to any doorknob, stroller, or car door, thanks to the monkey’s flexible tail. This gadget has five volume-adjustable lullabies and five ambient white-noise sounds, and the nightlight on its cheeks can be adjusted with the push of a button or shut off entirely. It has a one-hour auto shutoff timer and a rechargeable battery.

Helpful Review: “This thing is a life saver, and I plan on buying another one. The volume has a nice range from very quiet to loud. It has a timer so it will shut off at some point. I can't say how long because I'm usually asleep before it shuts off, so for a while! I always put the light on low, and the music, and I love that the light shuts off first, and later on the music shuts off... that gradual shut off helps keep the baby asleep. The charge lasts days. Love this thing!”