I loved the newborn days and listening to my baby snuffling quietly next to me while he slept, but as he out grew his Snuzpod I felt the need to reclaim my bedroom and decided it was time to move him into his own room. This meant looking for a baby monitor which would provide me with reassurance and let me know when Baby Boy needs me. I have used baby monitors with my girls until they were 2 or 3 so I want one which will last and meet my changing demands. I was sent the new Summer Baby Pixel Cadet Colour Video monitor to review to see what I thought.

Over the last 8 years I have had quite a few baby monitors (5 I think) and while they all have the same basic functions there are lots of small differences between them which makes them stand out in different ways. Which monitor works best for you will depend on your requirements so it's worth reading a few reviews before you commit to one. 

Key Features of The Baby Pixel Cadet Colour Video Monitor from Summer (formerly Summer Infant)

• The handheld screen has a 4.3 inch screen to show a video feed.
• The handheld unit plays sound whether the screen is awake or not.
• Camera can be placed on a flat surface or mounted on the wall.
• Camera angle can be adjusted remotely.
• You can zoom in (digitally) on the camera image up to 3 levels.
• Camera unit microphone plays a choice of 5 lullabies or white noise
• The handheld screen can be set to wake up when there is a noise to improve battery life. 
• You can talk to the camera (so the baby can hear) via the handheld unit.
• It has a SleepZone virtual boundary box.
• Room temperature is displayed on the handheld unit.
• Option to purchase and connect to up to 4 cameras from one handheld unit.
• Lights on handheld unit to indicate level of noise.
• You can adjust the volume and brightness of the handheld screen.
• There is a flip up antenna to improve reception (claims to have a 300m range).
• A flip out kick-stand means the unit can stand up on a level surface. 
• It comes with security clips to keep the camera cord flush to the wall keeping baby safer.

The Summer Baby Pixel Cadet Baby Monitor Video Camera

The Baby Pixel Cadet is a video monitor so it allows you to see and hear your child. The camera unit is very simple with only one button on. Hold the button down to turn the camera on/ off (although we just leave ours on) or press briefly to turn on the lullabies/ white noise. The camera unit is my favourite of any of the monitors I have used mainly because you can change the camera angle remotely. The number of times G or I have accidentally knocked the camera units over the years  and only discovered once we have got downstairs that we can’t actually see anything useful. That’s not a problem with this Summer monitor because you can easily change the camera direction using the handheld unit. It can move an impressive distance up down and left to right which means you have much more flexibility than many other baby monitors about where to place the camera unit. In the future when we take the side off the cot we will also be able to check what Baby Boy is up to if he has climbed out of the cot.

The only button the camera has on it is on the back which when pressed briefly turns the music function on. The monitor has a choice of 2 lullabies or 3 types of white noise. When you have chosen one in the settings menu pressing the music button on either camera or parent unit plays it for 20 minutes before turning off again. This can be enough to settle or resettle baby.

The Summer Baby Pixel Cadet Baby Monitor Video Handheld Unit 

The handheld has a 4.3 inch screen and 8 buttons distributed over the front, top and right hand side of the unit.  At the touch of a button you can turn the unit on/ off (you do need to hold it down for a few seconds though), the video screen on or off, the music on/ off, adjust volume, turn on the “SleepZone”, speak to the camera unit or adjust position of the camera as well as access the settings menu.

The camera feed shows in colour in daylight and turns to black and white in low light when it uses infrared. The quality of the infrared image suffers due to our cot and where we have the camera because the light bounces off the cot bars. We would get a clearer picture of Baby Boy if we repositioned the camera to look down into the cot and handily the camera can be attached to the wall to help with this which is something I am considering doing in the future. The image is clear enough that we can see if Baby Boy is awake and moving around which is the key thing. The camera has a digital zoom function allowing you to get a closer view of baby, but the quality on zooming in isn’t great in our current position. If it is important to you to get a clearer image of your baby while they are sleeping I would suggest the Baby Pixel HD Zoom Monitor which has the same features as the Cadet, but better picture quality and improved zoom function.

Colour view of handheld unit in daylight

Taken at night in very low light with camera moved up to show photographs on the wall

LED lights on camera showing noise from baby crying (and zoomed in image)

The SleepZone Virtual Boundary Box 

The SleepZone is an interesting idea. When turned on the handheld unit will alert you if anything crosses the virtual boundary (a box shape that you can adjust the size of). This means if the baby moves out of the zone, or anything goes into it you will know. I can see it being one of those things that will be exactly what some people need to make their life easier, while others will never use it

It’s not a feature we have a need for at the moment, but it might be useful when Baby Boy is in a cot bed. It could also be helpful for you if you have a baby that wakes up quietly, tries to climb out of the cot or even if you are worried about a pet jumping into the cot while baby is sleeping. 

SleepZone Virtual Boundary Box

What Are My Impressions of the Summer Baby Pixel Cadet Colour Video Monitor? (Review)

This video monitor has some great features which make it easy to relax while baby is sleeping. It took a little while for me to get used to the position of the buttons (I accidentally turned on the white noise a few times), but having used it for a few weeks I am happy with the monitor.

There are a couple of features I have had on other baby monitor's which I miss on this one:

Noise Sensitivity

You can’t adjust sensitivity to noise and it also doesn’t get used to a constant noise so if you have a lot of background noise or white noise on this will be continuously picked up through the unit. This is most noticeable if you use the inbuilt lullaby/ white noise because you have it playing through the handset for the entire time it is on. There is the option to turn the volume off, but if you hit the music button to help resettle the baby in the middle of the night turning the volume off might not be the ideal solution.

We currently use a white noise machine to play white noise continuously all night long and we have it positioned far enough away from the camera that the white noise is not very loud through the monitor, but we can hear if Baby Boy wakes up.

Charging 

How long the handheld unit’s battery lasts will depend on the settings and how often the baby makes noises/ the screen is viewed. It lasts us 3 to 4 hours on a normal day. It then needs charging or you can keep it plugged in (like we do overnight). 

Other monitors I have used recently use a mini USB which has been helpful because we have plenty and can plug it in whichever room we are in, this monitor uses a round adaptor and we only have one. The battery doesn’t currently last us all the nap times and evening until I go to bed so I have to remember to charge it after the long nap or move the charging cable during the day. This is easily solved by buying an addition Handheld AC Adapter which you can do via Consumer Relations. 

You can also buy replacement batteries which is great because when I have used monitors in the past for a year or more the parent units often lose their ability to hold charge and need to be plugged in more often. Knowing that I can replace the battery if necessary provides me with reassurance that we can use the monitor for the next few years. 

My Favourite Features Of The Summer Baby Pixel Cadet Monitor

The Flexibility of The Camera

I love that you can move the camera remotely. I can change the camera angle to show me the floor all the way up to the ceiling and a long way in each direction. Attaching it to wall (with the mounting kit provided) means you don't even need to worry about having a suitable surface to put it on.

Resettle Your Baby Remotely

Sometimes babies need a cuddle or milk to get them back to sleep, other times they might just need a bit of reassurance. Using the handheld unit you can choose to play a short burst of white noise (or lullabies) to help ease them back to sleep or talk through the units to comfort them. 

Overall I think this is a good baby monitor which will meet our needs well over the next couple of years.



***Disclosure: I was sent the Summer Baby Monitor for honest review, all thoughts are my own***