Since having Heidi, Craig has had to hook up no fewer than 5 baby monitors. When Dex was weeny we lived in a flat with his room nestled neatly between lounge and master bedroom (he couldn’t even fart without us noticing) so we didn’t bother with one, now Heidi’s here and we’ve moved to a larger house, it’s become an essential bit of kit. Aside from the fact it’s a potentially lifesaving device given the scary stats on cot death, it also allows us the freedom to roam about the home and simply get on with things whilst keeping a beady eye on Mini Madam.

Yet although we agree we can’t live without one, when my latest gadget arrived, Craig rolled his eyes - “Another one!? What’s wrong with our current one? They’re all more or less the same, right?“.

Well no. After just five minutes play with the BT 7500 Lightshow Baby Monitor we’ve definitely discovered that not all baby monitors are created equal. This one really is the nuts.

Top Features BT 7500 Lightshow Baby Monitor:

Easy set-up

It’s a conventional two piece setup - the camera/microphone/lightshow unit, and the parent unit (a.k.a remote viewing station). For the initial set up, it’s a case of plugging the cables into both the camera unit (requires mains) and the control unit (which has approx 6.5 hours battery life per charge), switching them on and letting them connect to each other automatically.

The parent unit requires 5 hours charge initially if you plan on using it hands-free, if not, you can pop it in the docking station and get started straight away. The display will show, “Linking up…” and simply do it’s thing. As Craig is used to faffing around with instruction manuals this suited him just fine. A set-up wizard then asks you to set the time and whizzes you through you all your baby monitor’s features. You can skip through the set up wizard by simply tapping exit, and watch again by tapping the menu and then “BT Help”.

A top notch camera with both infrared and comprehensive pan and tilt

A live video feed will then show baby resting or sleeping with perhaps the best clarity I’ve come across. The picture quality is first rate and the night vision (infrared) is also very clear with no bright lights on the camera unit to disturb baby as she sleeps. It can be strange to wake up bleary-eyed and see Heidi with possessed beaming eyes, but it definitely gets your arse-in-gear to see to her needs.

The camera also features pan and tilt which allows for almost 360 degree rotation horizontally and vertically. This can be controlled remotely and is completely silent so doesn’t wake Madam. Heidi is a very light sleeper yet will wriggle around her cot like no ones business, so this is the most comprehensive coverage we can get of her without physically standing over her as she sleeps. Better still, you can connect up to 4 cameras to the monitor (can be purchased separately) meaning you won’t have to purchase a whole new baby monitor if you have other small children.

3.5” colour touchscreen LCD display

I think I’m right in saying this is the largest monitor we’ve had. With a 480×320 resolution, it’s definitely the clearest. All the apps are easy to use with clear (and obvious) thumbnail images for you to navigate the settings. The parent unit also has a range of 50m indoors and 300m outdoors making it an ideal choice for those of you with rambling homes. If you’re a technophobe this has been my favourite monitor in terms of ease of use.

Lullabies, white noise and lightshow

I’m used to lullabies on baby monitors but most sound tinny and one dimensional. The BT 7500 Lightshow Baby Monitor has crystal clear HD sound and no fewer than 19 lullabies (including Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, Brahms Lullabies and Three Blind Mice). You can choose to put a tune on repeat or play them in a sequence according to your child’s preferences (for a set length of time or indefinitely). Cleverly, these can be switched off and adjusted for volume remotely allowing parents the ultimate in flexibility. They’re great for disguising background noise whilst Heidi drifts off and we can listen to the tv downstairs at a comfortable volume without her kicking off in protest.

There’s also a comprehensive white noise portfolio including whale, womb and vacuum cleaner sounds - all the tried and tested noises that are clinically proven to soothe baby. Poor old Ewan the Dream Sheep has been relegated to a nearby drawer as a result.

My favourite bit is most definitely the lightshow (also remote controlled) displaying an array of moving and colourful planets and stars. We’ve wanted one of these for ages so it’s a major plus to see it integrated within the baby monitor. My only criticism is that this projects vertically upwards, so if the camera is on the opposite side of the room baby won’t see it. Whilst there is an option to screw the camera unit into the wall, ours is a privately rented home and we don’t feel comfortable tearing into the walls. A screw clip (similar to a cot mobile), would have been useful.

Micro USB Charging

First up, I’m pleased to see long USB leads which is an often overlooked design element on baby monitoring devices. Charging via USB is also fab for when you’re away from home as it’s compatible with other chargers should you forget yours. The parent unit also comes with a docking station for easy charging when you’re not lugging it about (this also acts as a perfect stand for your bedside table so your view of baby is never impeded).

Extras & Alerts

The unit has various timers to assist with nightfeeding (I personally wouldn’t have used this as I fed Heidi on demand rather than waking her with a boob in her face) and also a room temperature monitor that warns you if the room is too cold or hot. The recommended room temperature for a nursery is between 16⁰C–20⁰C which can feel a little on the cool side for us parents, so this is useful if you don’t have a standalone thermometer in the room. There’s also a ‘Cry’ alarm which will sound an alarm or vibrate the parent unit if the volume has been set to mute.

Like most monitors nowadays there’s also a talkback function for soothing baby whilst you climb the stairs to her room. I’ve never used this for the use in which it’s intended but I can instruct Craig to pause the telly if I think I’ll be awhile seeing to Heidi.

There’s also a nightlight built into the camera unit which omits a dull glow for you to check on baby without switching on the main light. This can be adjusted at three different brightness levels remotely on the control unit if you want to slowly limit babies field of vision as she drifts off.

There’s also a mute function, and low battery & out of range alert.

Any negatives?

Other than the slight grumble re the lightshow (as mentioned above) my only other niggle is the loss of picture quality when you use the 3x zoom (it goes slightly grainy). A micro SD slot would also have been cool for uploading our own music - Heidi’s a big fan of Pachelbel.

The BT 7500 Lightshow Baby Monitor is top of the range and weighs in at a hefty £180 (RRP) - good news though as it’s currently on sale at £149.98. This might seem expensive but it does the job of many singular devices we all end up buying throughout our pregnancies (think Gro Eggs, nightlights, cot mobiles etc) - as an all-in-one device BT have done a superb job of addressing all the key functions you need, as well as some extras to keep gadget fiends happy. It’s a new baby must-have and we’d recommend it without hesitation.