For expectant parents deciding on must-have baby equipment, a baby monitor will most likely be at the top of their list. Designed similar to "walkie talkies," these gadgets give parents freedom to move about their home while Baby is sleeping in another part of the house during naptimes and at night.

But these days, baby monitors come in a variety of sizes and shapes and have various capabilities, including video and infrared technology, so it can be a bit overwhelming staring at an entire aisle of choices at the local baby superstore.

"First of all, you need to consider whether you even need a baby monitor," says Sandra J. Gordon, author of Consumer Reports Best Baby Products 2007 (Consumer Reports, 2007). "If you have a small home or apartment and think the constant surveillance a monitor provides might be more stressful than reassuring, you can feel free to skip this purchase. It's OK to want to take a break while your baby is sleeping, provided that you've done everything you can to make sure she's sleeping as safely as possible – in a new crib with a firm mattress and no soft bedding, puffy bumpers, stuffed animals or sleep positioners."

Lee Courtemanche, director of retail for Isis Maternity in Boston, Mass., remembers a time before baby monitors were around to help parents sleep more soundly in between night feedings. "I was always attuned to any nuances coming from their bedrooms," she says. "I slept very lightly for a very long time."

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