Snuza Trio Plus Baby Monitor Review

 

List Price: $349.99
Type: 3-in-1 Video Monitor

The Good – Excellent image quality on a large 3.5″ LCD Screen; Clear Infra-red image in dark conditions; Secure & Private Digital Communication System; 2-way communications; excellent battery life with low charge indicator; Expandable up to 4 cameras; Out-of-range warning signal; Supplied with digital zoom lens that can be panned/tilted remotely; Additional Baby Movement Monitor; Room temperature indicator and alert; Feed timer; Very easy to use.

The Bad – It is quite expensive, but you must bear in mind that other cheaper models tend to have fewer features and no movement monitor. If you can do without the movement monitor and the other high-end features like room temperature indicator and feed timer, you might want to consider the Infant Optics DXR-8 instead.

The Bottom Line – The Snuza Trio Plus is an excellent top of the range video baby monitor that comes supplied with all of the features that one could possibly ask for in a monitor. It is quite expensive, but if you can afford it I’m pretty sure you won’t be disappointed.

Why is the Snuza Trio Plus Baby Monitor So Good?

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The Snuza Trio Plus baby Monitor package comprises a top-of-the-range video camera monitoring unit and a very popular baby movement monitor (The Hero Monitor).

So, what is so special about this particular monitor package?

Well, here are some of the main features that you will find on the Snuza Trio Plus. I suggest that you take you time to read about them and then watch the helpful video reviews towards the bottom of the page.

#1 Screen Size & Image Quality

Obviously, one of the most important features of any video baby monitor is the size and quality of the screen and the resulting images that are shown on it. After all, there is little point in spending over $200 on a monitor if you can’t make out enough detail of your baby due to the screen being too small or the quality of the images being too poor.

You also need to ensure that the quality of the image is excellent in the dark as well as daylight conditions, since that will most closely replicate the conditions of use in your home when baby is sleeping.

As you can see from the User Review Video below, the image quality of the Snuza Trio Camera is excellent, both in daylight and blackout conditions.

#2 Remotely-operated Pan & Tilt Function (& Zoom)

 

If you have more than 1 child in the room or baby gets to the age where they start to move around in their crib, you will find the remotely-operated pan & tilt function on the Snuza Camera Unit very useful.

It will also mean that you can use the monitor with a toddler when you leave them to play in a playpen or other safe area while you do some chores, use the bathroom or cook a meal.

The pan & tilt function on the Snuza is operated via the parent unit by simply pressing the arrow buttons up, down, left or right as required to keep your child in view.

There is also a button to zoom in and out if required.

#3 Two-way Talkback Function

Many cheaper baby monitors only allow you to hear noises coming from the baby’s room. This is fine if you just want to know if there are in distress or need your assistance for some other reason. However, there are some (non-emergency) occasions when it is very useful to be able to communicate with your baby without having to actually visit their room.

For example, if your baby is old enough to sleep in a cot at night in their own room, you can use the 2-way talkback function to try to soothe them back to sleep from the relative comfort of your own bed if they are restless, rather than having to get up out of bed and walk to their room for this purpose. Very often, if your baby is just a little restless at night, some soothing words can get them settled without any direct physical contact.

Caring for babies is an exhausting responsibility and any added feature that might allow you to spend a little extra time in bed rather than constantly having to walk backwards and forwards between bedrooms is absolutely priceless in my view.

#4 Room Temperature Display & Alert

The Snuza Trio Plus screen displays the baby’s room temperature and the unit also alerts you if and when it is either too cold or too hot.

Although you can buy room temperature monitors separately, it is nice to have this feature built-in to the baby monitor unit itself rather than having to use yet another device.

Likewise, the baby feeding alert is not an essential feature of a baby monitor but, again, it is convenient to have it built into a single device. You can either select one of the pre-programmed feeding frequencies or simply create your own pattern to suit your baby’s specific requirements.

#5 Out of Range Warning Feature

This is another very useful security feature, which means that you will be alerted to the fact that the units are too far apart to communicate with each other.

Snuza boasts that the transmission distance on the Trio Plus is 300 meters, which is excellent. However, the actual useable distance will depend upon the layout of your home and what the walls are made of etc. I certainly haven’t heard any complaints about the Snuza Trio Plus’s transmission distance, but it is always a good idea to buy your monitor from a large reputable online or offline company that won’t be obstructive if you need to return it for this (or any other) reason.

#6 Expandable (Up to 4 Camera Units)

If, for some reason, you need to be able to monitor more than 1 baby at a time or more than 1 room at a time without having to constantly move a single camera unit to different places, you can buy additional camera units to suit your needs.

#7 The Hero Baby Movement Monitor

What is a baby movement monitor?

Firstly, be warned that there is a lot of misinformation about this subject. As the Snuza company points out itself, the Hero Baby Movement Monitor is NOT a medical device and should never be relied upon in this way. It is simply a device that provides you with an early warning that there “might” be a problem with your baby’s breathing pattern.

Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) is a complicated issue and one that the medical profession continues to grapple. I am certainly not qualified to offer any opinion on the likely causes of SIDS or the steps that can be proven to reduce the risks. But, the important thing to note for the purposes of this post is that baby movement monitors are NOT designed to deal with the risk of SIDS.

If you have any questions or concerns about these sorts of medical issues and want to know how to reduce the risks to your baby, you should consult a suitably qualified paediatric medical practitioner, rather than rely upon internet posts of doubtful accuracy.

So, to be perfectly clear, whilst I think that these monitors are a great idea, they cannot be relied upon to detect or prevent SIDS, or any other medical condition for that matter. What they can do though is alert you to the fact that there might be something wrong with your child’s lack of movement / breathing at an early stage and give you the opportunity to do something about it.

But, by far the biggest benefit of these monitor is that they give parents a certain amount of “peace of mind”. 

When I say “peace of mind”, I simply mean that you don’t have to constantly hover over your baby in the first few months of their life in a constant state of paranoia that they have stopped breathing. I know from personal experience that this is one of the most worrying parts of being a new parent and I wish that I had know about these monitors a few years ago so that I could have relaxed a little more at nap time!

There are some helpful video towards the bottom of this page that explain and demonstrate how the Snuza Hero works. But, in simple terms, the monitor vibrates against your baby’s body if they have not moved (breathed) for 15 seconds and then sounds an alarm if they still do not move during the 5 seconds after the initial vibration. The vibration feature (often not found on other monitors) is designed to stimulate baby into breathing again and this helps to greatly reduce the number of false alarms.

The Hero also has alerts to warn you of persistent infrequent movements. You should read the instruction manual fully before using tho device and there are some very helpful videos at the bottom of this page to help you understand how to operate it properly.

Snuza Trio Plus Video Monitor – Key Features

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• Large 3.5″ LCD screen view
• Remotely operated pan-tilt camera function
• Includes rechargeable battery
• 2-way communication function
• Baby feed timer
• High quality Infrared night vision
• Night vision automatically activated
• Out of range warning alert
• Multiple volume settings (0~8 levels)
• Expandable up to 4 cameras
• Digital wireless technology for zero interference and 100% privacy
• Room temperature display and alert
• Digital zoom function – remotely operated
• Voice activation function (VOX)
• Sound level indication
• Video screen is noise-activated to preserve battery life.

Snuza Hero Movement Monitor – Key Features

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• Detects abdominal movement
• Alarms if all movement stops
• Clips onto diaper for total mobility – no cords, wires or pads
• Vibration stimulus after 15 seconds of no movement
• Alarm after 20 seconds of no movement
• Replaceable battery

Video Review of the Snuza Trio Plus (Camera Unit)

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Here is a very helpful video review of the Snuza Trio Plus by “Little Miss Kate”:

Video Reviews of the Snuza Trio Plus (Hero Movement Monitor)

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Here is a helpful (and balanced) video review of the Snuza Hero Movement Monitor:

This video shows you how to use the Snuza Hero Movement Monitor:

Where to Buy the Snuza Trio Plus Baby Monitor

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Check the latest price of the Snuza Trio Plus in the US here.

Check the latest price in the UK here.

Further Information