When Should You Stop Using a Baby Monitor?

Reviewed by: Top 10 For Kids Editorial Team · Updated: September 8, 2026

There’s no fixed age to retire the baby monitor - it depends on your child, your home and your own peace of mind. Here’s how to know when it’s time.

The typical range

Many families use a monitor from newborn through the toddler years (roughly age 2–4), and some keep an audio or video monitor going into the preschool years. There’s no rule - plenty of parents stop earlier, and some continue longer, especially in larger homes.

Signs it might be time to stop

• Your child sleeps reliably through the night in their own room.
• You can hear them from your room without the monitor.
• Your child is old enough to get up and come to you if they need something.
• The monitor is adding anxiety (constant checking) rather than reassurance.

Reasons to keep going a while longer

A larger or multi-storey home, a child who wakes or wanders, or simply your own comfort are all fine reasons to keep a monitor. Video monitors with pan-tilt-zoom stay useful once a toddler is moving around the room, and can help with early climbing-out-of-bed safety.

How to phase it out

Try turning the screen off but keeping audio, then move to checking in person, then stop. If your child has just moved to a big-kid bed or a new room, it’s usually easier to wait until they’ve settled before retiring the monitor.