Five places you should avoid siting your baby monitor to keep your baby safe

A baby monitor should help you to ensure your baby is safe. But if you don't position it correctly, it could become a hazard.

A poorly positioned baby monitor can cause direct physical harm, but it can also prevent you from being able to see or hear your baby well.

See all the best baby monitors from our independent lab tests

Here are the key things to watch out for when deciding where to put your baby monitor:

1. Don't put the baby monitor too close to your baby

The baby monitor should be out of reach of your baby, ideally at least one metre away from them. You could mount it high up on a wall or put it on top of a shelf.

You'll need to re-check your child's reaching distance as they grow and readjust the position if needed.

2. Don't leave loose cords within reach of your baby

There have been reports of strangulation caused by loose baby monitor cords left within a child's reach. To prevent this risk, ensure any wires and cables are covered and secured away from the child.

Most child units run on mains power so require a power cable to work, but some monitors, such as the BabyMoov YOO-Travel, have cordless child units.

3. Don't place the baby monitor on an unstable surface

Putting the baby monitor on a flat, stable surface will help to ensure it stays upright.

We assess the stability of each baby monitor we test to make sure you don't end up with a monitor that easily topples over.

4. Ensure the baby monitor is in a place where you can clearly hear your baby

Once you've chosen a place, check you can easily hear your baby through the monitor.

Make sure you choose a monitor with good sound quality by using our baby monitor reviews to find one that gets at least a four star volume and sound rating.

5. Ensure the camera angle lets you clearly see your baby

If you're using a video monitor, check the angle of the camera gives you an unobstructed view of your baby.

Make sure you choose a monitor with good picture quality by comparing our video baby monitor reviews to find one that gets at least a four-star video picture rating.