I'm not sure when the first baby monitors came into use, but I'm pretty sure it wasn't back when I was young enough to have one. I do seem to recall seeing them around when I was in elementary school, but I'm not really sure. In fact, the most I'd ever seen one was in the film Signs. (You know... that's how they knew the aliens were coming...) So, I was completely surprised to see that audio baby monitors are quickly becoming out of date and making way for the baby video monitor.

My first reaction to seeing these was.... well... to be honest, I thought them a bit freaky. After reading more about them, however, I decided that I'd probably get one of these if I had a kid. And besides, it's a great way to acclimate your child to the Big Brother world they will be living in when they're grown up. There are cameras on every corner now; I'm sure they'll be in every house by the time Junior goes off to college! By the way, you'll notice that each of these is from the Summer Infant line -- that's because they have consistently good reviews, while some of the other companies had consistently otherwise reviews. That's not to say others aren't good -- but these really do seem to be the best.

If you're one of those people who can barely program the DVD player, this is probably the baby video monitor system for you. It's got the old-fashioned monitor that resembles the kind of TV you grew up with (as opposed to those flat screens that take up entire living room walls) and is very easy to set up. This appears to be one of the more popular models, and the reviews are very, very good.

If you're more technically inclined, you may feel comfortable with this handheld version if the Summer Infant Baby Video Monitor. It's small size makes it convenient to carry around and it kind of resembles an iPod, doesn't it? Good reviews for this one too.

If you're more hi-tech and ready to go Star Trek, this 7-inch LCD baby video looks pretty modern, doesn't it? You could set this up on your bedroom dresser and it wouldn't take up much space at all. Same price as the handheld.