Why I Chose Lollipop as My Baby Monitor

Choosing a baby monitor is intimidating. Especially since you’re also choosing a crib, bassinet, stroller, high chair, car seat, nursery theme, birth plan, and name.

I went with Lollipop. No, not the candy, and definitely not the catchy song. This Lollipop is a newer baby monitor/nanny camera that, surprisingly, is not one of the many I’ve reviewed before. Here’s how I found it and why I chose it.

I’ll be honest: I’m an anxious mom. I had my first baby about five years later than I always imagined, and the fear of losing what I waited so long for makes me supremely cautious.

When I was pregnant, I scoured reviews at SafeWise to pick out a safe crib and car seat; I sweated over bassinet options and said no to the dangers of baby loungers. But when it came to smart camera-cum-baby monitors, I (a professional camera reviewer! someone who reviews cameras for a living!) got stuck.

Of all the cameras I’d combed over for our reviews for the best nanny cams and best baby monitors, I was partial to the Arlo Baby. But Arlo no longer makes it, and finding a used one for sale gets harder and harder. Plus, this was my first kid, so would a used camera that might not last make sense?

Then I saw my sister’s school friend-turned-influencer promoting Lollipop, so I took a cynical look. I actually liked what I saw and decided to go with it.

The Lollipop has all the features I wanted in a baby monitor plus some I never even imagined.

Breathing detection. This feature is so sensitive that it sets off the alarm if I leave the room. We’ve kept it off for now, but you know I’ll use it extensively those first few weeks after Baby transfers from the bassinet.

Crying detection. Yes, we can hear her from most places in the house, but this feature is great if I’ve run to the basement or stepped outside to take out the trash. And when I leave the baby with my husband or mom and I see that crying notification? I can pull up the camera and make sure everything’s a-okay.

Sound detection. This is different from crying detection! It picks up on other noises and lets me know when they’re too loud. Mainly good for letting Daddy know he needs to turn down his cinema-esque sound system.

Crossing detection. We angled our Lollipop so we can see the crib and anytime someone enters, exits, or walks past the baby’s room. If, heaven forbid, a kidnapper should enter the room, we’ll know their exact movements. But mainly, I use this one as a reference point for the last time I brought her in for a diaper change or grabbed new sheets. You’d be surprised how quickly you forget when you’re tired!

Music. This camera doesn’t just play music; it plays various music. Does your baby prefer Rachmaninov over Mozart? Or would you like your baby to prefer Rachmaninov over Mozart? You can pick between six different classical songs. Plus, there are white noise options, like hair dryer, vacuum, water, and womb.

And those are just the free features. I didn’t opt in to the paid subscription, which records your nursery 24/7 (versus when it detects movement). You can also pair a Lollipop camera with a Lollipop sensor, which tracks environmental factors like temperature, air quality, and humidity.

This camera’s easy setup is a huge draw. Not only was it easy to get the software set up, you have an easy hardware option, too. The Lollipop name comes from a squishy stem that twists around like the tail of a Vermicious Knid from Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator.

The stem makes for the easiest camera mounting option of all time. You can wrap it around the bar of your crib and call installation a day. I personally did not go for the crib install — I feared Baby pulling the camera cord into the crib and getting tangled. Instead, I wrapped my camera around a nearby shelf.

You can opt for a traditional mounting option instead, and there’s also a channel to run your camera cord through. You can use the channel to keep the cord out of the way no matter your mounting method, although I didn’t have the time or patience to set it up initially. But as the baby gets more mobile, it’ll be a must-have.

Some baby monitors are fun (Arlo Baby, we miss thee!), but most are kind of ugly. And yeah, I’m not a social media maven with a snowy aesthetic, but I worked hard on the nursery. I didn’t want an eyesore in the middle of my labor of love.

I like that the Lollipop has a fun, toy-like look and feel. It’s mostly pastel, with one white ring and a black lens. (I went for the aqua color — it matches the Peter Pan/Wendy theme I picked.) And the squishy stem also creates a playful look that fits right in the baby’s room.

Lollipop is easy to control with its free (yay) app. I can see my baby from anywhere while doing anything. And when she’s crying, a notification pops up on my phone.

Here's what the dashboard looks like:

If you decide to upgrade to the paid subscription, you can do that through the app as well. But even without the paid plan, the Lollipop saves motion-activated clips for about a week after they occur.

Here's what the camera view looks like in the app.

If you don’t feel Lollipop the way I do, no sweat. There are lots of cameras out there, and I’m sure you’ll find a great one.

And a word of advice from someone on the other side? At first, your choice of baby monitor seems like a life-or-death situation. And while it’s definitely important, when your baby is a little older, you’ll probably realize there are many great options you could have picked. So try not to sweat it! Whatever you choose will probably be just fine.