In a nutshell

A great monitor with fantastic reception and with features that make monitoring your baby a cinch.

What we tested

  • Ease of use
    A star rating of 4.0 out of 5.
  • Sound and/or picture quality
    A star rating of 5.0 out of 5.
  • Signal range
    A star rating of 5.0 out of 5.
  • Design
    A star rating of 4.0 out of 5.
  • Durability
    A star rating of 4.0 out of 5.
  • Worth the money
    A star rating of 5.0 out of 5.
Overall Rating
A star rating of 4.5 out of 5.

Pros

  • Easy to use; packed with features; incredibly portable

Cons

  • The nightlight doesn't provide the greatest of glows

Packed with useful functions, the Philips AVENT DECT baby monitor SCD520 provides great sound quality, functionality and reassurance for parents.

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Leaders in the parenting market, Philips AVENT are passionate about producing superior products that are designed with you and your baby’s needs in mind. Their rigorous research and clinical trials mean you can be assured you’re getting the best. The SCD520 is their middle-of-the-range digital baby monitor.

What we love

With clear instructions, the Philips AVENT DECT baby monitor SCD520 is incredibly easy to set up. The parent and baby unit only take a few moments to connect with each other and the digital technology provides excellent sound quality. The volume can be set on the parent unit and the sound sensitive lights also allow you to hear your baby’s cries if you’re in a noisy environment.

With plenty of functions on offer, there isn’t much that this monitor won’t do and helpful icons on the parent unit display the functions in use. The choice of five lullabies will send your baby soundly off to sleep and you can opt to play one lullaby once, several times or play the whole list. There’s a temperature display and alert that can be set to go off according to the temperature range you set. The talk back function allows you to speak to your baby and reassure her that you’re on your way and, if you mislay the parent unit, there’s a very handy pager function on the baby unit.

All of the functions can be controlled via the menu button on the parent unit. Both units can be battery or mains operated and there’s a battery level warning alarm on the parent unit and light indicator on the baby unit, both of which give 30 minutes warning before the batteries go flat. The monitor has a long 330m range, and an alarm will let you know if you take it too far. Some mums have even said they potter in the garden while their baby slumbers!

A neat little monitor, it’s incredibly portable with the belt clip and there’s also a neck strap included. There’s nothing on this monitor that doesn’t think about the needs of parent and baby. There is a host of functions, all of which do their job incredibly well.

What to watch out for

It’s hard to say anything negative about this monitor but the nightlight is a little soft, really only illuminating the monitor itself.

Who is the Philips AVENT DECT baby monitor SCD520 best for?

Mums after crystal-clear sound and the best of all functions.

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MadeForMums verdict

It may be more expensive than many digital monitors but it’s worth every penny. It scores top marks all round, offering everything parents need for the ultimate in baby monitoring. The dim nightlight is the only thing that lets this monitor down.

Product Specifications

Product
BrandPhilips AVENT
ModelDECT SCD520
Price£80.00
Features
Video screenNo
Movement sensor padNo
Range indoors50m
Range outdoors330m
Number of channelsMulti
Sound level indicator lightsYes
Two-way talkbackYes
Night lightYes
Soothing lullabiesYes
Features
  • Sound sensitive lights
  • Nightlight
  • Talk back
  • Temperature display and alert
  • Battery level indicator
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