Nanit Pro Camera and Sound + Light Machine review
Here's what reviewer Sarah thought of the Nanit Pro Camera + Sound and Light Machine after putting it to the test with her 9-month-old baby during naps and overnight sleeping
4.5
In a nutshell
An impressive smart monitor packed with features, offering unrivalled sleep insights and video clarity — though it may be more than you need for basic monitoring
What we tested
- Ease of use
4.0
A star rating of 4.0 out of 5. - Sound/picture
5.0
A star rating of 5.0 out of 5. - Signal range
5.0
A star rating of 5.0 out of 5. - Design
4.5
A star rating of 4.5 out of 5. - Durability
4.5
A star rating of 4.5 out of 5. - Worth the money
4.0
A star rating of 4.0 out of 5.
4.5
Pros
- In-depth sleep analysis
- Clear HD image
- Very clear sound
- High quality
- Robust safety features
- Includes wearable breathing motion monitor
Cons
- Have to pay for extra app benefits/insights
- Nanit Pro Camera app may drain phone battery overnight
- No parent unit
- Expensive
Nanit is a premium parenting brand renowned for designing innovative and high-spec monitors to keep track of your baby's every move. The Nanit Pro Camera is a high-end smart monitoring system combining a HD video monitor camera, wearable breathing motion monitor and sleep tracker app, while the Nanit Sound + Light machine, £99.99, multi-tasks as a nightlight, white noise machine and audio monitor.
The Nanit camera can be slotted into a wall mount, floor stand or a smaller, portable flex stand, with prices starting at £249 for the flex stand bundle. We tested the floor stand bundle (RRP £379), which includes a small breathing band (0-3 months) that cleverly monitors your baby’s breathing without any sensors. There’s no screen, instead you get real-time monitoring of your baby through an app. The package also includes a free introductory trial of Nanit Insights Sleep Plan, an enhanced app which gives you a wealth of information about your baby’s sleep patterns and tips to improve their sleep.
The Nanit Pro has earned cult status among techy parents who love the sleep insights the app serves up. It's also a Silver Award winner, alongside the Sound + Light Machine, for Best Baby Tech in our MadeForMums Tech Awards 2025.
About our parent tester
Sarah Tooze, an automotive journalist of 17 years and a mum of two, tested the Nanit Pro Camera and Sound + Light Machine with her 9-month-old baby during daytime naps and overnight sleeping. She used the app from multiple locations to access sound, light, and sleep data.
How easy is it to set up the Nanit Pro Camera and floor stand?
I assembled the floor stand in a matter of minutes without tools and using the printed instructions, although you can download the app first and use its instructions if you prefer. If you’re using the floor stand with a crib it may take a little longer as you need to shorten the height by removing segments, but if you’re using it at full height all you need to do is line the segments up and click them into place, pull the cord through the bottom of the base. Handily, you can choose which direction you want the cord to go out from the base, depending on where your wall plug is. Connecting the Pro Camera app was also straightforward as it found my Wi-Fi easily and I was able to set up two-factor authentication without any hassle.
How easy is it to set up the Nanit Sound + Light Machine?
It was a different story with the Nanit Sound + Light Machine – I couldn’t get it to connect to the Wi-Fi or pair with my iPhone despite following all the troubleshooting advice. When I tried using my husband’s Android phone it connected straightaway, however.
How secure and stable is the Nanit Pro Camera floor stand?
The floor stand feels sturdy and does not easily tip or shift. You also don’t have to worry about the long wires running along the floor from the stand to the plug socket as they are tucked away securely in a cord management system.
My baby did attempt a couple of times to pull herself up on the floor stand but I solved this by repositioning the stand between the wall and her cot. For extra peace of mind you can fix it to the wall using the provided u-clip and wall bracket, if you wish.
How portable is the Nanit Pro Camera floor stand setup?
The floor stand is 170cm tall at its maximum height and the base is 30cm wide; both are lightweight so can be easily moved between rooms. If you need to use the floor stand on holiday it could be easily dismantled and set up again, although the flex stand, £49, is the most portable option if you need to travel regularly.
How good is the picture and sound quality using the Nanit Pro Camera?
The Nanit Pro Camera provides crisp, clear, high definition pictures, and performs well even in low light at night. The audio is equally good, and picks up early cries before they turn into full blown screams!
I didn’t experience any lag between the live action and the app, probably because I have full fibre broadband. However, other MadeForMums testers did report that it would occasionally disconnect and it does lag slightly on slower home Wi-Fi speeds.
What are the standout features of the Nanit Pro Camera?
If you want to monitor your baby or toddler’s breathing without using sensors or electronics then Nanit’s clever solution is sleepwear with a pattern on which the camera tracks to 'see' your child’s breathing. You can use the included breathing band until your baby is 3 months old, but you’ll then need to purchase sleepwear separately as your baby grows. I tried the sleeping bag (RRP £29.99) with my 9 month old and it continuously recorded her breaths per minute, even when she changed position. If you’re feeling anxious as a new parent this feature is so reassuring and I wish I’d had it with my firstborn, particularly as she was a premature baby.
Temperature and humidity sensors, which are located on the camera mount, were helpful during the heatwaves we experienced during testing, although it showed several degrees warmer than our Tommee Tippee Groegg 2 thermometer ,so I was left wondering which was more accurate.
What is the Nanit Pro app like to use?
While the app is free, you can pay extra for enhanced sleep insights and video playback. The app allows for multiple caregivers and you can control the level of access by setting them up as an admin or viewer and revoking that permission, if needed, which is ideal if you have a babysitter. The number of caregivers depends on what subscription level you have though.
I work from home so rarely needed to check in on my baby from a different location but my husband liked the fact he could log in from his office and catch a glimpse of her lunchtime nap.
The only app feature we didn’t find intuitive was the big red button which says 'turn camera on' but doesn’t! Instead, you have to click on a different setting to turn the camera on. I also found that if my phone wasn’t plugged in overnight, the app soon drained my battery.
How useful are the sleep analytics and trends from the Nanit Pro app?
One of the other standout features is the app's sleep analytics, which gave me insight into how long it took my baby to get to sleep, how often we needed to pick her up for a cuddle in the night and her most common sleeping position, which is shown as a movement map.
The app’s sleep data matched my real-life experience except for one occasion when it randomly suggested I had picked my baby up when she was asleep. That aside, the insights helped us to track how much sleep she was actually getting overnight and allowed us to spot when ‘danger naps’ in the afternoon were potentially interfering with her nighttime sleep. It also made us realise just how often we helped her to sleep and that we needed to work more on self-settling.
The six-month free trial of the Sleep Plan membership gives you the key features such as livestream monitoring, breathing motion monitoring and sound and motion alerts but to get further insights you need to upgrade to the Memories Plan or Milestones Plan.
How reliable is the Nanit Pro Camera connection?
I didn’t experience any dropouts delays or buffering issues, and the app maintained connection when used out of the house.
What do you like about the Nanit Sound + Light Machine?
Once I had solved the connectivity issues, I was impressed with the Sound + Light Machine as it was a massive upgrade from simply playing white noise YouTube videos on my phone at night.
It has everything from pink noise, which is deeper and softer for babies than white noise, and brown noise, which is even deeper and more like rumbling, to the sound of someone shushing, and a multitude of lullabies and nature noises.
You can also change the colours of the machine to suit your routine such as pink for morning and yellow for wind down before bedtime. We didn’t find the colours made a great deal of difference with our baby, but with long term use that may change. The settings can easily be adjusted on the device itself or remotely using the app.
The Sound + Light Machine can also be used as an audio baby monitor, alerting you via the app when your baby is crying. As we were testing the Nanit Pro Camera for monitoring, we didn't really use this feature.
What’s in the box?
- Nanit Pro camera
- U-clip
- Wall bracket
- 5 pole segments
- Base
- Elbow piece
- 3 cord management channels
- Cord
- Power adapter
- Small sensor-free Breathing Band (0-3 months)
The Nanit Sound + Light Machine came separately.
Are there any accessories available?
Nanit has a range of complementary products. Aside from sleepwear, stands and extra breathing bands, you can buy a travel case for the flex stand (RRP £29.99) and even smart sheets (RRP £34.99) which work with the camera to track your baby’s measurements.
There are three different Nanit Insights subscription levels, which essentially unlock more app features, the amount of users and how long data is kept for and analysed:
- Sleep Plan for £40 per year
- Memories Plan for £80 per year
- Milestones Plan for £240 per year
How sustainable are the Nanit products?
Nanit uses minimal packaging, which is recyclable, where possible. You can get replacement parts if you’re based in the US but there aren’t currently any available on the UK website, although you do get a 1-year warranty for any manufacturing defects.
Are the Nanit Pro Camera and the Nanit Sound + Light Machine worth the money?
The Nanit Pro Camera is much more than a standard baby monitor. The insights help you to understand how well your baby is actually sleeping, the Nanit Breathing Band, Swaddle, Pyjamas or Breathing Wear Sleeping Bag are great alternatives to a movement sensor pad, and the Sound + Light Machine goes beyond a white noise device. Together, it's a high price point though. Personally, I would stick with the basic Nanit Insights plan rather than the upgrades, as that more than met my needs.
Where can I buy the Nanit Pro Camera?
It's available at Nanit, Very, Argos and Amazon.
Where can I buy the Nanit Sound + Light Machine?
It's available at Amazon, Nanit and Very.
MadeForMums verdict
If you’re tech-savvy and want to take a data-led approach to manage your baby or toddler’s sleep, and like to set routines, then the Nanit Pro Camera is a worthwhile investment. The Breathing Wear offers extra peace of mind and the Nanit Insights genuinely are helpful. If you're after an upgrade on the usual white noise/night light set up, the Nanit Sound + Light Machine has all the bells and whistles, as well as working as an audio baby monitor via the app. If you have the budget, I'd highly recommend.
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