This blog post is brought to you by VTech and The Motherhood. All opinions are my own.

ways to use a baby monitor pets

Did you know that baby monitors aren’t just for monitoring brand new babies? They’re also brilliant tools for keeping tabs on your furkids! If your pets are anything like mine, they probably get into plenty of mischief. A well-placed baby monitor or motion sensor can go a long way to keeping them out of off-limit places.

Let’s check out a few clever ways to use a baby monitor to keep tabs on your pets using the awesome VTech Safe&Sound® DM271-110 DECT 6.0 Digital Audio Baby Monitor with Open/Closed & Motion Sensors that I’m using! Yes, I know, that’s quite a mouthful of a name. After this, we’ll just call it the VTech Digital Audio Monitor. How does that sound?

Using A Baby Monitor to Keep Tabs on Your Pets

Keeping dogs away from the cat food

Cooper is always trying to steal the cat food. He knows he’s not supposed to go near it, so he waits until he thinks we’re not looking. Then he swoops in and quickly gobbles it up. It’s not good for him. We even put the cat food into cat boxes with rings to make different sized openings. As you can see, that didn’t work out so well. Thank goodness that’s cardboard and easy to remove!

Cooper stealing cat food

No matter how many times we tell him “no” he still does it. If he hears our voice, though, he stops in his tracks! So here’s what I do: I put the baby unit part of my VTech Digital Audio Monitor in the places that I want to keep Cooper away from. When I hear him digging around in the cat food boxes, I use the two-way intercom feature and firmly say “Coop, get away from that cat food!” Cooper hears my voice and thinks I’m watching him, and he quickly backs away!

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With 1,000 feet of wireless range, I’m always connected to the baby unit. Until my dreams of discovering I’m a long-lost princess with a castle come true, I’ll never have a house that puts me more than 1,000 feet away from the baby unit.

Keeping The Fuzz away from the wires

The Fuzz, oh the Fuzz. You would not believe the sheer amount of trouble this little guy gets into! I’m actually compiling a collection of “the weird places we find Alex.” While I’m pretty easy-going about letting my cats free-range around the house, there are a few spots that I’d like to keep them away from, both for their safety and for the safety of my home.

Clever ways to use a VTech Baby Monitor to keep tabs on your pets

I am so hoping that cute face distacts you from the dust on my electronics!

Cats are pretty famous for hanging out on routers. I think there’s probably a whole site dedicated to pictures of cats on routers out there somewhere! Alex is no different. The problem: the router is tucked behind my TV, along with tons of other wires and whatnots. I’m also pretty sure his fuzzy tail doesn’t make the best for the best wi-fi signal booster! Fuzz also likes hanging out behind the BluRay player, which also puts his sharp nails and “I like to chew things” teeth in contact with danger.

Obviously, putting a baby monitor back there isn’t the best idea. The fewer things that interfere with my already not-so-stellar internet connection, the better. Here’s where the VTech Digital Audio Monitor gets really cool. It comes with two ULE (Ultra Low Energy) smart home sensors. One is an open/closed sensor (more on that in a minute) and one is a motion sensor. All I have to do is put the motion sensor in areas that are off limits to Fuzz. Then, when he tries to hunker down in one of those spots, I’ll know.

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Stopping the mystery cat from wreaking havoc in the bathroom

Lately, we’ve found some odd things amiss in my mom’s bathroom. Towels all over the floor, toilet paper unrolled and, most disturbing, a light bulb smashed to pieces across the room! Either I have a poltergeist or a very mischievous cat. While The Fuzz definitely gets into his share of trouble, I feel like this is more Zoe’s MO. Especially with the towels. She has something against towels hanging nicely in their place.

The answer, obviously, is to keep the door shut. That’s what I do in my bathroom, although to be honest I rarely have clean towels hanging up and my lightbulbs over my sink are way out of reach of kitty paws. The problem: her door doesn’t quite latch right. It’s easy enough for my cats to push open. Cats abhor a closed door, so they’re always pushing it open. Since it’s all the way upstairs, I can’t exactly hear it opening from my desk. The Opened/Closed sensor is a perfect solution. I just attach it to the door and the parent unit will alert me when one of my cats is getting into trouble!

Maybe you’re thinking “sure, Nikki, that’s awesome, but there are like a million home security products out there with motion sensors.” True. There are. I actually own a few of them. The problem: they either require a smartphone app running constantly or a monthly paid membership (or both!) to reap the full benefits of the features. I barely remember to keep my phone charged, let alone check an app every five minutes to see if my cats are getting into trouble.

With the VTech Digital Audio Monitor, I just need to make sure I have the sensor alerts turned on. That’s it. No apps, no confusing memberships. It’s expandable up to 20 sensors, so I can get a few more and cover all my problem areas with one monitor.

More Great Uses for the VTech Digital Audio Monitor

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The VTech Digital Audio Monitor (aka the DM271-110) has so many other potential uses once your baby outgrows the need for constant monitoring. Let’s check out a few of my favorite features and how you can use them in your home

2-way Intercom feature

The monitor features a two-way, talk-back intercom with up to 1,000 feet of range from base unit to parent unit. It comes in super handy if you want to talk to someone in another part of the house without shouting. For example, you’re upstairs in the laundry room and your son is in the living room near the base unit.

Suddenly, you remember that you left the laundry detergent you just bought on the kitchen counter. Oh, the humanity! You’ll have to run all the way downstairs to get it or stand there shouting like a mad woman, hoping someone hears you! But wait, you can just use the intercom feature to say “hey, son, can you grab me the laundry detergent?”

Nightlight and Projector

The DM271-110 baby unit also doubles as a nightlight that projects the moon and stars up onto the ceiling. Even as an adult, I love this feature. It’s so soothing.  If your child is having a hard time falling asleep at night, the baby unit will even play a lullaby.

Secure Connection

 

The monitor comes with DECT 6.0 digital technology, which means it ensures that you always have the most secure connection. Basically, you can sing your off-tune heart out to your baby (or cat!) and your neighbor won’t pick up on it through their monitor. It works both ways. You won’t pick up on any awkward moments between said neighbor either!

Bottom line, VTech knows how important it is to choose a monitor that works for your family’s needs. All your needs! Whether it’s monitoring your human baby or your furbaby! All of VTech’s Safe&Sound audio monitors have plenty of features that give you the peace of mind you need anytime, anywhere. With options ranging from compact audio monitors to award-winning high-tech video monitors, whichever one you choose you’ll know that VTech emphasizes safety and security.

The VTech Digital Audio Monitor retails for $119.95. Considering all its features (some of which I didn’t even have a chance to touch on here!), it’s totally worth it! It’s available on the VTech website or on Amazon. Check out VTech on Facebook and Twitter to keep up with news, and on Pinterest for more great ideas for staying connected in your home.

Do you use a baby monitor for any other clever uses aside from monitoring a baby? Tell me your ideas in the comments!