Let’s have a #realtalk moment.

When we were planning for our first child, everyone and their third cousin was telling us what “baby items” we would need and which ones we wouldn’t and what we should get and what we shouldn’t get and yada, yada, yada. It was a whole situation. Everyone had their input. And that’s totally fine! I know that people mean well… and I know I’ve certainly done my fair share of recommendations to new parents on what baby things are great and what baby things are just a waste of time.

Three different bouncy seats? Unnecessary. Footy pajamas with 47 buttons? No way. It’s all about ZIPPERS, y’all. 24 different swaddling blankets? Nope. You need a pack of five and you’re set.

We got so many different things and in some areas we really made sure we spent good money on something that was important and in other areas we really skimped. And even over two years later, with Lilly almost being two and a half, one of the main things I have regretted all along is not just biting the bullet and getting a video monitor for her room. This whole time we’ve had just a cord / plugin sound monitor that I think we spent like $20 on at Target. And sure, it works fine… it has two receivers and we have had one downstairs and one upstairs since she was born.

But, I have ALWAYS, always wanted a video monitor. Lilly is still sleeping in her crib (which, like I’ve mentioned before, we HONESTLY plan to keep her in for as LONG AS POSSIBLE… she LOVES her crib and I dread the day she outgrows it). Well, Lilly loves to play in her crib and read to herself and all that jazz… and so we will hear her on the audio monitor, but it’s impossible to know what she’s actually doing or whatnot.

I can’t tell you how many times we’ve had to go in and check on her and woken her up RIGHT as she was falling asleep and then we would start the whole process of trying to get her to go to sleep all over again.

In any event, as soon as we found out we were expecting our second child, I have said, “By hook or by crook, I am GETTING A VIDEO MONITOR for this baby.” But then I became super overwhelmed with all the options and all the things and I didn’t know what to get.

When I had the opportunity to check out and review the new Levana Ovia 2 video monitor, I JUMPED at the chance and I was so excited to give it a try! The timing could NOT have been more perfect! I was pretty much waiting by the door for the delivery man to drop it off.

We’ve now been using this video monitor for a few weeks and both my husband and I are LOVING it. In fact, the FIRST NIGHT we had it set up, we both said to each other, “WHERE HAS THIS THING BEEN FOR THE LAST TWO YEARS? We should have gotten one of these sooner!”

Even at Lilly’s age, the monitor is SO helpful to know what she’s doing, to know she’s safe, and to know if we should or should not go in and check on her. I can’t WAIT to be able to use it in the new baby’s nursery, too! ESPECIALLY since it comes with TWO CAMERAS! So, we can conveniently have one camera in the baby’s nursery and one camera in Lilly’s room! You can even purchase additional cameras and have up to FOUR cameras connected to one monitor. Amazing.

A few of the features of the Ovia 2 that I love most are:

• The battery life on the monitor is AMAZING. I can have it fully charged, unplug it and take it with me around the house while she naps or sleeps and it goes for HOURS. I have even been able to go onto the back deck on a nice afternoon to do work and I can bring the video monitor out there with me and still be able to know she’s in her room safe and sound. I love that I can have it just sitting on my desk and be able to work AND keep an eye on her while she naps.

• The night vision! It’s got great LED night vision and so we’re able to see clearly in her room while she sleeps at night.
• The zoom and adjust feature! The camera itself can adjust horizontally 270° and tilt the lens 110° vertically… PLUS it has a 2x zoom on it. So I can look all around the room if I need to.
• The two-way communication feature (ESPECIALLY HELPFUL RIGHT NOW). The camera actually has a speaker on it and the monitor has a microphone feature… so I can press the microphone and talk to Lilly directly from the monitor. This feature is both awesome and hilarious… the other day she was playing in her crib during naptime when she was supposed to be sleeping. So, I pressed the microphone and said, “Lilly. Lay down. It’s not playtime, it’s naptime.” Immediately I watched her look over at the camera and say, “Uhm, okay mommy.” And sure enough… she laid down and went to sleep. So funny!
• The video / photo recorder feature! You can record videos and snap photos right from the monitor. So, when Lilly sings to herself or is doing something hilarious on the monitor, I can record it to show John later. I realize this is silly, but I love it. You can also upload the videos and photos to your computer using the SD adaptor card!

One of the concerns I had when I was researching video monitors was the horror stories I’ve heard of people hacking into baby video monitor feeds. Don’t Google it. You’ll regret it… I promise. Just don’t.

So, as I was researching the Levana Ovia 2, I LOVED that they took this concern that a lot of parents have into account when they were designing it. So, to deter any and all potential hacking, all Levana baby monitors transmit all video and audio data on small, private and local networks. PLUS, to further increase the security of the video feed, all paired monitors and cameras hop between 19 different channels simultaneously, so any attempts from any outsider to access the signal are disrupted. This insures that the monitors are only used for their intended purpose.

Yeah, needless to say we are BIG fans of this video monitor and I’m SO SO SO happy to finally have one. It’s totally my one regret not having it sooner!

BONUS!!! The FABULOUS folks at Levana are GIVING AWAY an Ovia 2!! So be sure to check out the giveaway below and get one for yourself:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Levana. The opinions and text are all mine.