I finally decided I need a baby monitor. The nursery is right next to my bedroom so I haven’t needed one, but I started a major spring cleaning downstairs and I want to work on it while Lily naps. So I packed her up and went to Walmart…I stood in the baby aisle looking at all the options, from a very simple $16 version, to the $100+ camera versions. The camera would be great to have, but the price deterred me. I thought to myself, How odd video is that expensive when I Skype all the time for free. Then I realized…
SKYPE!!
I still had my last phone, fully capable of working with Skype. I wondered…
I went home, got my old phone out, charged it up, connected it to our WiFi, downloaded Skype, signed in with a second account, then called myself on my current phone.
IT WORKED!!
Next, I needed some kind of wall mount, so I made one…out of a cereal box! You can use my pattern here! It works for an iPhone 4, so if your phone is a different size, you may need to adjust the pattern. If you want to make it, you will need:
- Printer/paper (or just a place to print, like the library)
- Cardboard (I used a cereal box)
- Cutting board
- Pen
- X-acto knife
- Bone folder (or something to score with)
- Hot glue gun + hot glue sticks
- Leftover wall paint/paintbrush or wallpaper, or acrylic paint
- 2 Command strips (to hang it up)
- An old phone with a charger cord and your current phone, both with the Skype app
I promise it’s easy to make! The steps are:
- Print the pattern and cut it out
- Trace onto the cardboard
- Score all the marked lines
- Cut it out
- Fold all the scored lines
- Glue the tabs on the inside
- Paint and allow to dry
- Attach 2 Command strips vertically on the top back side
- Turn on Skype and hold to the wall until you get the view you like, then attach to wall
And that’s it! Just put your current phone on mute, and turn on the speaker on the old phone. I got a long charger cord in a gray color to blend in with the wall. The cords that come with the phones are always too short anyway!
It feels so good to be resourceful and save money. I love using what I already have and feeling like a minimalist. I hope you can do the same! If you do, please be VERY careful that it is safely secured so it won’t fall on the baby. The baby should also not be able to reach it, and there should not be any loose cords the baby can grab. As always, safety first!
If this works for you, let me know with a comment – I’d love to hear about it!
