Baby Monitors

TRS30

Just did a search and saw that the threads on this were at least a couple of years old.

Baby is not due for a few weeks and I know we not need a baby monitor for a few months however family are starting to ask if they can get anything so are trying to give them practical things to get rather than everyone getting clothes.

Does anyone have any recommendation on a good baby monitor? From the research I have done so far I don't think we want one with a screen or anything fancy however not really too sure!!

Any suggestion of good monitors or ones to avoid would be great.

vibe666

the angelcare ones are very good. we've had two for almost 3 years now and they're great.

for your own peace of mind, get the one with the movement sensor pad. my brother had his son stop breathing in bed asleep one night and it was sheer blind luck that someone checked on him at exactly the right time and my brother was able to resuscitate him (thanks to prior training and quick thinking).

you can get them with cameras built in, but i'd be tempted (as we did) to get a separate IP based camera that can be set up so checked via your smartphone(s).

mordeith

vibe666 wrote: »

the angelcare ones are very good. we've had two for almost 3 years now and they're great.

for your own peace of mind, get the one with the movement sensor pad. my brother had his son stop breathing in bed asleep one night and it was sheer blind luck that someone checked on him at exactly the right time and my brother was able to resuscitate him (thanks to prior training and quick thinking).

you can get them with cameras built in, but i'd be tempted (as we did) to get a separate IP based camera that can be set up so checked via your smartphone(s).

+1 on the sensor pad. Gives a lot of reassurance. Didn't go with the camera ones but it's handy to have the ones that you can put batteries in the receiving unit and have outside in the garden or whatever.

Mink

We have the Angelcare one and it's brilliant. Never used the sensor pad for some reason.

The parents bit only comes on if baby makes a sound, so there's not this constant buzz of static. Has temp reading on it, baby's part has night light on it (it's very very dim though, can barely see the child when I go in).

I would have loved to have the option of turning on a video monitor, just to see if blankets gone off him, has he lost his dodie, is his head spinning around etc. But as others said, I think you can do this separately.

I would certainly use Angelcare again.

addob

I didn't use the Angelcare but have to say that a camera one is brilliant, I put it in the top list of must haves for us!!

Glebee

Mink wrote: »

We have the Angelcare one and it's brilliant. Never used the sensor pad for some reason.

The parents bit only comes on if baby makes a sound, so there's not this constant buzz of static. Has temp reading on it, baby's part has night light on it (it's very very dim though, can barely see the child when I go in).

I would have loved to have the option of turning on a video monitor, just to see if blankets gone off him, has he lost his dodie, is his head spinning around etc. But as others said, I think you can do this separately.

I would certainly use Angelcare again.

I second the Angelcare without the sensor matt..

I think there may have been an accident recently where a child was hurt with the cable from the sensor matt..

mordeith

Glebee wrote: »

I think there may have been an accident recently where a child was hurt with the cable from the sensor matt..

I can only see that happening if it wasn't placed properly. It should be underneath the mattress.

Neyite

Glebee wrote: »

I second the Angelcare without the sensor matt..

I think there may have been an accident recently where a child was hurt with the cable from the sensor matt..

Yes, they did issue a warning and I think a cover for existing ones. I would imagine that new ones have been made safe.

I have the Angelcare and still use it. The sensormat gives great reassurance in the early days.

Rose35

I would recommend you get one with a screen, it's great to be able to see baby when they start
mooching about looking for dodie etc, didn't use the angelcare one even though i had seriously thought
about purchasing one simply because at my ante-natal classes the midwife didnt recommend it because she said
it would drive you crazy constantly going off every time baby moves but from reading posts here it
is highly recommened, we got the 'summer' one (thats the brand name) in argos for about 170euro, static can be annoying at times so have to turn it down on a lower volume setting at night

mordeith

Rose35 wrote: »

she said
it would drive you crazy constantly going off every time baby moves but from reading posts here it
is highly recommened, we got the 'summer' one (thats the brand name) in argos for about 170euro, static can be annoying at times so have to turn it down on a lower volume setting at night

I have to say we never had a 'false alarm' with ours. Having said that there was many a time in the early days when I'd go in to do a night feed, pick the baby up and forget to turn off the monitor. Cue a loud and piercing 'beep, beep, beep, beep' while I stumbled around in the half-light, bleary eyed at 3 in the morning, trying to switch it off before completely waking the baby. Oh the memories . . .:)
You'd think I'd have learned for the second fella but no, no I didn't :rolleyes:

Neyite

Rose35 wrote: »

I would recommend you get one with a screen, it's great to be able to see baby when they start
mooching about looking for dodie etc, didn't use the angelcare one even though i had seriously thought
about purchasing one simply because at my ante-natal classes the midwife didnt recommend it because she said
it would drive you crazy constantly going off every time baby moves but from reading posts here it
is highly recommened, we got the 'summer' one (thats the brand name) in argos for about 170euro, static can be annoying at times so have to turn it down on a lower volume setting at night

but it doesnt It goes off if the baby stops breathing. It stays silent the rest of the time.

pwurple

We have the anglecare sensor mat one as well. It has a good range, it can also do temperature warnings if the room gets too hot or too cold, which we found handy in winter. We find that little metronome symbol ticking back and forth as she breathes very reasurring, especially when they are tiny and you are leaning over them constantly to check if they are breathing!

It's never gone off when the baby moved.. Just when we pick her up and forget to turn it off (once or twice at the start).

I didn't bother with a camera one, as we usually have the babies room pitch dark anyway to encourage lots of sleep, so I don't know how much it would be able to see.

Suucee

I originally bought a camera monitor but interfered so much with the wifi so had to buy a sound monitor separately. Bought a fairly simple motorolla one that just knocks on when baby makes a noise . But when I was moving baby to her own room she was so young (about 3 months, I think) I was worried, but I wasn't getting any sleep with her in our room. that's when I discovered the angel care. as I already had the others I just bought the sensor mat. it was so reassuring . I was able to sleep so much better.

When I was having number 2 I got http://www.amazon.co.uk/BT-200-Digital-Baby-Monitor/dp/B004L2KL0W
on offer in woodies. I find it great. you can have it on constantly so can even hear them breath or you can set it that it just comes on when a sound is made. Also has a talk back feature. At the moment we have the BT monitor in with 2 year old so we can use the talk back to tell her to go asleep if she is playing with toys (very rare anyway) but also when its time to get up from her nap. can gently wake her before going in to her. ( I know so lazy but it helps). #

bp

Also love the Angel Care - such reassurance. Got a free camera one too but honestly never used it

vibe666

Neyite wrote: »

but it doesnt It goes off if the baby stops breathing. It stays silent the rest of the time.

yep, just one beep after 15-20 seconds of no movement (inc. breathing movement), but then all hell breaks loose if there is nothing after 30 seconds, which 99.9% of the time is you lifting them out and forgetting to turn it off!

there's a "hold" button on the remote unit though, so you can use that mute the alarm if need be (if when you've gotten 30 seconds away from it and are running back to turn it off.

if it's going off constantly then you need to adjust the sensitivity of it (which is easily done from the back of the unit) and you can adjust the sensitivity of the mic so that it only transmits if they make a loud enough noise (i.e. crying).

the tragedy of the baby that died was solely down to the parents not reading the very clear instructions on where to put the sensor pad and attached wire and leaving it where the baby could reach it and they choked. could have easily been avoided by spending 5 minutes reading how to set it up and the newer models that have been released after angelcare very reasonably recalled all the existing units has something to keep the cable out of the way, but a couple of cables ties or tape will do the same job.

you can also easily pair multiple parent units to the base station at the same time too, so handy if you have a big house or want one for upstairs and downstairs.

this is the camera we got, although it's getting old now it still works perfectly and has pretty good IR for nightvision: http://www.amazon.co.uk/D-Link-DCS-933L-Night-Network-Camera/dp/B00CAT0QMQ/ref=pd_cp_computers_0

i'm sure you can get better now, but it's small, works in the dark and was easy to connect to my home wifi network and we use a mobile app to quickly check in on him if needed. there's a free version as well, but it was worth the buy tbh for the advanced features and (imho) it's handy not having to have the camera attached to the baby monitor, plus you really do tend to pay through the nose for those ones.

this is the sort of quality you get, even in almost complete darkness.

BionicRasher

I would really recommend a monitor with display. The lack of display means that if you hear a noise then you have to go in and check out the baby/toddler. 9 times out of 10 they are only mouching around looking for the soother etc. At least with a camera and display you can view them without disturbing them.
We have these units and last time I checked they were reduced in Aldi to €49. For 2 cameras and 1 parents unit.
http://www.motorola.com/us/other-baby-monitors/MBP28%2F2-Digital-Wireless-Video-Baby-Monitor/MBP28%2F2-Baby-Monitor.html

We have 3 camera units, one in toddlers room (23 month old) room one on the baby's cot (9 month old) and one in the play room to keep an eye on them to ensure that they are not pucking the head off each other when we are in the kitchen cooking dinner etc.
The unit will toggle between rooms also on a loop so you can keep an eye on both kids at the same time.

Night vision is perfect from about 6 - 10 feet away but don't expect to get HD vision.

They are sturdy, only kick in if the baby makes noise therefore no constant static noise from parents unit, have a temp gauge, talk back feature and also play lullabies.

staticdoor71

I also have the bt200. http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B004L2KL0W/ref=redir_mdp_mobile

love the fact you can hear every rumble and grumble and even breathing. very reassuring

Toots

Another vote for the angel care with the sensor pad. Gave me huge reassurance and stopped me spending every second he was asleep hanging over the cot making sure he was still breathing. Just be prepared to have a few instances where you pick the baby up for night feeds and forget to turn the monitor off, causing the alarm to sound and giving the other sleeping parent complete heart failure for a couple of minutes.

Neyite

Toots* wrote: »

Another vote for the angel care with the sensor pad. Gave me huge reassurance and stopped me spending every second he was asleep hanging over the cot making sure he was still breathing. Just be prepared to have a few instances where you pick the baby up for night feeds and forget to turn the monitor off, causing the alarm to sound and giving the other sleeping parent complete heart failure for a couple of minutes.

Or if they are a wiggler and wedge themselves down the very end of the cot in the corner so the monitor cant pick up the heartbeat. That only happens when they are very little though.

All in all, I'd much prefer to forget to turn it off every other night than not have a monitor for their breathing.

BionicRasher

In most cases you will have the infant in your room on a crib or small cot for the first 3 or so months. So we found that there is no real need for a monitor then as the child is always with you. Maybe the sleep mat yoke would comfort you but we just didn't see the need.
After that we plumped for the camera type units as they are much better in my opinion due to the fact that you can see the child even when they are not making noise. Its very reassuring to see a sleeping child rather than having to poke your head in the door and disturbing them.

Just make sure you get a monitor that works on dect or one that is guaranteed not to interfere with your Wifi in the house. We got a loan of a sound only unit and the buzzing and feedback interference meant that we could not use it at all.

nikpmup

I saw this one in Boots for €25 - it uses your phone/tablet as the monitor. Good value IMO, no idea what the quality is like

Edit : that one is audio only, but I'm pretty sure boots had a video one as well

BionicRasher

nikpmup wrote: »

I saw this one in Boots for €25 - it uses your phone/tablet as the monitor. Good value IMO, no idea what the quality is like

Edit : that one is audio only, but I'm pretty sure boots had a video one as well

Apple only by the looks of things. Also means that you have to keep the screen of the phone on all the time to listen..... That's going to kill the phone battery and screen is it not?

Toots

Neyite wrote: »

Or if they are a wiggler and wedge themselves down the very end of the cot in the corner so the monitor cant pick up the heartbeat. That only happens when they are very little though.

All in all, I'd much prefer to forget to turn it off every other night than not have a monitor for their breathing.

My husband is responsible for taking years off my life. He never turned it off when he did the night feeds. It was almost at the stage where it was less exhausting to just do the feeds myself so I could avoid nearly soiling myself when the alarm went off.

Chattastrophe!

As a matter of interest, how often does the Angelcare mat actually save a child's life? Cot death is incredibly rare in healthy babies where all safety recommendations are followed. I'm on my phone now and can't find the article, but I was reading a piece by a consultant in the UK who is involved in a third of cot death autopsies over there ... he said that, if you remove cases where one or both parents are smokers, and cases where there are various social issues in the household, cot deaths are pretty much non-existent and not something that parents should worry about. I don't know, there's something about constantly monitoring the heartbeat of a healthy sleeping baby that just doesn't sit right with me. I don't think I'd use one.

We have this monitor. http://www.motorola.com/us/other-baby-monitors/MBP43-2-Remote-Wireless-Video-Baby-Monitor-with-Two-Cameras/mbp43-baby-monitor.html The night vision is very good on it, and you can hear every little sound, you can even hear him breathing! Very handy that it's wireless too. And I'm sure the two-way speaker thing will be handy as he gets older, although we haven't used it yet.

vibe666

Chattastrophe! wrote: »

As a matter of interest, how often does the Angelcare mat actually save a child's life?

http://www.sidsireland.ie/facts.html

34 deaths in Ireland in 2004. On my phone too, so can't find more than that.

Car crashes are very rare too, but you still put on your seatbelt all the same.

I don't and will never regret spending the few quid extra for peace of mind, it's one of the most important things we've bought.

My brothers son was fit and healthy and neither parent had ever smoked, but if they hadn't walked in at just the right time and seen him laying there practically blue and unconscious, he'd be one of those statistics. They were exceptionally lucky, personally I'd rather not take the chance myself.

Chattastrophe!

But even that page you linked to mentions how risk is far higher in smokers' households, households of lower socio-economic status, households where parents don't follow the well-known guidelines, etc. I wonder how many of those 34 cases fit into those brackets? I'd guess the vast majority.

If I were in your position, if I'd some history of it happening in my family, I'd maybe use the sensor mat too, in case there was an undiagnosed genetic condition. I'd certainly use it if I'd had an ill or premature baby.

But I just don't like the idea of putting my healthy baby down to bed at night and thinking "Oh, better turn on his monitor just in case his heart stops during the night." He's not an ill baby in hospital who needs to be constantly monitored, he has no health conditions. I'm an overprotective first mother, but the sensor mat is a step too far for me personally.

I mean, my son is safer at home with me than when I bring him out for a walk in his buggy - what if a drunk driver drove up on the footpath - it happens! I'm not going to sit at home with him 24/7 to avoid that tiny statistical chance of it happening.

pwurple

It doesn't monitor the heartbeat, it monitors the breathing. Cot death isn't the only reason children stop breathing either.

There is history of cot death in my family, so it was a no brainer for me. I was delighted this thing even existed.

I don't know was it just me, but it's fairly hard to tell sometimes if a newborn is breathing. If she was alseep in the buggy I would often find myself staring at her trying to see her chest move, or put my hand over her head to see if I could feel a breath.

There is certainly an argument that it may alert you too late, it may not be any use for cot death, and the rational part of me knows it can't prevent it, it can only give you an early warning. But what it did for us was stop us checking she was breathing every 5 minutes. It's tough not to be hyper-aware if you have experienced a babies death.

It's certainly not for everyone, I wouldn't issue it as standard or anything. I do know people who found it freaky rather than reassuring, and stopped using theirs or turned off the pad part and just used it as an ordinary monitor.

I'm one of those who finds the video monitor a bit unsettling, I wouldn't want a camera on me in my sleep, so I do understand where you are coming from. There is something to suit most families anyway.

How Strange

staticdoor71 wrote: »

I also have the bt200. http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B004L2KL0W/ref=redir_mdp_mobile

love the fact you can hear every rumble and grumble and even breathing. very reassuring

We had that one first, then it broke and we got this one simply because smiths, boots etc didn't have the old one in stock

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B004L2KL16/ref=mp_s_a_1_2?qid=1405665845&sr=8-2&pi=SX200_QL40

I'm very happy with it. It's incredibly clear and can even hear the lightest breathing and there's a room temperature monitor on it. The room temp monitor is very reassuring especially if we're in my parents house in winter which can get very cold.

Roesy

Chattastrophe! wrote: »

But even that page you linked to mentions how risk is far higher in smokers' households, households of lower socio-economic status, households where parents don't follow the well-known guidelines, etc. I wonder how many of those 34 cases fit into those brackets? I'd guess the vast majority.

If I were in your position, if I'd some history of it happening in my family, I'd maybe use the sensor mat too, in case there was an undiagnosed genetic condition. I'd certainly use it if I'd had an ill or premature baby.

But I just don't like the idea of putting my healthy baby down to bed at night and thinking "Oh, better turn on his monitor just in case his heart stops during the night." He's not an ill baby in hospital who needs to be constantly monitored, he has no health conditions. I'm an overprotective first mother, but the sensor mat is a step too far for me personally.

I mean, my son is safer at home with me than when I bring him out for a walk in his buggy - what if a drunk driver drove up on the footpath - it happens! I'm not going to sit at home with him 24/7 to avoid that tiny statistical chance of it happening.

I see what you're saying and I don't put my healthy 8 month old to sleep every night wondering whether her heart is going to stop during the night either, same way I don't wonder if someone is going to break into the house while I sleep but I still turn on my burglar alarm. I do like the idea of having a warning that something is wrong and least having an opportunity to try and help her if I could though. We weren't set on getting an angelcare monitor but like the majority of our baby things it was a hand me down and now I'm delighted we have it.

Dravokivich

pwurple wrote: »

I don't know was it just me, but it's fairly hard to tell sometimes if a newborn is breathing. If she was alseep in the buggy I would often find myself staring at her trying to see her chest move, or put my hand over her head to see if I could feel a breath.

Just responding to mention, when checking my kid, I usually tuck my fingers under his vest, to feel how cold/warm he may be and to know for sure his chest is rising while breathing.

Neyite

Chattastrophe! wrote: »

But even that page you linked to mentions how risk is far higher in smokers' households, households of lower socio-economic status, households where parents don't follow the well-known guidelines, etc. I wonder how many of those 34 cases fit into those brackets? I'd guess the vast majority.

If I were in your position, if I'd some history of it happening in my family, I'd maybe use the sensor mat too, in case there was an undiagnosed genetic condition. I'd certainly use it if I'd had an ill or premature baby.

But I just don't like the idea of putting my healthy baby down to bed at night and thinking "Oh, better turn on his monitor just in case his heart stops during the night." He's not an ill baby in hospital who needs to be constantly monitored, he has no health conditions. I'm an overprotective first mother, but the sensor mat is a step too far for me personally.

I mean, my son is safer at home with me than when I bring him out for a walk in his buggy - what if a drunk driver drove up on the footpath - it happens! I'm not going to sit at home with him 24/7 to avoid that tiny statistical chance of it happening.

It functions as an ordinary monitor too, so you dont need to attach the sensor mat if you dont want to. I found it reassuring in the early days and certainly didnt think about death when I was putting the baby to bed. I dont think about crashing every time I put him in his car seat either though. No-one thinks about them breaking their necks on the stairs every time they shut the stairgate, or killing themselves drinking bleach when we put the child lock on the detergents cupboard either, but we do it as a preventative measure same way as we would check the blind cords are safe and toys are non-toxic.

As it happens there was a very close call of cot death in my family. The baby was asleep and had stopped breathing and the mother had to do CPR. Oh, and the baby involved was in a non-smoking, middle class home, with highly educated and knowledgable parents following Best Practice and guidelines to the letter.

As well as that, not everyone has a full family history. I certainly dont on one side, and up until that incident, had no reason to believe that cot death was in our family, but there you go. So thats why I'm very glad I had one less thing to worry about in the sleep-deprived newborn stages, and could go to sleep easy.