Any thoughts on Baby monitors with movement sensors

[shamshu]

Hi - We're expecting baby at end of Feb - have got most things now - but we're still looking at baby monitors. Not sure whether we should go with the normal digital sound monitor or go for one with additional movement sensors - We're first time parents so movement monitor could give us peace of mind but I've heard that sometimes baby can roll off of the sensor and give false alarms etc? Any views / advice would be appreciated?


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Hello! We've noticed this thread is quite old and some of the product recommendations are a little out of date. We've spent weeks speaking to parents and testing out baby monitors.

Read our reviews to see which product was crowned best baby monitor. We've also got some helpful advice on audio, video and sensor pad monitors in our baby monitors buyer's guide which might be useful.

Hope that helps! MNHQ

[NotQuiteCockney]

From what I've heard, these give a lot of false alarms, and aren't recommended unless you have specific concerns.

[Pitchounette]

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[Pitchounette]

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[Plibble]

We had one with a movement sensor from Tommee Tippee. It did give us peace of mind when we moved DD into her own room at 12 weeks and we have had no false alarms.

Re children moving off the sensor: it is not really a false alarm if this happens as with a baby that small you might want to know where it is wriggling to, e.g. if it has gone under the blankets. In fact, if the alarm goes off in these circumstances it proves it is doing exactly what it is suposed to do and working fine. Once they are able to move about a lot (say, 6 months plus) there isn't a lot of point in using it anymore.

You can always get it and disconnect it if it annoys you. Now that DD is older we use the monitor without the sensor.

[Flumpybumpy]

We had a movement sensor one with DD, she was a very light breather (sp?) so it didn't detect her nreathing (she was in a cot in the other from from 1wk old) so the alarm went off 7 or 8 times a night. We became nervous wrecks contantly jumping up and checking on her. We tried having her in our room in her Moses (her cot wouldn't fit) but she hated not being able to sleep like a starfish, so we put her back in her own room in cot and just disconnected the sensor pad.

The monitor itself was good enough to pick up any unusual noise.

We now have a digital one for DS that doesn't have a sensor and it is great.

HTH

FB x

[NineUnlikelyTales]

If I were you I would wait until your baby arrives before you make a choice and spend your cash. You are unlikely to want your baby to be more than a few inches away from you in the first couple of weeks, so you probably won't need one then. After that you will know whether you are an anxious mother who needs the reassurance of the sensor, or a more laid back type who can rationalise that the risks are very small and chances are that the sensor would cause more worry than it alleviates.

Or you could be like me and end up co-sleeping without having intended to, and your baby taking all naps either in the sling or within easy hearing distance...in which case you will have saved £80!

Honestly, the amount of stuff you really need for a baby is a lot less than you think, and the things you thought were essential turn out not to be, whereas some things you can't live without. It all becomes obvious as soon as you have your LO.

So speaks the voice of experience (ha! as if..)

Best of luck,
Nine

[mamalocco]

I used one with the movement sensor - was paranoid about SIDS (no relevant medical reason to be, but it had happened to a friend years ago). We never had any false alarms (used it with 3 dcs) and it gave me piece of mind so that I could get some sleep and not hang over the cot every five minutes giving them a poke to make sure they were still breathing! Don't understand why having one would make you more anxious. One less thing to worry about IMO.

[EllieHsMum]

We have a movement sensor bought 1 day after baby arrived home from hospital. She was in crib next to my side of bed. We didnt sleep a wink the first night(like most parents I am sure). My dh spoke to my sisters dp the following morning the recommended the Tommee Tippee Movement/Sensor Monitor. My dh went & purchased that day. It clicks in time with each breath/movement, if after 20 secs baby does resume breathing/movement or moves off sensor an alarm sounds. This has happened less then a hand full of times since baby was born.
We still use it & baby is now 8 months old. Best £100 we have every spent. Bought one as a gift for my brother when his son was born in Nov.
Good luck with the birth of your baby & your decision.

[lissielou]

we had a sensor with ds and it was a godsend. dont think id have slept at all otherwise

[shamshu]

Thanks for all your advice - really helpful. I'm generally a bit of a paranoid person so I think that we may get one (with ability to be disconnected if necessary).

[WeaselMum]

I've got the angelcare monitor with a breathing sensor - ds is 7.5 mo, used it with him from birth and have never had a false alarm. I'm one of those mums who wouldn't sleep at all otherwise!

[nappyaddict]

these are better because you can use them in car seat etc aswell.

[frangosa]

Used the Angelcare monitor until DD was 18 months and now with DS who is 10 weeks. If you have slatted cot base you need to get a peice of board cut to fit the base because the sensor pad will not work on a slatted base, no big deal, easy to get a timber yard to cut a bit to the right size, and not expensive. With a very new born the alarm may go off at first because the babies are so light, but you can turn it off if it does it too much. The alarm going off never woke the babies as you run to see what it is and quickly turn it off. When my DS began to move around the cot and get her head stuck in a corner, it would also go off. Very glad I used and am using it though, gives great peace of mind, particularly when you have a sick child. I have read that there is a high incidence of SIDS occurring when the baby has been ill with cold/fever etc, or if your child has been vomitting and you are worried they might do it in the night and choke on it, which apparently never happens but you do worry. I would absolutely get one and because you're even thinking about it, then you are probably the kind of mother who would benefit from one.

[cacaboo]

We had the Tommee Tippee one too, used from 12 weeks when DS went in his cot in his own room. No medical reason for it. We loved it. The green light flashing faster often gave us a bit of warning he was about to wake up.

We did get a handful of false alarms when he was able to move around a lot more and sometimes ended up curled up at the very end of his cot, but tbh we knew immediately what had happened in those cases.

Not so great was the sound quality of the actual audio monitor, plus sometimes we got interference with neighbour's monitors (actually we once picked up an entire conversation from another house!) but I don't know if that's any better with any other product.

[EllieHsMum]

cacaboo we had that with neighbours also. During the sunner picked up baby in house across the way on monitors. Freaked me out at first

[tigertiger]

shamshu - whether or not you get a monitor, you will still check on the baby regardless. We find that if it is really quiet, we have to go and check! (don't have a sensor one, just a tomy digi) The most useful thing is the thermometer on it! (mainly out of curiosity than keeping room at good temp!) I guess it depends how big your house is, we can hear ds crying without monitor on, though we both agree it will be useful when the weather warms up and we are outside more. hth

[fairyjay]

We found it great with both of our two - simply waking an hearing the gentle beeping was a huge break, as we didn't feel we had to get up every time we woke.

We had several alarms with dd, but on one occasion she hadn't actually moved off the pad. Don't know what caused it, but always wonder.

[Mumpbump]

TBH, I only used our baby monitor if I wanted to do some gardening outside whilst ds was asleep inside. The rest of the time, I just kept his door open and the door of whichever room I was in open and I used to hear him cough or even snuffle around. I think you get supersonic hearing when you become a mother! I was glad we didn't use it the rest of the time because you tend to find yourself hooked to the monitor listening to the slightest breath.

So, on that basis, I would avoid anything that detected movement, especially given that they keep the startle reflex until 8/10 mo (I think). You'd never get a moment's rest!!

[Mumpbump]

Oh yes - I did use the bit in his cot for the thermometer and the night light - it was very useful for feeding/changing nappies without waking him up too much...

[tigertiger]

totally agree mump...the night light is fantastic...only wish it had a clock on it too!

[rachelhill]

Hiya

We have an Angelcare one and quite honestly we've had it on ONCE in three months. The reason is that we live in an old cottage with thick walls and it gets so much interference from the ironstone it's like listening to a badly tuned radio which is loud enough to wake us up.

Also our daughter snorts and farts her way through the nights, there's never any question of whether or not
she's still breathing!

Rachel

[chocolatekimmy]

I never used one - with any of my three.

I guarantee you will hear your baby when you need to - especially if you have baby in the same room as you for the first 6 months. In fact, there will be many a time when you get close to listen for breathing, even probably poking her/him (just to make sure), sometimes in the middle of the middle of the night in a panic! Sounds a bit crazy but definately completely normal, I still do it with my third!

I think its one of those things you think you have to buy when you are having a baby as its publisised on many lists of 'things to buy'. You say "got most things but still looking at monitors" as if its an essential item.

My reason for not getting one is that it has no relevance to the safety of a baby or preventing cot death or anything like that. I'm not aware that they can't choke on anything when little (unless you leave something small near them they can grab).

My concern is when you can't hear them, not when you can!!

The only case I can think of for having one (with a sensor) is if there is a medical condition and it is advised by a medical professional.. My friends baby had issues from birth with nasal/sinus and actually stopped breathing and they did get a sensor mat upon doctor advice.

If you are concerned about cot death (obviously we all are), follow the guidelines, don't smoke, don't overheat the room or put them in too much clothing/bedding etc, keep in your room for first 6 months (the CO2 you emit apparently helps with their breathing - I was told) plus whatever the leaflet says.

I would save your money.

[BexieID]

We used an under mattress sensor when Tom was 3 months, mainly due to him rolling onto his front in the night. We stopped using it when he was 7 months. He still sleeps in our room because I still haven't finished unpacking since we moved! I bought the monitor 2nd hand anyway. The grandparents have got us a monitor with a screen, that sees in the dark. No good when we are sleeping though!

[nappyaddict]

your wrong that they can't choke. well not choke as such but ds used to cough so much he would go red in the face and stop breathing. he was also not a loud crier and if at the opposite end of the house i would not hear him so for us a monitor was essential.

[Songbird]

We've got the BT digital one and absolutely love it. With the sensitivity turned up to max you can hear every shuffle and snuffle. We have it set at 3 (out of 5) and that's fine (dd is nearly 2, we had it higher when she was wee). Best of all, though, is the built in night light, which isn't too bright, just right (boom boom!), the thermometer (we don't have central heating so we really need this) and the lullabies that you can turn on and off from the parent unit. I think there are 6 different choons to choose from, and they're brill if you need to settle little one back to sleep (when they're not hungry or wet of course!).

I think we paid around £70 for it, which is less than RRP as we got it from eBay (but brand new). We balked at the cost at first but it's been worth every penny. IMHO I think a paranoid parent will be made more so with a movement sensor, tigertiger is right, you check on them anyway!