Breathing sensor for newborn... worth getting?

[LilacWine7]

Has anyone used one?

Worth getting or not?

I'd like one to put my mind at rest, but friend used one (with a sensor-pad under baby) and said baby kept setting the alarm off accidentally!

We've already got a baby monitor but it just records sound and video, not movement or breathing. Baby will be sleeping in a travel-cot next to our bed for first 6months.

[Jedi1]

DTs were prem and in SCBU - the nurses there actually didn't recommend them - false alarms causing more stress than anything else.

Will a travel cot be ok for 6 months, they don't look very comfy?

[CloserToFiftyThanTwenty]

I think only worth getting if there are very specific reasons to do so (a medical condition which would make sleep apnea more likely, or a background of high anxiety / previous cot death, for eg). Otherwise it's just another bit of kit that is flogged to nervous first time mums as "essential"

[Kangaroosjump]

Respisense ditto... FAR better than the pad and def worth it IMHO

Yes it went off a few times as a false alarm having fallen off nappy but still totally worth it

[KillashandraRee]

We had (still use!) an angelcare with sensor pad and I found it to be one of the few things that I dragged out second time round for DS2. Most of the newborn things are gimmicks to be honest, nappy changing stations, nappy bins etc. etc. but I found the sensor pad stopped me being a totally neurotic first time mum. Second time around I still got panicky about DS2 stopping breathing once he was in his cot (co slept for first six weeks) and I still put it on now (he's 14 months).

If you will worry about SIDS I'd say they are worth the money. We have only had it sounds twice through both babies so probably two false alarms in almost three years of use.

Hope that helps and congratulations

[LaceyLee]

We didn't get one and i think it's fine, you can check on them and also with a monitor you can hear if they are in distress. Also, take notice of the SIDS guidelines and I would say they are therefore more unlikely to get in to breathing difficulties.
I would not advise a travel cot though, they are really low down so very awkward to pick baby up out of. Make my back ache whenever I've used them. I would say save your money on the breathing thing and get yourself a next to me bed or a Moses basket and stand. The latter cost us £35 in total with the basket from John Lewis and the stand from an not nearly new sale.

[sarkymare]

If the sensor went off because your baby had stopped breathing would you know what to do? I think these things are pretty pointless without some sort of child first aid training to go with it.

[AbbeyRoadCrossing]

I really like ours. If you get lots of false alarms it might be positioned incorrectly or the sensitivity needs adjusting.

[museumum]

We got one when ds started to insist on sleeping on his front at about 3 mo old. I HATED him being on his front but he wouldn't sleep on his back (had been on his side since birth).

[Doublebubblebubble]

I got one for my DD (now 5)
Do I think it made me a bit paranoid - yes
Did I feel more comfortable going to sleep at night - yes
Will I use it again for ds (currently 32 weeks) - yes.

I did have a few false alarms but still its probably best to have a false alarm (often it shows another problem...baby has moved off the sensor etc) then a real one.

(just an aside but my DD had pneumonia at 13 mos and has had problems with asthma since then, the sensor definitely made me feel a lot more comfortable and may have even made me aware that she wasn't breathing properly when she was poorly.)

Definitely recommend

[SaltySeaBird]

Ours gave us peace of mind and the only time it went off was the first time DD climbed out her cot!

[zannyminxoxox]

I had one with both mine. I think they are brilliant and made me sleep so much better at night. There was a few false alarms when they start wriggling about but not many

[PearHead]

I had a baby in NICU and SCBU. The doctors and nurses recommended not getting one (even though preemies are at increased risk of SIDS). There's no evidence at all that they prevent SIDS. The best prevention for SIDS is following safe sleep guidelines.

So we didn't get one. If I have another DC, though, I might get one . Even knowing they don't work. I barely slept for months, out of fear DD would stop breathing, and anything that helps alleviate that kind of anxiety has got to be a good thing.

So I'd say, if you're not an anxious person, save yourself the money. If you're anxious, consider getting one.

There have been a couple of cases of strangulation with the wires in the cot, but I think they've sorted out the problem. Still worth checking, though, when setting it up!

[LintRoller]

We had the Angelcare monitor. I liked it. It worked perfectly and we never had a false alarm before well over six months. Once they start moving around everywhere you might get a couple but you are less paranoid by then We had a piece of MDF with air holes cut to fit our cot from our local timber people - cost £13 or so - you need a solid base or you will get more false alarms.

I felt safer with it. There is no evidence they prevent SIDS, true, but surely it can only be a good thing to be alerted when your baby has stopped breathing/moving for 20 seconds? At least there is a chance for first aid and intervention. I don't see what the harm is, as long as people realise they are not SIDS prevention devices and are NOT a substitute for the safe sleeping guidelines (sharing a room, putting to sleep on back etc).

If it is set up correctly there is no risk with the wires. You just have to make sure there is no loose wire that can be pulled into the cot, which is easy enough.

[feeona123]

I got one...never used it!

I didn't realise it couldn't be used in the Moses basket and my little girl was in there till 6 months. By the time she moved to the cot she was rolling over so no use!!

[Dogsmom]

We used ours for dd1 until she was 2 and then needed it for dd2 but still haven't set it up for her and she's 24 weeks.

It gave us a lot of peace of mind to hear the beep every few seconds but my hv told me that if the worst does happen babies twitch for a while so it's highly unlikely you'd be able to resuscitate them. I think though I'd rather find them a few minutes later rather than hours just in case.

We did have a few false alarms once she started rolling right to the bottom of the cot but those few occasions we're worth it for the two years of reassurance.

[TeamBacon]

Yes for us, but DD had breathing problems

You probably won't be able to use one in a travel cot - they need a flat, solid surface.

If it's any reassurance, i woke up both times she stopped breathing, just before the alarm started beeping. Somehow knew she was in trouble. (she's fine now)

[TeamBacon]

Oh, and the cables need to be out of the way too, which would be impossible in a travel cot unless you cut a hole for them.

[Zeitgeistic]

I had a Respisense Ditto for my DCs. Highly recommend it. Went off once when my DD was deeply asleep. I got to her and picked her up and she took a deep gasping breath. I have no idea what would have happened if it hadn't gone off - was she in such a deep sleep she 'forgot' to breathe? I don't know but it gave me peace of mind enough to sleep in the first few months.

[OliviaRinHerts]

We've just stopped using the sensor and ds is nearly one. I miss the bleep bleep even now but it did help me sleep sounder. Would definitely recommend the angelcare one and it only went off a few times but it depends on how much you worry. I'm neurotic so it was a no brainer