Baby monitor usage overnight..what do you do?

[baffledmummy]

DD is 7 months old, has slept through for quite a while but is a bit of a noisy sleeper (sighs, moves around a lot). Since going into her own room (room next door to mine) at 7 months I've slept with the baby monitor on and volume on low.

A couple of nights ago I switched it off by mistake instead of turning the volume down and woke up at 7am feeling AMAZING having had the best night sleep since before DD was born (and subsequently felt very guilty when I realised what I had done!). She was fine.

So....what do you do? Would it be reasonable to turn it off overnight? I would hear any big cries as she is only next door...Would still use it for naps and early evening as I can't hear her from downstairs...but...is this reasonable?

[baffledmummy]

Sorry - she moved into her own room a month ago at 6 months, not 7

[AlexPKeaton]

Turn it off! You don't need to hear every sigh and whimper. As long as you would be awoken by a loud cry you are much better off getting a good night's sleep. Your baby will let you know if she needs you and most of the time she won't, and she will be better served by a well-rested mum.

[oldlaundbooth]

Of course you don't need it on over night. You are right next door!

We have the same set up as you, DS is next door to us in his own room, the door is open, if he squeaks we hear him.

Enjoy a full night's sleep!

[Watto1]

I agree -turn it off.

[Iamnotloobrushphobic]

I would leave it on. You will only hear your dd if she is making noise and needs you so if she doesn't need you then you won't hear anything same as if the monitor was switched off. 7 months is still very young and you need to be able to hear her if she needs you during the night.
If you have a noisy monitor that hisses then you need to get a new one as most decent ones are silent unless your lo makes a noise.

[HoggleHoggle]

I understand where you're coming from but personally I wouldn't switch it off yet, no. I'm sure you'd hear proper cries but you could possibly miss any vomiting sounds/choking noises etc. And sometimes I can tell ds is becoming poorly overnight from his breathing noises changing, so I check on him for fever etc.

I've only just turned the monitor off overnight for my 26 month old...and that's only because were in a new house with paper thin walls.

[Iamnotloobrushphobic]

Seems I am in the minority.

[StarUtopia]

I turned mine off with second child. I also figure, you will wake if it's a big cry, but you really don't need to hear every little noise.

It's still off now. In fact, we only really use it for when he first goes down and until we go to bed so that we can also hear his toddler sister if she calls out for us. Off once we all go to bed!

[TeaBelle]

I would carry on using it personally. Dd has recently had a cough and it wasn't waking her but I could keep an ear on it just in case. I am also not sure that if dd was sick it would wake her, so again I like to be able to check (dd is 16 months ).

[GlitteryFluff]

We don't have a baby monitor. DS was in with us til he was about 8 months then went in his own room. If I hear him cry I go and deal with him. Anything else I sleep through.
The only reason we moved him out of our room was because he was waking me up constantly with noise he made.

[FATEdestiny]

7 months is still young. I would leave it on.

You have the whole of teething (especially molars) to come and the pain of this can come from no where in the middle of the night.

It would take only one night of you waking startled to the sound of screaming (and therefore wondering how long baby has been crying before it became a scream) to have me back to using it every night.

[Bohemond]

It has never crossed my mind to leave the monitor on overnight!

[MagratsFlyawayHair]

The monitor stays downstairs. Has done forever.

[icklekid]

I would turn it off and did the same. You need your sleep too! Some monitors have the option to be silent unless loud cry in which case they turn on so that might be an option?

[Caterina99]

Same set up as you. I turn the sound off at night and just keep the doors ajar.

I do have a video monitor though so I keep the video part on so if I do wake up I can quickly see what DS is doing. If I was concerned about him during sickness then yes I'd turn the sound up, but on a normal night I don't need to be woken every hour by him turning over

[baffledmummy]

Interesting! 60/40 split - I think I'll give it another couple of weeks with it on and see how often I actually need to get up before I decide. She is still little and I'm a bit PFB I guess but I didn't realise how much it was affecting my sleep - I felt like a new woman for the day.

[Xmasbaby11]

I would leave it on. Some noises wouldn't be heard otherwise especially if you're a heavy sleeper eg coughing vomiting.

We used monitors with dd until she was 3.

[Amummyatlast]

I would leave it on. We only recently stopped using DD's monitor at night (she is 2.5). There are some noises, like vomiting, that you might not hear without a monitor.

[BretonStripe]

Eh? Was I meant to be taking the monitor into my bedroom at night for my two kids? I've always left it downstairs. Babies stayed in our room til they were six weeks old, then into the nursery next to our bedroom. Ds2 moved into his own room at the back of the house at about six months as outgrew the nursery. Never crossed my mind to be bringing the monitor into my room; nighttime is silent here and I hear them when they cry out or cough (they're now 2 and 5).

[adreamworld]

Does anyone not use a monitor these days?!

[Nan0second]

Er me. We don't use a monitor. 1980s house. Fairly open plan.
I can hear her if she cries when I'm downstairs or if I'm in the bedroom next door. I don't need to hear her turn over in bed!
However she didn't sleep alone until over 5 months and then just the first couple of hours until I got into bed next to her cot. Only moved out of the room overnight at 7months...

[LillyBugg]

I have a BT monitor and it has a 'mute low' setting. Which means no hissing sound and it won't sound anything below a quiet cough. I sleep loads better with that on rather than hearing every breath.

[BretonStripe]

I do, but it's downstairs in the living room. So we can hear the baby/toddler in the evening when we're watching tv, or during the day for naps.

I do find it odd when people still use them for 3yos+ but I guess we're all different and some people are more anxious/nervous than others.

[Nan0second]

Oh and I move back in if she's unsettled (not in her nursery yet... Is 9 months)