baby monitors - different kinds

[flamencogirl]

What are the range of baby monitors, ie what is the difference between them and what they can do? Thanks

Some just broadcast the sounds coming from the nursery, so you can hear the baby crying or fussing.

Others also detect the slightest movement in the cot, so if the baby stops breathing for a short period, an alarm sounds. The base unit is positioned in the nursery and is attached to a pad (looks like a mouse pad) which sits under the cot mattress. The pad detects the movement.

The one I have does the latter - it's an Angelcare monitor and has worked very well for us. The advantage for me is that I don't ever wonder 'whether the baby is breathing' in the night. We have had a couple of false alarms - generally if the baby has moved to the other end of the cot.

I'm sure you can also get video monitors.

Movement monitors do tend to give false alarms and there is really no need for them unless your LO is at high risk. Video monitors are also a bit of a gimmick.

The best monitors are digital ones that simply transmit to a hand held parent unit. Some have extras that you may, or may not, find useful. Ours has a thermometer and a night light, both of which can be operated from the parent unit. It also has lights that come on when the baby makes a noise so you can turn the volume down but still see when the baby is crying.