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Parenting

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Original poster

At what age should you stop using a baby breathing monitor

26 replies

maltesers · 07/04/2006 14:40

At what age should you stop using a baby breathing monitor. My sister has a 2 yr old and still uses hers. It must be hard to stop when you are anxious bout your little one, especially when you conceived after years and years of infertility treatment. Just wonder if this is excessive.. think so myself. personally if i had had one i would have stoppped after the baby was 6 months or so . any opinions? ?

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SenoraPostrophe · 07/04/2006 14:41

I think using a breathing monitor in the first place is excessive. I thought they didn't work through full thickness mattresses?

crazydazy · 07/04/2006 14:43

DP still insists on using our monitor and our children are 6 and almost 4. I have never liked the thing and if DP's not in don't have it on, don't think there is a need anymore.

pablopatito · 07/04/2006 14:43

What harm does it do to carry on using it?

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Original poster

maltesers · 07/04/2006 14:43

yes i agree that it is excessive. My own son had a tracheotomy at one year and would have liked one then to keep an eye on his breathing. As it was we just used the noise baby monitor to hear how he was as he had no voice for ten months whilst the trachy tube was in his airway.

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Original poster

maltesers · 07/04/2006 14:45

crazydazy i think you are thinking bout the sound monitor . The one my sister uses is to let you know if the child has stopped breathing ! !

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crazydazy · 07/04/2006 14:48

Yes I am....but even using a sound monitor at 6 and 4 is OTT don't you think?

Never used a breathing monitor but if I had needed to use one I still think I would want to keep a check on their breathing even as they got as old as my two.

SenoraPostrophe · 07/04/2006 14:55

but crazydazy - I am assuming that maltesers' sister's baby doesn't actually need a breathing monitor.

Original poster

maltesers · 07/04/2006 15:02

Agreed he the two year old is a great big bouncing healthy little boy. Fit and well and always has been ! Think the monitor thing is bit strange but can understand why.

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scoobytwo · 07/04/2006 18:54

breathing monitors are fab an so not excessive especialy if you lost a child previously to cot death!
saying that i do think 6 is too much,i would stop at 2ish

SenoraPostrophe · 07/04/2006 19:32

it's understandable if you have lost a child, but still excessive. Is there any documented case of a child whose life has been saved by one (other than those who need them for a specific medical condition)? and do most parents who buy them know what to do if their child stops breathing? they are a cynical maketing ploy of the worst kind if you ask me.

festiveface · 07/04/2006 20:40

i use an old monitor that i got 10 years ago for ds1 . I use it for ds2, because, he talks and walks in his sleep and i am afraid he will hurt himself....he's 7

wannaBe1974 · 07/04/2006 21:37

Breathing monitors are excessive imo, and I’ve heard a lot of stories of how inaccurate and hypersensitive they are so only lead to more worry/stress than is necessary. We got rid of our sound monitor when DS was 2, and we moved into our new house, to discover that the people up the road had the same monitor as us so we could hear their baby. By then DS was in a bed and was capable of getting up if he needed us. Crazydazy I definitely think that using a sound monitor at 6 and 4 is ott.

RTKangaMummy · 07/04/2006 22:09

We had a breathing moniter for DS when he came home from Neo Natal unit it was a strap that went around his waist and beeped every time he took a breath

But he had been on Oxygen for 3 months and was extremely prem

We had to give it back when he was about 1 year old so it could be given to another baby

It was extremely difficult to not have it on him when we gave it back

We felt really weird without the constant beeping and it was wierd to hear other babies without a beep.

If he didn't take a breath it would beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep and so we would react luckily we didn't have to do full resuitation on him

charliemouse2 · 07/04/2006 22:34

Postrophe: they DO work through full thickness mattresses (our does anyway).We have used a breathing monitor since our son came home (he's 7 months now). It provides peace of mind that my husband and I find reassuring and yes, we DO know how to resucitate though God willing we will never need to do it.

And Wannabe: My SIL did have the problem that her little one would wriggle out of range of the monitor and it would go off, causing major cardiacs, so much so that they stopped using it. I think the manufacturer's have realised this as now you can get monitors that have a second plate to add to the first when the child grows and gets more mobile so that wherever they are in the cot, the monitor still picks up the movement.

I haven't thought about when to stop using the monitor. I expect we will when he's big enough to sleep in a bed, not a cot as I don't think it would be good to use it when the child is capable of getting out of bed unaided, as obviously this would set it off every time they got out of bed!

charliemouse2 · 07/04/2006 22:36

manufacturers, sorry, not manufacturer's. Apols, bit of a grammar stickler!

scoobytwo · 08/04/2006 07:52

SenoraPostrophe yes i would know what to do if my child stopped breathing&most parents would at least like the chance to try&with the breathing monitor you get that chance its worth every penny&more

harpsichordcarrier · 08/04/2006 09:10

I used a movement monitor for dd1 from when she wanted to sleep in her own bed until she was about two. I found I slept better as I was used to hearing her breathing next to me and when she was sleeping by herself I found it hard to rop off to sleep.
I probably worried more than most because my sister's baby died of SIDS aged 13 months.

Original poster

maltesers · 08/04/2006 12:23

Gosh, so sorry to hear that harpsicord... that must have been awful. Yes wannabe74 i have been told by the doctors how sensitive and sometimes innacurrate they are and go off all the time. IT used to go off when my ds was in hopsital for no reason.

OP posts:

areyouforreal · 08/04/2006 12:35

i would say they are a god send even if they do go off for no reason just a god send

julienetmum · 08/04/2006 12:38

We used one from birth up until they were old enough to roll around the cot (and off the pad), so around tha age of 6 months.

I did find it reassuring. If I hadn't have had one I would have been in the room every 5 monutes and probably disturbed their sleep in the process.

The don't work under sprung mattresses but do under the other types.

collision · 08/04/2006 12:57

julienetmum....sorry to hijack....do you know of a good entertainer for kids parties in the area!

sorry again for hijack

kbaby · 09/04/2006 19:59

I still use one for my DD whose 22 months. I dont even know why we still use it but its just become habit now. I guess when we move her into her big bed ill stop then.
Have you asked your sister why she still uses it?
She could just be like us and never really thought about it.

flutterbee · 09/04/2006 20:07

I used to work for a very large baby company that made one of these "breathing" baby monitors and what I would advise your sister to do is to call the company she bought it from because at 2 I am pretty sure that any child would be too heavy for the pad and it wouldn't be working properly anyway.

flutterbee · 09/04/2006 20:18

Just for everyones info as well, they can be used with spring mattresses you just need to make sure they are within the thickness guidlines (the only spring mattress that a TT monitor won't work with is a Mothercare one and I have no idea why).

You can get interferenc from neighbours/pylons etc but if you ring the company they will send you some little crystals to put in the back (there are 3 sets and these sometimes don't work) but most companies now run digital monitors that shouldn't pick up interference at all.

They are hyper sensitive and will pick up on you walking about in the room/fans on in summer/mobiles etc so when testing them make sure all of this is taken into account.

Having said all of that they should not be dismissed as over the top or useless as they are invaluable for some people. We had to use one in hospital as ds kept stopping breathing for long periods of time due to brochillitis (sp) and if the alarm hadn't been there to go off in the night then the nurses would not have been alerted and and wouldn't have ressusitated him!!! We did however choose not to use one when we got ds home as we thought this would just make us paranoid I had a few sleepless nights but after that I was fine.

ele2 · 09/04/2006 22:09

I used a breathing monitor with my first son and found it really helpfull. It stopped us feeling the need to check upon him all the time and therefore disturbing him. Stopped using it when he got more mobile and we felt more confident. I have a friend who used one until her little girl went into a bed. Just depends how you feel, doesn't do any harm to use one if it helps you.

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