Angelcare monitors

[raindrop83]

Just wondering if anyone uses an angelcare monitor? As is the way in pregnancy, I've been told by family members that I need to get one. As I know nothing about monitors I thought I'd see if I can can any feedback on how good they are, which models are best or if there are any better alternatives??

Thanks in advance! X

We’ve got one and, well, it’s ok. It does what we need it to: it’s a video monitor so we can see as well as hear baby, has a sensor mat for peace of mind and tells us the temperature in the room.

While it is a good idea to have a baby monitor, you won’t necessarily need it straight away, as baby should be in the same room as you for both night time and day sleeping. But if you get one in advance then you don’t need to think about it while in the midst of newborn tiredness!

My mum friends rave about the BT6000 as being a great monitor so I’d suggest checking that out.

I’d recommend having a think about what kind of features you want and then looking at a few brands. I’d definitely recommend a video one; we had an audio one with DD1 and when she was in her own room I’d spend ages listening to it and trying to work out if the sounds meant she was awake or not! Some other things to think about is how and where you would want to mount the base unit (e.g. do you want something that has wall/ceiling mount?) and whether you would want to connect from your phone or just a separate handset. As I say, it’s worth doing a bit of research and then picking something that will suit your setup.

They came up yesterday on the second-hand shopping thread.

This is a very balanced, evidence based summary of their pros and cons from the Lullaby Trust.

Personally, I don’t like them. There is no evidence that they can prevent SIDS, and I think that they exploit the anxieties of nervous first-time parents. In particular they can provide false reassurance that it is safe to put baby into their own room too soon, taking them away from other measures which are proven to reduce the risk of SIDS.

I was always going to get a monitor but wasn't thinking of one with the sensor mat, is it worth the extra?

I bought a relatively cheap one from amazon, video monitor with temperature alarm. It’s great to see what she’s up to especially now she’s crawling around so video is worth it for us.

Don’t think I would bother with a sensor mat, like PP said you shouldn’t need it until 6 months anyway and by that point I think it’s overkill. Plus my DD sleeps like a log, doesn’t move an inch so it would probably go off all the time.

Also side note, check how long the battery life is on the video monitor - ours is rubbish and drives me mad!

@raindrop83

I was always going to get a monitor but wasn't thinking of one with the sensor mat, is it worth the extra?

No. Just get a decent video monitor with enough range to cover your whole house.

Such a saver in the mind worrying department.

My son is 18m and still use the pad under his matress.. a few false alarms when he decides to curl up in a ball one end so it doesn't detect him! But a complete peace of mind.

Angel-care video monitors and in fact the actual monitors don't last. Ours did about 6 months line I read online so I ended up getting a separate bt video monitor and just having the angelcare pad switched on with it.
100% worth it I think!