Baby breathing detectors

[JulyDreams]

Does anyone know if these are worth having? I've never actually heard of them before!

Thinking of purchasing this one

No.
They alarm for silly things, like the baby rolling over. They also don't always alarm at important things.
There is no evidence they work.
The evidence to stop SIDS is to follow safe sleeping guidelines, keeping the baby in with you for the first 6 months (they hear you, you hear them even if you don't realise you're listening, you are), sleeping on their back, in the right amount of layers, with nothing loose in the crib.

www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2016/11/most-babies-dont-need-breathing-monitors/506396/
www.webmd.com/parenting/baby/features/wearable-baby-monitors-risk
www.healthychildren.org/English/ages-stages/baby/sleep/Pages/Home-Apnea-Monitors-for-SIDs.aspx

It depends on your circumstances and anxiety levels. I knew I wouldn't get any sleep at first as I'd be checking baby so we got one in preparation. It definitely puts your mind at rest. My DC was diagnosed with a heart condition at birth so we purchased a heart rate monitor instead. Some people say the breathing monitors make them more anxious as they are waiting for the alarm to go off, but others (like me) slept soundly whilst reassured

I would say if you do want to monitor baby get an owlet sock or the neebo band. They are obviously not 100% but they work

Totally depends on your circumstances! We didn't get one for our first baby because I'd read that they can increase parental anxiety - but I used to lie in bed and watch him sleep! I had ptsd and the anxiety was all consuming.

With our second baby I decided that my anxiety couldn't possibly get any worse, so it would be worth a try. After a couple of nights of getting used to it (using it and trusting that it would alert if I needed) I can sleep fine.

I'd have paid anything for a decent night's sleep with DS, so I'm kicking myself for not buying one sooner really!

There is no evidence they work.

There's also no evidence that they DON'T work - it's not an easy thing to prove either way.

From my own experience, it was reassuring to have. Yes, we had a number of false alarms. We also had a case where DD did appear to have stopped breathing. Maybe she would have started again on her own, but I'm happy that I didn't have to find out.

They can only tell you that the baby has not stopped breathing. They don't prevent SIDS. It's fine to use one if you feel it would be reassuring, as long as you understand this distinction, and don't use it to make decisions you wouldn't otherwise make such as saying it's ok to put baby in their own room early because we have the breathing monitor.

I think it's totally normal to want to be reassured that they are still breathing when they are little, but I think it's more appropriate to actually go into the room (or stay in the room/keep them with you) when they are really tiny, and I found that a video monitor these days is actually sensitive enough to pick up whether their chest is moving too. So you don't really need this anyway.

No, this is very clear. Originally when breathing monitors were first invented it was because of a theory that brief episodes of sleep apnoea preceded SIDS. Therefore it was thought that if you could identify these episodes and a parent could interrupt the baby or would restart their breathing and prevent SIDS. But this has since been studied and neonatal sleep apnoea is completely normal and not associated with SIDS at all. There's no link there. However the companies continue to market with misleading claims that seem to suggest that they can help to prevent SIDS, when there is no evidence and also no reason to believe that they might, since the theory they were originally based on has been disproven.

Thanks everyone! It's more for my anxiety than anything... we are due our first in the summer when it will be hot weather and we live in a small terrace so our bedroom gets very hot. Child will be with us for first six months in a next to me crib anyway and with appropriate layers, just wanted an extra something to keep our minds at rest. Reviews on Amazon are really good.

We had a Snuza Hero and I liked it. I didn't use it for long, just a month or so after she was in her own room at 6 months. It didn't alarm for no reason and I found it reassuring.

Thanks did you use it for her daytime naps as well or just night ? I'm thinking of using it for night just when me and DP sleep

We used an Owlet and it was brilliant. No false alarms and allowed me to sleep! Will use it again for DC2. They are expensive though, but it was worth it for not waking up panicking in the night that she had died while I slept.

I didn’t as I thought it would make things worse as I would always be on alert for it! The best thing we did in the early stages when they’re only sleeping a few hours at a time was for one of us to go to bed and the other would sit downstairs with the baby. Meant I could have a proper sleep without worrying! You soon get used to your baby though and become more confident in its routine and breathing habits.

@Hugasauras that's my worse nightmare and my anxiety I am afraid to say is quite bad in general anyway. Especially in our hot room.

I've paid £89.99

Thanks is that even during the night one of you would stay up?!

I'm not an anxious person at all generally, but we had a traumatic labour and then I just couldn't relax properly to get decent sleep, even though DD was a great sleeper. I would wake up in that kind of gasping panic and grab her from the cot to check she was still alive. That didn't happen once after we got the monitor, so it was worth its weight in gold for my well-being I think!

I use an owlet for my 6 month old girl and I love it. I have only ever had one false alarm, when she was a little newborn and her foot was too small so it didn't fit properly, and it slipped out of position. Otherwise no issues with it. I would not be able to sleep without constantly checking that she is breathing if we didn't have this.

There have been studies into traditional breathing/apnoea monitors which have shown they do not decrease the risk of SIDS however there haven't been the same studies into wireless pulse oximeters like the Owlet, so there is currently no evidence either way. For my anxiety however it has been an absolute life saver.

@JulyDreams

Yes, only during the night we did shifts. I’m only talking about the first few weeks. Ours did 6hrs a night from 8wks, then 10-12 from 12wks, so we’re pretty lucky. After the first couple of weeks they were in a Moses basket by the bed so just woke up and changed nappy then fed, then put back down.

I have an owlett for my 7 month old, have used it from when she was 3 months, wish I got it from the very start as my anxiety was through the roof! Expensive but I 100% reccomend one if you're an anxious person x

We used a SnuzaHero until DC was just under one ( and started to remove it himself ha!)
best £90 i ever spent as DH and I were extreme anxious new parents !
you can usually pick them up for half price second hand if you wanted to try it first?
I preferred this rather than angel care, as i wouod sleep practically in the Next-to-me cot so the sensor mat wouldn't be useful!

you will freak out the first time it beeps but itll have wiggled loose a bit ( when baby is tiny or wriggling bigger) but at least you know it works !

It's not unusual for a newborn baby to only sleep on you for the fourth trimester. If that's the case, rather than try to stay awake in bed/rocking chair which can be dangerous, it may be safer for you to take shifts and one of you sit up watching engaging TV (and eating to stay awake!) with baby asleep on you whilst the other sleeps for a couple of hours then swap so no one is too tired to stay awake during their shift (if you are not interested in safe co-sleeping or don't have space like we didn't). We didn't start using our Snuza until baby would go down in the next to me. I still use it at 9 months and have only had a false alarm once when it came off the nappy. I use it at night, and daytime naps when I am not in the same room as baby ie baby is upstairs in her cotbed...(baby should be in the same room as you for all sleep until 6 months though.

The good thing about it is that it flashes amber until you reset it to let you know there was an anomaly at some point. It doesn't just go straight to blasting sounds or flashing red.

Best of luck with your new arrival!

Actually, the one the OP posted about is medically certified and so there is plenty of evidence that it DOES work. I have it, OP, and it's good. No false alarms, and we're three months in.

We had an Owlet. Our baby did stop breathing and the Owlet alarm went off. We found him blue lipped and shook him into breathing again. We spent a week in hospital where they told us it was a BRUE (what used to be called a 'missed cot death'). Safe to say I am a fan.

@Justanothergeneric 😟im SO glad it worked for you!
my BFFs little baby had a similar incident ( am unknown medical condition) and was wearing an owlet.

We had the snuza and we plan on using it for our second baby. It was the only reason either of us got any sleep. We used it at night until about 8 or 9 months. From then she slept on her tummy so it didn't work. I couldnt recommend it enough