Angelcare Sound and Movement monitor

[Jaffacake]

I'm thinking of buying the Angelcare Sound and Movement monitor, and would like to know of any experiences, good or bad, you may have of this product. I'm particularly interested for reports from anyone that has used it with a sprung cot mattress. Thanks in advance

I used one of these and I loved it, the only thing I can say is be prepared for when your ds rolls off the sensor and the alarm goes off I nearly had a heart attack.

Does that mean I'll have to buy a different monitor once dd gets really mobile or can you use the monitor independently of the sensor pad?

Jaffacake, I bought one of these for DS when he was born, as I liked the "movement" element. In practice, though, we never used it as I'd second the advice below - it goes off very easily (when there isn't a problem with baby) and you go beserk leaping out of bed. So I just used it like a normal monitor. I found I slept so lightly with a newborn anyway, even in the next room I could practically hear every single snuffle.

The downside to the Angelcare is that the little battery holder bit falls off very easily (ours eventually got lost), and also the lowest setting on the volume is still pretty loud, so at night if you have it next to you in bed, it really is loud if baby cries. In the end this annoyed me so much I went and got the Tomy Walkabout Digital, which can be set much lower and which I have found much better than the Angelcare. The battery bit on this one screws on so it can't get lost.

Now I'm in a tizz, I thought I'd made a decision (more and more difficult as I become more and more pregnant it seems)! Will give it some more thought as really do think it sounds like a good monitor and these do sound like valid concerns. Ho hum.

Leander and Soph1976, do you have any absolute must-buy things that have made life easier?

Must-buy items... if you spend too much time leafing through all the catalogues, it seems like everything is essential! I guess from the question this is your first baby. Things I found really really useful when DS was tiny were: 1) battery operated swinging chair. These are a bit pricey and take up a lot of space, but if you have a fractious or colicky baby, they can be a real Godsend. I see now in the shops you can get much smaller versions, that are more like a bouncy chair that also rocks/vibrates, and I would definitely get one of these if I didn't already have the big old thing from first time round. Fisher Price do one of these for about £50 I think. 2) Baby sling - echo above comments about fractious baby moments. Several evenings the only way I got dinner cooked was by strapping baby to my chest and getting on with it - he just loved being all close and cuddly with me. Also, very handy if you just want to pop out to the shops quickly. I think the Baby Bjorn is generall considered the best. 3) Grobags! I faffed around trying to tuck DS in tightly, swaddle him etc, and he ALWAYS managed to kick his sheets off. Then he cried till I tucked him in again. The grobag sleeping bags put a stop to this and at 2.5 he's only just come out of them. 4) Babygym. There are so many of these around. I had the Tiny Love one, which was great, although the ones which are more "nestlike" also look good. You can pop baby on there and he/she will gurgle happily away for 20 mins or so, which might not seem like long now, but you'll be amazed how much you can get done in that time once you've got a newborn! 5) Blackout curtain linings in baby's room. Very useful for encouraging naptime and bedtime. Especially in summer when it's still light till late.

Re the Angelcare monitor, I really wouldn't get carried away with the movement mat thing. Everyone I know who's had one has said the same thing about it going off all the time, and with a new baby you're paranoid and hormonal enough without that sending you into a panic every night.

Generally though, if you're not too sure if you really need something or not, I'd say leave it till you've had your baby. Then you'll know what you need and where to find it. I spent so much money on stuff I never or hardly ever used for DS, it still hurts to think of it!

Thanks Soph1976. Really grateful for those tips. How many grobags does one need? (Sorry, prob a bit of thick question).

Jaffacake, I've got an Angelcare monitor and have found it so reassuring. Maybe I'm doing something wrong, but the only time mine goes off is when I lift dd during the night and forget to turn it off. I think I read somewhere that you should only use them with a foam mattress.
I'm definitely a fan!

I know this is probably not what you will want to hear if you are anything like I was when pregnant (rereading Mothercare catalogues endlessly searching for new and exciting things to buy for my long awaited babe) but please try to resist buying everything you read about in the mags - they are wanting you to believe that you will be a lousy mum if you don?t buy x, y and z but it is just not true. All those jazzy matching curtains and nappy holding bags, expensive three wheeler "elite limited edition" prams with coordinating foot muff and change bag, John Lennon signature fluffy toys with matching changing mat is just cashing in on pregnant women desperately wanting to "get on with being a mum" and wanting to "do" something and so resort to baby shopping! I have an attic full of expensive designer baby junk that has hardly been touched for DD2. We spent a fortune on allsorts of gimmicky "baby safe" items when really we should have been saving the money up for later when our baby will really benefit from the funds - playgroup fees, ballet, gym club, own computer, new bike etc. etc. Sorry to be boring but I would advise all M2Bs to hold on to their cash, buy the minimum with a view that you can always go out at a later date and buy more if necessary. I know I am being boring, but most mums will tell you the same thing.

Just get the cot, bedding, a few clothes, nappies and muslin squares and you will be sorted - honest. (as for baby monitors, go with the sensor one if you feel that the extra security will be reassuring but remember that the extra monitoring of movement is a bit hit and miss and can be stressful when they wriggle off it - I stopped using one at about 4 months as it was more worry than comfort.)

Ah Stripymouse, thanks so much for assuaging my guilt at not being able to afford to buy everything that I want to buy for dd. I didn't fall for every gimmick (that John Lennon range - it's so disgustingly cashing in that it makes my blood boil!) but you're right some manufacturers really do know how to push those M2B guilt buttons, don't they?

Jaffacake, I had 2 grobags in each size as baby grew, so I had one on him and one clean. Although expensive (they cost about £25 each), this was necessary for those vomit-in-the-night moments, not to mention explosive nappies when they're tiny. And I'll be using them all again for baby #2 so I reckon I'll get my money's worth.

Completely agree with the message below about not buying too much stuff. Save the cash for when your baby is a toddler and has developed the dreaded "pester power"!

We've got an Angelcare monitor and have never had any problems with it. Our dd has never rolled off it and it still senses her movement no matter where she is in her cot. It even sensed our movement when we had her cot next to our bed so we had to turn the sensitivity right down.
To be honest, I find the movement sensor very reassuring - it gives off a quiet heartbeat type noise every time she breathes/moves which is easy to listen out for rather than trying to pick out the sound of her breathing. My one criticism is that sometimes the parent part of the monitor can be quite noisy - interference from things like re-charging mobile phones and computers so you need to move it around the room until it quietens down.

We have an Angelcare - and weve never even bothered with the movement bit! - so a complete waste of money - If I had my time over I'd go for a much cheaper model. Second Fivefour's comments on the noisy parent unit too - I've no experience of other units but feel sure there must be a less whiney one out there somewhere!

i got one and all i can say is buy buy buy it was the best thing i have ever brought and me and dp sleeps soundly knowing or ds is fine

Thanks all for your help. Have been out and bought one today to assist in quiet night's sleep.