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Original poster

Quick! Which baby monitor? Or are they much of a muchness?

18 replies

WideWebWitch · 12/04/2004 09:07

Quick one, sorry if there's a thread somewhere but I can't look as dd is waking up. I know this because she's in the same room as me but we discovered last night that we can't always hear her if she's upstairs (I really don't think she's woken up very often when she's been up there and we've been down here, honest!) and it's loud down here so we need to buy one today. Are they all the same? TIA for any advice.

OP posts:
fairydust · 12/04/2004 09:12

we've got these ones there just basic ones but do the job perfect.

www.mothercare.com/mc_uk/shop/product_mc.jsp.html?BV_SessionID=@@@@1600376443.1081757408@@@@&BV_EngineID=ccccadcldjhkhjdcfngcfkmdfffdgom.0&SessionAssigned=true&oid=101013&cat=-13258

sorry no good at links

Flip · 12/04/2004 09:15

If you're planning on having it plugged in all the time then I'd go for the cheapest. We have two of the Tomy walkabout and operate them on different channels. So if we think we can hear one of the kids we just switch channels on the receiver and don't have to have two receiver's downstairs at night. Ours was about £30 and you can also put battery's in if you want to shove it in the pram when they're outside.

Have a look at this link

Flip · 12/04/2004 09:16

BTW the lights are a must for that controlled crying thing.

fairydust · 12/04/2004 09:20

there the ones we got i no good at links but there perfect and do the job

Original poster
WideWebWitch · 12/04/2004 09:29

Thanks, will go for the cheapest. It's a very small house indeed so yes, it'll be plugged in all the time. She's in our room at night so it's only for use for the odd couple of hours here and there when she's up there and we're down here. But I'm hoping those times will get longer and longer

OP posts:
stripey · 12/04/2004 10:23

We have the Maws 8. It probably is the most expensive (around £100 but have sometimes seen it on offer in Boots) but to me it is invaluable. It has a sensor pad which most of the time seems irrelevant but when ds has a really bad cold or is ill the sense of security it gives is priceless. There is a little green light that flicks with every breath/movement (it can be switched off and used as a normal sound only monitor too). So if I wake in the middle of the night I dont need to get out of bed to check him I can see the light flicking and know he is breathing fine. If there was a problem and he stopped breathing/moving then an alarm goes off and the whole display flashes red. It has a night light too but I have never used it.

I suppose it just depends on your own peace of mind for me I wouldn't have slept quite so well without this monitor when he was a baby. Now he is 19mths we still use it with the sensor when he is really bunged up with a cold. You can also use with batteries so you can take it into the garden in summer if he is napping in his room.

hercules · 12/04/2004 10:30

Tomy walkabout does all you need.

SonyaSingapore · 21/04/2004 14:01

Stripey can I ask you more about the Maws 8 monitor - how does the sensor work? Does it work for an active older baby or toddler throwing themselves around the cot, or only on still sleeping small babies? Does the alarm tend to go off unnecessarily? I'd really like to know more. And I have every reason to take something like this seriously - my almost 2 year old healthy son died in his sleep 2 years ago, he only had cold symptoms and seemed fine - we had a monitor for sound which we had turned up full volume because he was ill, but we never heard anything - he just stopped breathing. We live overseas and when I looked into monitors that checked breathing too I was told they weren't reliable apart from a very expensive piece of hospital equipment which you have to attach to a finger or toe which I can't imagine working with a baby past about 4 months...

bundle · 21/04/2004 14:08

hav a lindam digital one which dh's workmates bought us when we had dd1. has 20 channels, v little interference and little green light comes on every few seconds to show you it's working even when there's no noise. there's also the time and temp on it. fine for us.

lucysmum · 21/04/2004 14:21

Sonya, what a terrible thing to happen. Something very similar happened to one of my friends when her little boy was just over 1 yaer old. She has very sensitive pads that go under the mattress which cost about £400 for her subsequent children. No sensor that has to be attached to the baby. I can find out details if you would be interested. I have a Phillips monitor with a pad which I use for DD2 (now 1 year old). It seems pretty good - she moves around the cot a lot and we have only had a couple of false alarms.

SonyaSingapore · 21/04/2004 14:30

Hi Lucysmum yes please I would like to find out more about the monitor your friend uses. And how does your one work? I don't understand how a pad underneath the sheet/mattress can reliably pick up breathing.......

lucysmum · 21/04/2004 14:47

I think these type of monitors pick up tiny movements that everybody makes when they breath rather than breathing as such. If you look on any of baby equipment web sites eg mothercare you'll probably find details of this and similar montitors. You could also contact FSID who may have recommendations. If you email me through contact another user I'll get the details of the other monitor from my friend when I next see her.

bundle · 21/04/2004 14:57

sorry sonyasingapore, I hadn't read further down about your story, how absolutely terrible for you.

stripey · 25/04/2004 21:10

SonyaSingapore, I am so sorry to hear about your son. The monitor I have was originally by Johnson & Johnson I think they do a 5, 6, 7 and 8 has the most features. I had this for ds1 but it was recalled as some people had reported the alarm going off but not being alerted. I then noticed that virtually the identical monitor was re-released by Maws when ds2 was due so I got another one. I am fairly sure I saw one in Boots recently this time by Tommee Tippee. I don't know if all of these companies are connected or if TT has taken over from Maws.

Anywsy the monitor works by using a sensor pad underneath the matress (not suitable for spring coiled matresses, just foam). It senses movement/breath and a light flashes with each breath. If no movement is detected after 20-30 secs then the parent monitor flashes red and a high pitched alarm goes off (I have noticed you need to have the sound switched up for the alarm to go off on the parent monitor). I have seen another type of monitor like this - not sure what it is called though maybe Angel or something?

I think considering your past experience you should speak to somebody - do you have health visitors? or your Doctor and ask if there is anything available where you are. I will see if I can see my monitor advertised anywhere and let you know, in theory it should be enough to give you peace of mind.

stripey · 25/04/2004 21:21

Hi SonyaSingapore I have just had a look on www.boots.com and www.mothercare.com (they both have ads on the mumsnet homepage) and in the safety and babycare section under monitors they have the monitor I have advertised, it is now called Tommee Tippee Reassurance 8 baby monitor.

stripey

Wills · 25/04/2004 21:23

There's a new monitor just about to come onto the market. Its aimed at toddlers but works for babies too. I'm waiting for it to be released at the beginning of May so I can't speak from experience but it looks like a brilliant idea. Basically it comes in two parts. The baby/toddler part is attached either to the baby/toddler or to whatever the baby is in (cot/pram etc). The adult part is worn like a watch and can also tell the time and temperature. The additional bit is that you can set an alarm that will tell you if your toddler has wandered further than a certain distance away from you. You can set the "alarm" distance to anything between 7.5 to 150 meters. DD1 was a nightmare for running away from me and hiding whilst we're out shopping so I'm getting this just in case dd2 is like her. You can have one parental unit to three child units.

Its called boardbug
link here

SonyaSingapore · 26/04/2004 07:04

Thanks for the info Stripey and I will look at the websites. Not much help available here via doctors/health visitors though, sadly - but one fine day we'll be back living in England again and I'll probably still need help then.....I cope by getting on with things and being a busy mummy to my 2 younger sons, thank goodness for them. I've also heard of this Angelcare (?) monitor but I thought these things were more for use with small babies who don't move much. You still use yours for a 19 month old - presumably he is an 'active' sleeper - does it work OK?

Thanks also Lucysmum - I have contacted you separately as you suggested.

stripey · 26/04/2004 11:23

Hi Yes mine works fine. I think it can be used as long as the child still sleeps in a cot with the foam matress. I suppose by the age of 2 he may have moved to a bed? He is a fairly good sleeper not too restless,I have heard for older children who move too far from the sensor it may not work properly but as long as he is lying length ways it seems to work. You can use the monitor without the sensor later by detatching the sensor and just using it as a normal sound monitor.

I presume you are living in Singapore? I would have thought they would have lots of hi-tech stuff over there. You must worry about your other sons.

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