I was wondering if anyone had used a motion detecting monitor (and if so, any recommendations?) for their newborn. I'm in the process of picking one out, and there are some reviews that swear by them and others that say it was a waste of money. Pretty much, the idea is if the motion sensor that is placed beneath the mattress does not detect even the slightest movement (baby breathing) for 20 seconds, the alarm sounds. It's also a regular monitor as well. Any help is much appreciated.
I had it for my two and never had a false alarm issue. It gave me peace of mind and made me quite comfortable going through the phases of baby rolling on back, using a blanket as they got older, etc. I highly recommend it.
Personally I think it's a waste of money. I have never used one but I can see this causing false alarms and middle of the night panick attacks. Unless you have a premature baby or a baby with health problems that would warrant such a device, I say skip it.
Your baby will likely be with you in a bassinet in the beginning where you can easily check on him/her. And as long as you keep blankets and other stuff out of the crib you really have very little to worry about.
I know we all hear and panick about SIDS from the moment we become pregnant but SIDS is responsible for roughly 0.05%, or 1 death per 2,000 births in the U.S which doesn't warrant extreme measures that will probably cost you money and freak you out even more with false alarms. Just do it like the rest of us, go in there every hour for the first couple months until you finally become comfortable sleeping and knowing your baby is fine. Welcome to motherhood!
Hi K.,
I used the Angel Care motion monitor with my almost 4 year old daughter and am now using it for my almost 1 year old son. Hands down this is the best baby purchase we ever made. I'm just one of those nervous types that liked the extra assurance this monitor gave me. It went off a few times with my daughter, who is a VERY deep sleeper; so far, it hasn't gone off with my son. I LOVE this monitor. Works great without the sensor too (for when baby moves into a regular bed). Well worth the $100 (that's what I paid 4 years ago anyway). Good luck!
P.S. If you do decide to buy it, you'll need to go to Home Depot or a similar store and have a piece of plywood cut to put between between the mattress and the metal base of the crib (if that's how your crib is designed). Very inexpensive, but a necessary extra step - the motion sensor has to be on a hard, solid surface under the mattress.
Taken directly from www.babycenter.com:
"Newborns do what's called periodic breathing: They breathe progressively more quickly and deeply, then more slowly and shallowly, then pause for up to 15 seconds, and then start up again with progressively deeper breaths. This is normal and will evolve into a more mature pattern of breathing, with occasional sighs, in the first few months of life."
It might cause you a lot of needless middle of the night panic, I'm thinking.
Hi. Back in the weee dino ages with my son (8 years ago) we used and angel heart monitor. Yes, it is true that you shouldn't need one unless the baby is a preme and at risk. Mine was not, I was just an overly cautious and paranoid mother.lol It did make me worry more actually...BUT, the angel monitor itself without the pad for the bed was great. I wish they would see those separately. It picked up stuff great and we used it for our second son as well. It really was a wonderful thing. I used the motion sensor pad like for 1 month and did not sleep a wink.lol But the monitor itself wasgreat.
I was given one for the my second child and I swear by it. It really does work (we had the angel care I think it was called.) When you picked the child up out of bed, sure enough 20 seconds later the alarm went off. It went off 2 times while she was in there and I am glad I had it just for that. Most of the time it gives a warning beep and the baby moves on it's own, but if after 5 seconds there is no movement it goes off continually. I highly recommend them!
Hi K.,
I didn't even know those existed or I would have probably gotten one ;)
However, I wanted to tell you I got video monitors at target for $100.00 each! They are the larger LCD's the maker is "summers" and they are awesome. It registers the slightest sound but mostly, you can see your baby. I am addicted to being able to watch my children sleep!! You can see them moving, you look close enough you can see them breath and you can always take the monitor into your room at night (we have them downstairs in the living room)
I highly recommend them!
Amy
I've never heard of it, but I probably would have bought one! If you can afford it, and it brings some peace of mind, that's really what you're paying for. I know the chances are very slim, so you probably aren't buying increased safety - so I also wouldn't feel guilty about not having it, either.
I used the Angel monitor with my daughter. she would not sleep at all on her back and I was paranoid about putting her on her stomach but we got yhe angel and let her sleep on her tummy. We never had any false alarms. But it did go off a few times when I would take her out to nurse and forget to turn it off. It gave me peace of mind even though she was right next to me every night to not have to worry about her being on her tummy. Are they full proof God only knows. Only you can make the choice that feels right for you.
