Do i need a breathing/movement monitor?

[Beccaboop]

So lo has been sttn the last week so im thinking if he keeps it up then maybe its time to put him in his big boy cot in his own room especially as hes getting a bit big for his moses basket so im thinking about what i need.

Ive already decided to get the airwrap instead of a normal bumper as they are safer (right??) and we swaddle him in his swaddle-me (which is the reason hes been sleeping so well i think) so we dont need a blanket but do i need a breathing/movement monitor?

Do you use one? would you recommend getting one? I am a paranoid mummy i have a video monitor so i can watch him sleep and like the fact that i can hear him breath when we're in bed.

I dont understand how they work tho. It says they go under the mattress but is that in the cot too? His cot mattress is about 5/6 inches thick so surly it couldnt feel if hes breathing through that? Or does it go under the sheet? but the monitor bit is quite hard and about an cm thick so woudnt that be uncomfortable for lo?

Are they just meant for the moses basket? Im confussed!

Im looking at this one:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Tomy-Movem...?ie=UTF8&qid=1364032686&sr=8-3#productDetails

Does anyone have this one? is it any good?

 

[W22KLB]

I brought a tommy tippee one when LO went into her own room. The mat goes under the mattress which is very thick but still picks up movement. I must admit being a worrying first time mom it gives me piece of mind.

 

[RebeccaG]

We never used one. I think they can cause a lot of extra worry as go off randomly or if you lo wriggles off pad. I know lots of mummies love theirs but for me it would make me even more paranoid! We have the monitor downstairs though anyway as in the night we are upstairs and I'd hear crying. Whatever makes you more comfortable and at ease though xx

 

[Tattoo]

I've got a BT monitor that is just a listening one. It's very sensitive though, and I can hear baby breathing via the monitor. I chose not to buy an elaborate system because I think it'd make me more paranoid. I'm completely happy and confident with the monitor we use.

 

[tokyo]

We have the AngelCare monitor with sensor pad and video screen. We so far have only used it in the moses and crib as LO is still in with us, but we will put it in her cot when she moves into her own room. The pad goes underneath the mattress, it doesn't matter if the mattress is thick - it will be fine as long as it's not a memory foam mattress; the sensor pads aren't compatible with memory foam. Basically they pick up the tiniest movements made when your baby breathes and the sensitivity can be adjusted so if you find it's not picking up your baby's breathing on the normal setting you can make it more sensitive. It is recommended that it lies on a completely flat, firm base so if you have a slatted base to your cot or anything then you'll need to set up the pad on a square of hardboard. You also have to be careful that there are no other movements that the sensor could be picking up - things like mobiles attached to the cot or washing machines on the same floor of the house etc.

I love our AngelCare monitor, though we have had it since LO was born and I think it gave me more peace of mind when she was tiny - I'm a bit more relaxed now! If you feel that the monitor you have is good for you maybe you could try just setting that up in LOs room and only considering the sensor pad if you find you are having concerns. One thing to be aware of is that as your LO gets bigger and moves around the cot more you'll be more likely to get false alarms as they move off of the sensor pad. However, I've just seen that your LO is still quite young so you may not get that for a while yet!

 

[RebeccaG]

We have the BT and yes it is very very sensitive! I can even hear the clock ticking in his room. The only thing that's crap about it is the battery life. It's awful and only lasts about an hour x

 

[StaceyKor]

We've never used one. LO has STTN since 14 weeks but luckily she is a little wriggler in ger sleep so we still hear her moving around a lot. We use a video monitor now she's in her own room. I think the movement monitor would have caused me extra worry, but can also see the benefits of them. We kept LO in our room until she was 6.5 months and by the time she moved she was mobile so i knew she would move if she got into an awkward position xx

 

[Scrooples]

My LO will only sleep on her tummy so it gives us great peace of mind now that we're moving her into a cot from our bed. She's a wriggler too and will end up at the top of the cot off the sensor and it still works.

 

[Noelle610]

Some moms love them and really find they give them peace of mind. That said, I wouldn't get one.

I'm in agreement with Rebecca that they more often cause more worry than security. They seem to give false alarms with relative frequency. My former pediatrician, who is the director of pediatrics at a huge university hospital, recommended against getting one. He also mentioned the false alarms and in addition, stated that there was no evidence they were beneficial in terms of preventing SIDS.

 

[ktod]

I've don't have one but the comment Tokyo has made about it potentially pocking up washing machines etc would really put me off cos if it detects that and doesn't go off, it's a complete false sense of security which I think is worse than the false alarms going off.

 

[lemongrass]

I wouldn't get one for the same reasons as pp's. I would just get paranoid. I plan on just getting up to check on LO if my instincts tell me to.

 

[Tattoo]

We have the BT and yes it is very very sensitive! I can even hear the clock ticking in his room. The only thing that's crap about it is the battery life. It's awful and only lasts about an hour x

Yeah, the battery is pretty rubbish! We leave it in the charger at night to avoid the battery running down.

 

[Sparrow85]

I have the angelcare movement monitor, with video and I wouldn't be without it. LO is in his own room now and it's peace of mind for me. I've never had a false alarm yet.

There was a poster on here that said it saved her sons life, as he actually did stop breathing and it saved his life. That's enough for me.

 

[LDC]

I just have a standard monitor that picks up sound, you can adjust the sensitivity and I really like it. It connects when there's been no real sound for a while too and I can hear baby breathing. I personally chose against mats/video monitors for the same reason as pps in that I think I'd be more paranoid. My LO doesn't really move around much in her sleep so I think if I had something like a video monitor I'd just sit watching her, then feeling the need to go check on her.

Having said that you have to do what you feel will give you the best piece of mind, we're all different

Xx

 

[Chloe.E]

My Mum's friend had one for her pre-mie daughter, it went off every night, just because she'd moved. The one time it didn't, is when her daughter had actually stopped breathing. I wanted one, but now, not so much

 

[Care76]

We have a Snuza monitor. It attaches to the diaper and senses the movement of the belly. I love it because it doesn't matter if he is sleeping with me or on his own, I don't have to move it. And if baby moves around in their crib it still senses them.

I had a couple false alarms because I switched diapers. They were very thin and the alarm didn't stay snug. I can either fold the top of the diaper in or use different diapers. I like the PC Green which are biodegradable and they are hold them nicely. The Huggies Natural I have to fold. But either way, the monitor works!

 

[Beccaboop]

I still dont know if i want one. Lo is a fidget in his baskets so i expect he will be in his cot and i would panic if it went off and was a false alarm!! We already have a video monitor so i dont need one of those but it is small and i cant see lo breathing or hear him breath on it either!

 

[Beccaboop]

We have a Snuza monitor. It attaches to the diaper and senses the movement of the belly. I love it because it doesn't matter if he is sleeping with me or on his own, I don't have to move it. And if baby moves around in their crib it still senses them.

I had a couple false alarms because I switched diapers. They were very thin and the alarm didn't stay snug. I can either fold the top of the diaper in or use different diapers. I like the PC Green which are biodegradable and they are hold them nicely. The Huggies Natural I have to fold. But either way, the monitor works!

Ive just been looking at the snuza monitor they look quite good. which one did you get and where from?

 

[MrsButterfly]

We have one. Only had one "false alarm" in 6 months of use. I say "false alarm" as i dont really know if it was, all i know is that he was fine when i went into the room. who knows if he had stopped breathing and the alarm woke him up??

Whenever I'm without it I do worry more. I wouldn't be without it. X

ETA - we have the angelcare one - not got video though.

 

[apple_20]

I have to say I have an angel care monitor and it's never given a false alarm. Once when he was accidental put on his side and was only a few weeks old it went off now he often sleeps on his side and it doesn't. Maybe people have the sensitivity settings wrong? It's made me feel very relaxed especially when he moved to his own room.