Babble participates in affiliate commission programs, including with Amazon, which means that we receive a share of revenue from purchases you make from the links on this page. Safety 1st offers the Close View Monitoring System, which lets you clearly see and hear your baby on an extra-large screen. The camera attachs to the crib for a closer view and there’s a quick check button for quick on/off viewing during the night. Kristin Blaugh from Chicago used another Safety 1st monitor for her baby, and it gave her and her husband extra confidence on how their baby was sleeping. “Not to mention it’s just amazing to be able to see into your baby’s crib while you’re in a different room,” she says. “A specific feature we really appreciated was the audio-only option. This was a perfect option for us when we went to sleep so we could still hear our baby but didn’t have to be kept awake by the brightness of the monitor’s picture.” Other companies offer similar monitors, like Summer’s Infant Day & Night Baby Video Monitor and MOBI’s Audio Video Baby Monitoring System.
For parents who want to keep tabs on their baby’s breathing during sleep, a company called Unisar offers a BebeSounds® Angelcare® Movement Sensor with Sound Monitor. The sound monitor works like a normal sound monitor, up to 200 feet, but there is also the added movement sensor that sounds an alarm if no movement is detected by your baby for 20 seconds. To detect movement (or lack of movement), parents place the under-the-mattress sensor pad between the mattress and the bottom of the crib. After 20 seconds of no movement, the nursery unit receives the alarm from the sensor pad and transmits it to the portable parents’ unit. All other nursery sounds are picked up as well, so it also functions as a traditional sound monitor. Additionally, the sensor pad covers the entire surface of the mattress for full coverage of the sleeping area. Note that the bottom of the crib must have a hard, flat surface, so if your crib has springs, you must place a piece of Masonite or plywood between the sensor pad and the springs.
Dino Favale, a first-time dad, says that he and his wife used the Angelcare® monitor and movement sensor in their son’s crib and it helped them sleep better at night knowing their son was breathing fine. “We would definitely recommend it to parents who tend to worry about their babies at night,” says Favale. Because no one really knows what causes SIDS, numerous studies have tried to determine whether or not home monitoring may help prevent it. To date, there is no solid evidence that home monitoring products actually prevent SIDS. However, SIDS research is definitely helping narrow the focus of where scientists need to direct their attention in the future. A 2001 study called the Collaborative Home Infant Monitoring Evaluation (CHIME), which was funded by the NICHD, suggests that episodes of prolonged cessation of breathing or prolonged slowing of heart rate in infants, believed to be potential indicators of risk of SIDS, primarily occur before the developmental age when most SIDS deaths occur.
The findings, which appeared in the May 2, 2001, Journal of the American Medical Association, suggest that these events are not necessarily signs of impending SIDS. According to the NIHCD, breathing stoppage, called apnea, and slowed heart rate, called bradycardia, have long been observed in infants at increased risk for SIDS. Researchers have assumed that if such events can be detected, for example with a monitor/alarm system, they can also be interrupted, thereby preventing SIDS. The CHIME study, which used specially designed electronic monitors in the home to detect such cardiorespiratory events in infants, revealed this assumption might not be true. In other words, these breathing events “might be markers of vulnerability, rather than immediate indicators of SIDS,” says Dr. George Lister, study group chairman and one of the authors of the article that reported the CHIME findings. “The difference in when extreme events most commonly occur and when SIDS is most likely to occur suggests that these events are not immediate precursors to SIDS, as was once thought.”
Despite the fact that home monitoring is not proven to help prevent SIDS, many parents still use home monitors. Above all, many say that the added factor of having an alarm sound when the baby’s breathing is interrupted gives them peace of mind.Every new parent experiences moments of panic. For instance, after an unexpected four hours of blissful sleep, you might dash crib-side to make sure the baby is still breathing. While audio monitors help parents keep an ear out for newborn grunts and gurgles, a new generation of movement monitors gives parents an added source of comfort during those first few months. SEE ALSO: 8 Over-the-Top Baby Gadgets These not only detect sound but motion, too (or lack of it), to ensure babies are enjoying healthful nights' sleep. And while sleep-deprived parents certainly don’t need to be aware of every single movement and sound, these detectors can be set to problem-only alerts. Image courtesy of Levana Oma+ by Levana is a small mobile monitor that clips onto the diaper to keep track of tiny baby movements.
If it detects a lack of movement for 15 seconds, it will gently vibrate enough to rouse the baby. If three consecutive vibrations occur, Oma+ will sound an audible alarm to alert parents. The unit is powered with a low-voltage battery and uses no radiation or frequency waves, making it safe for newborns. 2. SafeToSleep Breathing Monitor Rather than a device that physically goes on the baby, the SafeToSleep Breathing Monitor is a wireless mobile system that your baby rests atop. The intuitive fiber-optic SleepMat is embedded with sensors that monitor baby’s breathing, sleep cycles and sleep time. It even generates sleep reports for an overview of your baby’s general sleep patterns. All the information can be accessed with your iOS or Android device. 3. Owlet Baby Monitor Image courtesy of Owlet Fashioned as a wearable “Smart Sock” for baby’s foot, the Owlet Monitor not only tracks movement, but also measures information like heart rate, oxygen levels and the body temperature.
All the information transmits via Bluetooth to your mobile device, giving you instant access to your sleeping baby’s stats in real time. Price: Available for pre-order, $199 4. Angelcare Movement and Sound Monitor Similar to the SafeToSleep Monitor, Angelcare also offers a movement-monitoring mat that measures the motion and sounds of the sleeping baby. But unlike the previous mat, which transmits information to a smartphone, Angelcare comes with its own "Parental Monitoring" unit, which offers a digital display, nursery temperature gauge, night light and more. Image courtesy of Rest Devices Similar to the Exmobaby Bio-Sensor Onesie featured in our "Over the Top Baby Gadgets" piece, this Peeko onesie is also in development. It's wearable monitor that measures activity level, sounds, breathing and more, via your smartphone. Customize the alerts with specific information you’re interested in receiving. 6. BabySense Movement Monitor For a no-frills approach to movement monitoring, the BabySense tracks baby movements through its sensor-padded mat, which you place atop the baby’s mattress.