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O.K. we're due our second next month and after a year of abuse our current baby monitor is very much on its' last legs.
She's after something with a temperature sensor, nightlight and s decent range so I can take it down to the workshop with me.
Any suggestions from the hive mind? ones to avoid or cracking deals to be had?
We have one of these :
Great range and survived a glass of water spilled on it by a very tired parent. Works down the garden in my workshop (and possibly in the pub opposite our house, citation required)
In true STW form, I'll recommend what we have: Angelcare AC1120
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We and just about everyone we know with a baby got this one:
Was faultless and very highly recommended.
We have a Summer Video baby monitor. We bought it for our 2nd kids (Twins). It has been worth every penny. We only had sound previously and the video feature has been excellent.
We have had two children, who are new 25 and 23, used to tuck them up in bed, and if they cried went up to comfort them.
What does a baby monitor actually achieve
We've used our Phillips advent without fault for a couple of years. Good range, faultless connection, simple set up.
Sid
Um, allows you to hear them through lots of walls in a big house? Allows you to go into your workshop in the evening? To name a couple off the bat. Things have changed easygirl, welcome to the noughties 😀
+1 angelcare AC401
What does a baby monitor actually achieve?
helped contribute to an order of magnitude reduction in SIDS.
What does a baby monitor actually achieve
Peace of mind for parents who care a bit more than you did?
I wouldn't recommend the motorola mbp36. The switch failed on ours which transpires is a common fault all within two weeks.
Bought from an ebay shop who didnt respond and binatone/motorola just wanted to sell me a new one.
I resoldered the switch onto the pcb in the end.
angel care ac401. range about 75m-100m . established via repairing bike while child sleeps then test riding away from house.
We bought a BT150 monitor four years ago for our first, it's still going strong with baby number 2 and has performed flawlessly for all that time,
Once current baby is old enough not to need it I'll be using it as a tannoy for when I'm in the shed and the wife wants me and I expect years more service out of it in that role.
This might be useful from a month or so ago:
http://singletrackmag.com/forum/topic/any-baby-monitor-recommendations
We had our baby 6 weeks premature and after seeing the apnea monitors they use in ICU, we decided on an angelcare one too.
Best money we have ever spent IMO. Such peace of mind knowing that if she stopped breathing for 20 seconds, the alarm goes off. Awesome bit of kit.
Have a 7 year old BT audio monitor here for the 7 month old (plus Angelcare sense pads). Thinking about getting a video monitor for the 7 yr old though as she stop doing whatever it is when she hears me coming upstairs
Had a Tomy one with no sensor pad for #1, which was fine. Bought the matching sensor for #2, had two sleepless nights while the bloody thing false alarmed every 20 min, then bought an Angelcare, which was much better (at least until she started moving around in her cot, and rolling off the pad).
Don't be tempted to get a Motorola baby monitor as they are cheap but cack. Constantly drops signal with a very annoying beep. The amount of times I have wanted to drop kick it across the room.
We previously borrowed an Angelcare and it was good.
[url= http://www.johnlewis.com/angelcare-movement-and-sound-monitor-ac401/p231136658?kpid=231136658&s_kenid=24fd4338-5886-f828-9b4d-000047fe7acd&s_kwcid=106x22064&tmad=c&tmcampid=73 ]LIKE THIS[/url]
What does a baby monitor actually achieve
So I can hear our baby if the door's shut. Or I'm in the kitchen. Or in the garden. Or if the TV's on.
I don't have a recommendation except to avoid the BT 250. We're on our third:
First one kept giving warnings for temperature... the thermometer overread by four degrees.
Second one's display died.
Ditto the third.
Great thanks for the replies, looks like we'll be checking out the Angelcare AC401 then, hadn't thought of the movement thing but it makes sense.
And yeah having the monitor makes life a lot easier, means I can watch films/listen to music with my big cans on as it flashes at me if the wee one starts fussing. We had a BT one but it's dying and for some reason I was tasked with organizing the replacement.
Much obliged.
What does a baby monitor actually achieve
Not sure tbh. We had one, stopped using it as we could always hear the crying, and the small snuffles were too numerous to be worrying about.
I suppose if you have a big house or something.
From experience:
1: Avoid the BT ones. We've had two, both gave up after a few weeks.
2: Save yourself the worry of wondering what every illuminated led or slight murmur is and just leave their door ajar instead.
I suppose if you have a big house or something.
Or fire doors!
I wouldn't have heard our baby last night if it wasn't for the monitor... turned out she had puked up all over her cot.
Ha!
Those angelcare ones send you an alarm if the baby doesn't move in 20seconds!
What? Have you ever watched a baby in deep sleep?
What? Have you ever watched a baby in deep sleep?
have you ever had a baby who would stop breathing at regular intervals. I have. its terrifying.
We had one, stopped using it as we could always hear the crying, and the small snuffles were too numerous to be worrying about.
Even then a monitor can be useful to distinguish between crying that you need to do something about because something is actually wrong, and crying that you can (and probably should) ignore.
the angelcare is sensitive it only goes off if the baby does not breath . with my son doing his impression of a log it does not go off.
^ +1 We had 1 false alarm with our Angelcare. Its uncanny - I tried just stroking the mattress and that was enough to keep it quiet. The moment there was no movement at all - then it let us know.
I think the one false alarm was when babybgoode had wedged himself right down at the bottom of his cot.
To be honest this is why I liked it so much because false alarms could end up meaning you never went to check if it was going off...
I can happily say that in 20 months of monitor ownership (a Tomy one with temperature, and a night light), it hasn't been an impedance on our lives at all. I haven't regretted buying it for a second. The only time it's been annoying is when (the now seemingly dying) battery runs out - which is usually because we've left it off charge during the day. OP, if it gives you and your partner peace of mind and helps you relax, it's a small price to pay IME.