Baby Monitor or No Baby Monitor?

[soulful]

Would be interested to hear your experiences with using and not using baby monitors.

I'm still undecided as to whether we should use one. We have a relatively small house, so will most likely hear bubs when they cry.

Any suggestions?

[BrightSparkles]

We have a small house too. I didn't want one and was given one as a present. It helped for the few little while as DD was in her own room from day 1 and has such a soft cry i had trouble hearing her. We don't use it that much now she is older though. Shes got a MASSIVE scream now! LOL

[[M]umma[M]ia]

i think they are a great idea. We only got one when we moved to our new house as its very big and even if M screamed at the top of her lungs, i couldnt hear her (which always wasnt a bad thing lol) but even tho we started in a one bedroom unit, i still would have liked one, coz if we were entertaining or going to the letter box etc, it would have been nice to take one with us. DD was a huge chucker too, so i think it would have made me feel better about going outside, coz u cant always hear them coughing.. (eg, chocking on spew)

HTH

[Sterla]

We use one during the day, and it's great. The way our house is set out, sound doesn't travel well from DS's room to the rest of the house, especially if you have the TV or radio on. At night we turn it off, cause the house is quiet enough that I can hear DS well enough. The monitor certainly gives me peace of mind .

[Apes23]

We live in a small house too, I got given one as a gift but didn't hardly use it!

[JordieC]

When DD was first born we were living in a small house - about 5 metres walk to her bedroom from ours. We used it first night and it had so much static and we could hear her anyway that we never used it there again. When she was 21 months old we moved to a much bigger house - rooms at other end to ours so we uplled it out. IT broke (it was a cheapie) so we got a new one that is AWESOME!

Technically you can still hear her cry without it but it's much easier with this and my DH takes it with him outside during day if he needs to. It also had the room temperature on it as well as a small torch light. When she cries or talks we can also see the lights light up as well as hearing it. At her end there are 4 stars that acta as night light and it even plays about 5 songs on it! We love it!

[ss_storm]

we don't have one at all. DD sleeps in our room at the moment and our house is fairly small. our cordless phones have a room monitoring function, so f i have to go outside while she is asleep (if i have a load of washing to hang out or cleaning up the yard etc) i put the phone in our bedroom on monitor, take the second one outside and we have the third handset that will ring if someone calls. works really well, so i dont think we would need a baby monitor anyway when she does move into her own room.

[HollyC]

I don't have one. We have a small house and I can always hear DD. The only reason why I would want one is for doing the gardening while she is asleep. Although now that she is older she is perfectly happy to jump around in her cot while she is waiting for me.

I don't think it is an essential thing to have before the baby arrives. I would wait and see how things go and you can always get one later.

[wysiwyg]

I have a small flat and I use ours all the time, DD was in her own room from Day 1 and without it with both doors shut, I wouldn't hear until she had worked herself up into a frenzy as she isn't much of a crier. Also at night after putting her down she often needs to burp again and with the monitor I can hear her go in and lift her up, she burps and goes straight back to sleep, if I waited till I could hear her without the monitor she would have woken herself up and be more difficult to put down again.

[Erin_25]

I think it really depends what you want it for and what you plan on doing whilst bubs is asleep. We used ours all of the time & will do so again with this next bubs. We would shut DS door & then the hall door so we could watch telly, chat, entertain etc so we would not hear him until he was into a scream. So was great for that. Also at night as being so tired often & deep sleeping & with all the doors shut it gave me warning as to when he was waking up.
We also spend lots of time outside & DS was a bad sleeper in the first 6months or so in the arvo, he would often wake after bout 30mins....but if you heard him & got in with the dummy or some more music first he would go back to sleep. So it saved us having him wake up fully after little sleep. Also didn't have to keep going in & out to check he wasn't crying.
My sister was adamant they would not need one & now have gotten one.....she too would need to get in sometimes to settle her DD after a bit during the arvo & was often in the garden & wouldn't hear her.

[Frangipani]

We didn't use a baby monitor with my DS - DH did buy us one, but it was so crap it broke after a couple of uses anyway . But as our house is small and thinned walls I always heard every cry. But this time I am thinking of buying one though (obviously a better quality one) - as I plan to spend more time outside with my now toddler whilst the baby is sleeping inside. As people have said, I guess it'll just depend on where you plan to be whilst baby is sleeping.

[mbear]

I'm still undecided as to whether we should use one. We have a relatively small house, so will most likely hear bubs when they cry.

...ive had 4 babies...only used one for DD#1 - but not a lot. We have a smallish house too - i can always hear a baby cry.
We use our monitors at mums - she has 2 storey home so when we go there every monday, it comes in handy......but for me, very glad we didnt pay for a baby monitor...coz i know we woulndt have got any use out of it...im never that far away not to hear baby in my own home...

[satya]

My house is small & I did use one for a while but only because I was given it. I was not intending on buying one as I didn't believe I needed it.

Honestly the static used to drive me nuts. It used to make me listen for breathing & then when I couldn't hear it I'd panic & run to the bubs room and he'd always be fine - just not great reception.

I started to sleep wonderfully well the night I switched it off.

[Kitt3n]

I wanted one...

Never ended up getting one.....

Havent needed one...

Though, I must admit, there have been a small handful of occasions where I would have used it (but not worth the cost)

hth

[CrazyLady]

I don't have one but I think I need one when I go check the letterbox/do gardening/hang washing out/drink my coffee outside. House too small really to justify right now but might consider it when we move (as soon as we find a house).

Went to a party last weekend and borrowed my friend's while there because my baby borrowed her son's cot. Was fantastic because I could happily wander outside and know I could hear her if she cried.

[Jellyfish]

One bedroom apartment here so not much need. On the rare occasion I find it could be useful (run out to the garage, grab the mail, hang washing out the back etc) I just call the house phone from my mobile and leave it next to her so I can hear if she cries... a bit costly but like I said, don't need to use it often haha

[CrazyLady]

LOL! You probably could have justified one by now calling from mobile to use as a baby monitor! My mobile bill is usually $200+ so I don't think i'll be using it as a baby monitor!

[Ca Plane Pour Moi]

Small home, no monitor. I did use it then one night forgot to turn it on and DS was just as loud when he woke up. They have lights on and make it harder for me to sleep with LEDs in my face.

At my mum's: big house, use the monitor. Only Sneakyboy (yes, he did turn superhero on this occasion) gets up and turns it off then plays in his bedroom so it's not always all it's cracked up to be.