We had one and used the movement sensors until DD could get up and move around in her cot of her own accord (about 7-8 months). Mostly the monitor would go off because we'd taken DD out of the cradle/cot and forgot to turn it off! :redface: Really, we didn't need the movement sensor, but we found that the sound clarity was much better with the Angelcare than with the other standard baby monitors. I'd prefer to keep my next baby in the room/bed with us.
DD was in our room for the first 5 months and then moved to her own room. We got a monitor but not a breathing one.
We've never owned one. Granted, DD1's cot was next to our bed until she was just over a year old (we had to move house to get her into her own bedroom hahaha, in our old place she wouldn't go to sleep in her bedroom and we kept moving her cot back to our room), and DD2 is co-sleeping part-time (I put her to sleep in bed, then move her to her bassinette next to our bed, then when she wakes for a feed I just put her back with us and go back to sleep) so we're pretty close at hand.
That being said, we did have a couple of scares with DD1 when she was younger - I woke a couple of times with a horrible feeling in my gut and when I checked her, she wasn't breathing and once had turned blue. Picking her up and giving her a little shake brought her back and she'd go back to sleep straight away, but I often think how it's just really, really lucky that some instinctual urge woke me to check her.
We have one and still use it, DH was much more paranoid about it than me but DD was Prem and has developed respiratory problems where we have to monitor her breathing a bit more closely especially when she is sick so it is a bit of security for us... we have had only one alarm in the 15+ months we have been using it.
We are often woken by her coughing fits but have the volume right down, but it is best we know when she is having more trouble and there is less static over the ACM than other brands.
DD is in her own room and even with the dorrs open there is no way we would hear her breathing...
I didn't even think of one with my first 4 - they all co slept. Immy was 12 and a bit weeks premmie and the RWBH advise strongly against monitors as they alarm so frequently and cause so much stress. I can honestly say I slept better when she was home in my bed than when she was inhospital. I truly believe that baby's breathing patterns mirror our own. There were a couple of times that I woke up panicked as I couldn't hear her breathing. But that's to be expected.
I still check on her 4 times a night. She also frequently wakes. I think it's very very personal - we each have to make the decision that fits us best. Good luck my love.. :hug:
Have one and still use it now. Didnt use it when DS was in our room for 2 months (sleeping on my chest for 6 weeks)
Have spread sensor pads out and either end of cot as DS is all over the cot, I use it for my peace of mind. DH actually asked me other day when I would stop using it on DS or would I be wanting a 2nd one for new baby.
I will probably stop using on DS at around 20 months which is about when baby will move out of our room, so I can these use moniter on baby
I'm going to out myself as an uncaring mum in comparison to everyone else, cos we just never had one, and DS has been in his own room since we brought him home. Mind you, we have a very small house, so we'd probably get feedback through a monitor anyway ;). I guess I just figured that we followed all the SIDS guidelines, so the chances of anything happening were pretty slim. DS was wrapped until about 7 months, so rolling over in the early days was never a concern, cos he couldn't move, and then once he could, well he could move himself into position anyway. If we had a big house then it would probably have been different.
I have never used my sensor pads. I did co-sleep with ds till he was 6 months though. Now he is in his own room but i'm not worried at all.
I have one and use it and have had a couple of false alarms, which do freak me out. Not to be negative, but I wonder how you distinguish between a false alarm and the monitor just doing what it's meant to do... DS has been in his own room since we came home, I still check on him quite often, but it does give me the peace of mind to sleep and only go check on him if he's sleeping longer than normal.
Thanks for your replies :)
Still not 100% certain now, but I haven't had his breathing monitor on. Scary about the couple of babies mentioned that turned blue!
I have some 'control' issues and am actually finding it better to just to let go and pray that he's safe while sleeping. Otherwise it's too hard to handle the paranoia of waiting for the alarm to go off, which can be more common in a humid environment like ours here.
Motherhood is such a worry!!
We have one (Tommee Tippee) and we use it all the time, only one false alarm which was my fault the first time we used it as I didn't position it properly. We have a big house though so its very useful to us.
We didn't use it until we moved DS into his own room (about 4 months), when he was in the cradle in our room I could hear him breathing :)
I love the fact that if I wake up at night I can look at the monitor and see the little green light flash every time he breaths
I dont think I even knew they existed before she was born, and after I just didnt see the need...she was a tummy sleeper too. She slept next to or coslept with us for the first 6 months, on and off up until she was 18 months old even.
TBH I think I would still have checked on her as much in the middle of the night for the hell of it, even if I had a breathing monitor. I am sure I will check the next one just as much also lol
If it makes you feel better, go for it, if it is just messing iwth your head, I would say get rid of it.
We've got the Angel Care one and wouldn't be without it now. We only started using it when DD moved into her nursery and cot at 10 weeks. I still check her if I get up during the night, habit I guess, but I sleep so much better knowing the sensor pads are on.
We haven't had any false alarms in the 4 weeks we've had it on either. I think it's a great invention!
never had one cos I coslept with Jaidan and Ash and plan to do it again. Chase was right next to me in the basinette so didnt' feel i needed one and by the time he was 2 months and in his own room I just didn't think it was necessary.