Usefulness of Baby Monitor?

sadsadie · August 2012

Hi Bumpies!

I was wondering what people's thoughts are on the usefulness of a video baby monitor when you are practicing attachment-style parenting. We will be co-sleeping with our LO (or at least room sharing) from the start, though DH says he would like LO to start sleeping in his/her own room after about six months (I say we'll see when we get there!) We would like LO to get used to napping in the crib from the start (at least once a day), and depending on how that goes I may be out of the room while LO is sleeping. Would a monitor be useful to us? Or is it just another thing that we are being pressured to buy but don't really need?

Thank you!

tokenhoser · August 2012

It depends on the layout of your house. We have a thousand square foot bungalow and live entirely on the main floor (we rent a friend the basement). We have not used or needed a monitor of any kind.

DS generally started the night in his crib, then we bedshared when I went to bed. I can hear him easily anywhere on the main floor.

You can always buy one if you decide you want it later. The stores don't evaporate once the baby is born.

belladonna11307 · August 2012

Agreed. You can always wait until after the baby is born to get one. You could put it on a registry as well, that way if you decide to get it you could get a discount as part of a registry completion program. We have a pretty small house, but I like having my monitor. At night (she sleeps in her own room) I usually get woken up by her light cries over the monitor instead of the full out scream, which I prefer. I also like being able to go outside when she's napping to hang up laundry and know that I'll be able to hear her. Also, we're running a lot of fans right now, so there's a lot of background noise she'd be competing with that the monitor helps overcome.

aliska · August 2012

tokenhoser:
It depends on the layout of your house. We have a thousand square foot bungalow and live entirely on the main floor (we rent a friend the basement). We have not used or needed a monitor of any kind.
DS generally started the night in his crib, then we bedshared when I went to bed. I can hear him easily anywhere on the main floor.
You can always buy one if you decide you want it later. The stores don't evaporate once the baby is born.

This. Plus 9 months from now the technology will be better and cheaper.

I do wish I would have bought a better monitor than what I have. I planned on keeping DD in her PnP in our room until 6 months, but she was a light sleeper, and we were waking her up when we came to bed. She moved to her crib without issue at 3 months.

Now that she is older and we allow her to fuss a little before going in, it would be nice to be able to see her. There have been times where I have opened the door, saw that she was laying down and fussing in her sleep, but by me going in, I had woken her up. A video monitor would have allowed me to see that she was asleep.

Kaeldrasmommy · August 2012

tokenhoser:
It depends on the layout of your house. We have a thousand square foot bungalow and live entirely on the main floor we rent a friend the basement. We have not used or needed a monitor of any kind.DS generally started the night in his crib, then we bedshared when I went to bed. I can hear him easily anywhere on the main floor.nbsp;You can always buy one if you decide you want it later. The stores don't evaporate once the baby is born.

This. Or if you spend a lot of time doing yardwork it would be good to have a monitor so that you can go outside.

sadsadie · August 2012

I should have mentioned that I'm trying to decide now, as I am Canadian, and would prefer to buy it in the US ($100 vs $250...it's a significant price difference!) I need to make up my mind soon, so I can go across the border. I won't be able to do that after LO comes. The stores won't "disappear," per se, but the price will certainly increase!

TiffanyBerry · August 2012

I find a regular (non-video) monitor quite useful, as I can't hear her from our room from downstairs or even hear her very well from the living room or definitely not from the kitchen if I'm doing dishes.

pixieprincss · August 2012

At home, we pretty much only use one when we'll be in the basement or outside. Our house is small, so even during naps we don't need it. I do like to have one at the grandparents' houses for naps and I use one when DS is at work with me and naps.

NYGirl02 · August 2012

We've been very happy with just our Sony BabyCall sound only.

eav2c · August 2012

I think that a monitor is great to have. When I put LO down for a nap and take a shower I like to have it even if he's in my bedroom and I can hop out to check on him in 5 seconds or less. The video monitor I have is great. He sleeps in our room still but we are now staying up later and will stay downstairs for a bit after Hess asleep for down time. I really appreciate my monitor for this because I truly can unwind.

Mamasaurus · August 2012

I use mine to do yardwork during naptime much more than at night. It isn't a video monitor, though, just an audio one. I might get a video one if she is stealthy when she is more mobile, so I don't come inside to find her diaperless and quietly smearing poop on the crib.

sadsadie · August 2012

Thanks everyone! Looks like I will be zipping across the border this week to get a monitor and a couple of other baby goodies.

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