A baby monitor or a baby alarm lets you watch over your little one without being in the room. With a baby monitor, there is no need to stand vigil at your baby’s bedside. You can be busy in another part of the house and still know the instant your baby wakes up or cries and needs feeding, changing or comforting.
A baby monitor is a compact gadget consisting of a transmitter and a receiver. The transmitter, which has a microphone, is placed near the baby (ideally within ten feet of the cot) and the receiver stays with you. Baby monitors are generally wireless. Some baby monitors are bi-directional so they allow you to talk to your baby or sing lullabies while you are in a different room.
High-end baby monitors have video facilities that enable you to watch your baby remotely on a screen. These monitors consist of a video camera and a portable television monitor. With the help of a video monitor, accidents can be prevented before they occur, for example if the baby is chewing on a toy. Also a parent can assess more accurately how distressed the baby is and avoid disturbing him/her unnecessarily. Video monitors sometimes also feature colourful lights (that can also work as night-lights), remote control operation and soothing music.
Baby monitors are indispensable when your baby sleeps in his or her own room or nursery. Other variations are monitors with a vibrating alert which are useful for people with hearing disabilities. Some also include a dial-up and Internet connection.
Buying a baby monitor is now almost as common as buying baby toys and furniture. They are particularly useful and practical if your baby suffers from a medical condition such asthma or sleep apnoea as they can alert you when there is a prolonged gap in breathing.
Baby monitors are battery operated and come with an adapter, so a monitor that alerts you when the battery is low is ideal. Other factors like how compact the monitor is and whether it includes sound-activated light should also be taken into consideration. Sound-activated light is particularly useful as an extra precaution if you haven’t heard your baby cry. You will still be alerted that something may be wrong when the unit lights up. Monitors with multiple receivers are good when you have more than one child sleeping in different rooms.
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