Best Baby Breathing Monitor Of 2020

You are preparing everything for a new family member. You got the diaper supplies ready, bought the clothes, got the bed. Now it’s time to think about a baby breathing monitor.

As SIDS is a real concern for many parents, these monitors come as a heaven-sent. But how to choose? Are there different kinds? Which ones are the best? Read on and find out.

Your baby just fell asleep, and you feel too exhausted to keep your eyelids separated – but you can’t sleep peacefully if you’re not sure your little one is safe.

Naturally, every parent wants the best for their child. You want your baby to be happy, healthy, and safe at all times. You can have a peace of mind while your little one sleeps, without running to their room every 5 minutes.

Do I Need a Baby Breathing Monitor?

When it comes to newborns, there are always two sides of the story. There are always people telling you something is necessary, and others telling you that same thing is a waste of money. We’ll tell you what’s the purpose of a baby breathing monitor, and then you can decide on your own.

Newborn babies breathe at a pace that isn’t constant. Sometimes it’s too fast, sometimes too slow. A baby could even pause breathing for a few seconds and then start again. These strange patterns can bring a lot of stress to a parent, so breathing monitors are there not just for safety, but also to provide a piece of mind.

A monitor will observe your little one’s breathing patterns, and sound an alarm if there’s a deviation. For example, it can sound the alarm if your baby isn’t breathing for 10 seconds.

Let’s be clear, not every child needs this. But, sometimes it’s necessary.

These monitors are recommended for babies and toddlers who have troubling predispositions, or medical conditions.

If your baby had an ALTE (Apparent Life Threatening Event), if he/she needed resuscitation, or is blue, or white, if he/she experienced an absence of breathing – you need a monitor.

Also, these monitors are good to have if your baby was a preemie, and if he/she has episodes of breathing pauses, a slow heart rate, chronic lung disease or sleep apnea. 

Types Of Breathing Monitors

To get the right one, you need to understand these devices better. Here are the main types, and their characteristics.

Movement monitors

They differ from video and audio monitors because they add a safety level. These follow your child’s movements. So, if your baby stops moving, or movements become irregular for a certain amount of time, an alarm will sound off. There are two types of these – mat monitors, and movement monitors. 

Mat monitors are breathing mats placed under the baby’s bedding. If there’s a 15-20 second pause in baby’s movements – you will hear an alarm. These are only for flat surfaces, and they are not handy for travel.

Movement monitors are attached to the baby with a tape. You can attach them to diapers, clothing, or even baby’s stomach. The alarm will sound off if there’s a pause in the baby’s stomach movements for 20 seconds. These are pretty simple so that you can travel with them as well.

Oximeters 

These are usually used in hospitals. They measure oxygen levels, and the alarm is set to sound if the skin’s oxygen percentage falls below 92%.

Heart and breath monitors 

These follow chest movement and the heart’s activity. They do it via two electrode dots that you attach to your baby’s chest. If there’s a 20-second delay between breaths or your baby’s heart rate is slower or faster than normal – you will hear the alarm. They come with a rechargeable battery, and they are portable.

How To Pick The One That Is Right For You?

Now that you see the types of breathing monitors, you are aware how complicated picking one is. So, here are the things you need in a breathing monitor:

1. The best monitor is the one that is portable, easy to use, and reliable. You will want something that can come with you and your baby wherever you go.

2. It should warn you when your baby is in danger. No false alarms, just real danger.

3. It should enable you to hear what is going on in your baby’s room. Most people don’t think they need to hear what is going on in there, but, it might come in handy. You will know if your baby is crying or sleeping peacefully.

4. Make sure that the model you pick is compliant with approved standards. Some monitors that are sold commercially are not up to those standards, and it’s best to avoid them.

5. Check the features, make sure that the model you choose has everything you need. If you have any special prerequisites, you need to choose a monitor that complies with them. Since there are so many on the market at the moment, you should be able to find the perfect one in no-time.

6. Pay attention to sensitivity and accuracy – it has to be very accurate to follow your child’s breathing.

7. Battery longevity, loudness, and area coverage are of extreme importance. If your battery runs out every three hours, this monitor won’t mean much. You need something you’ll be able to hear, and that can reach every part of your home.

Top 5 Baby Breathing Monitors On The Market

Snuza Go! Baby Monitor

You use this monitor simply – you attach it to your child’s diaper to monitor his/her abdominal movement. It tracks how often your child moves, so as soon as those movements fall under 8 per minute, Snuza Hero will alert you. 

If your child isn’t moving for 20 seconds, it will vibrate. The vibration itself is often enough to make the baby move, and Snuza then goes back to monitoring. After this happens three times in a short period, Snuza will send the rouse warning.

If there’s no movement for 5 more seconds, this monitor will sound an alarm. Snuza Hero is rather sensitive and accurate, so it will not miss anything important. Its maximum range is 999 meters, which should be more than enough to cover your entire home.

The lithium battery is rechargeable, and it will work for 2000 hours. It’s small, so it’s simple to carry to trips. The alarm is rather loud, so you can’t miss it. The only thing we don’t like is the fact that it doesn’t offer audio monitoring.

PROS

• Range
• Loud enough to be heard even if it isn’t in your hands
• Precise enough to catch every movement

CONS

• No audio feedback
• Might fall off active babies
• Occasional false alarms

Angelcare Movement and Sound Monitor

This is one of those under-the-mattress sensor pads that we mentioned above. It’s able to feel every movement of your child. If it doesn’t detect movement for 20 seconds, it will sound an alarm. 

Its color display can be read easily, and it shows sound lights, room temperature, and offers a whole range of settings. Even though these mattress mats aren’t very portable, and demand a completely flat surface to be on, at least the parent units are rechargeable and portable.

Angelcare has a gentle night light for the nursery that glows in your baby’s room. When it comes to its range, it’s up to 820 feet in the open, and about 300 feet indoors. If you leave the range, the parent unit will warn you.

The cable between the monitor and the mat is 1 meter long, so you’ll have to think of a good place to put the monitor. Somewhere beyond your baby’s reach, but still close enough.

The battery of this monitor is rechargeable, and it will warn you when it’s time to recharge it. Average battery life is about 4 hours. When the alarm sounds off, it’s rather loud, and the sound is crisp.

PROS

• Loud alarm
• Temperature sensor
• Adjustable sensitivity

CONS

• Not an option for moses baskets and other uneven sleeping surfaces
• Short cable between the monitor and the mat
• Not portable

Owlet Smart Sock 2 Baby Monitor

This is a smart little sock that monitors your baby’s oxygen levels and heart rate while he/she is asleep. It consists of three elements; a gentle wireless monitor in the sock, an independent base station, and a real-time monitoring app for your smartphone. 

This monitor will let you know if any significant change in your baby’s breathing or heart rate occurs. The alert will go to the base station, and to your phone, and you will hear a loud beeping.

The only problem we see with this system is the fact that if the sock slips off your baby’s little foot, it’ll send the alert that your baby had stopped breathing.

Handy to take with you wherever you go, this device is completely based on Bluetooth technology. You get 3 socks with the Smart Sock Sensor.

The batteries are lithium ion, and it takes about 3 hours to charge them fully. Socks connect to the base via Bluetooth, the base station connects to your wifi and sends alerts to your phone.

PROS

• Heart rate, oxygen levels, and breathing monitor
• App and base station sound the alarm when something’s wrong
• No wires

CONS

• The sock might slip off and give you quite a scare
• Only works when your baby is asleep
• Has to be charged daily

MonBaby Smart Button – a Smart Breathing and Movement Monitor

This smart button will track your little one’s movements and send an alert to your tablet or smartphone whenever something’s potentially wrong. 

You will get a notification whenever there’s something unusual or unwanted happening – stomach sleeping, breathing movement cessation, a fall. This isn’t something your child can overgrow, as it can go over any typical baby clothing.

The only flaw we see here is the fact that it works best when your smartphone and the button are in the same room. If you get the app for your Android or iOS smartphone, you’ll extend the range.

The button itself gives off no sound, no light, no vibration; it sends everything to your smart device.

Every five seconds you will get updates on your baby’s breathing and activity. It only needs two batteries to work, and even they are not rechargeable, those last long.

PROS

• Small and simple to use
• Doesn’t disturb the baby
• Monitors breathing, stomach sleeping, and falling

CONS

• Occasional connectivity issues 
• Small range
• Not as sensitive as we’d want it to be

BABYSENSE VIDEO BABY MONITOR combined with BABYSENSE 7 Baby Movement Monitor

This combination provides optimal protection that will even put the most paranoid parent’s mind at ease. What you get with Babysense is a high-quality video monitor and an under-the-mattress movement monitor. 

The video monitor offers a high-definition stable stream with audio. It also has room temperature monitoring and will alert you if the nursery is too hot or too cold. LED indicators on it are sound activated, you can set up a timer, zoom in, and much more.

The features are numerous. The other part of this useful combo is the movement monitor that will detect if your child doesn’t move for more than 20 seconds, and sound an alarm.

We love that the audio is two way, so you can soothe your baby without actually going into the room

PROS

• Video, audio, movement sensor – got it all
• Rechargeable Li-ion battery
• Alarm is both visual and audible

CONS

• Too sensitive
• Not the best video feed
• Eco-Mode doesn’t detect movement well enough

Conclusion

In the end, it all depends on your needs. That’s why it’s so hard to declare a clear winner here. If you need a monitor that will stay in place and monitor movement, you should consider Angelcare Movement and Sound Monitor. 

On the other hand, if you want something with multiple features, give Snuza Hero and MonBaby Smart Button a closer look. If you want a smart device, Owlet Smart Sock 2 should fit the bill. In the end, if what you need is a monitor that does it all – audio, video, and movement monitoring, the Babysense model might be what you need.