Sleep & Monitoring
Under-mattress sensor pads that sound an alarm if breathing movements stop. Certified UK options compared, with calm safety advice.
Best first
The most thoughtfully designed breathing monitor on sale, with Class IIb certification and clever safeguards.
Best for Parents who room-share and want the most capable certified under-mattress breathing monitor, with no Wi-Fi or camera.
A certified movement pad and a video monitor in one, with the alarm on the parent unit where you'll hear it.
Best for Parents who want a movement pad and a non-Wi-Fi video monitor in one box, with the alarm in their hand rather than in the nursery.
Two certified sensor pads for under £90: the cheapest sensible way into a proper breathing monitor.
Best for Parents who room-share and want a certified, no-frills breathing monitor with full-cot coverage at a low price.
A certified two-pad breathing monitor plus a non-Wi-Fi video monitor, for little more than the pads alone.
Best for Parents who want both a certified breathing monitor and a simple video monitor without paying Angelcare prices.
The long-serving original: the same certified breathing alarm as the BM-03, without the clever extras.
Best for Parents who want Nanny's proven, certified breathing alarm and can find it well below the price of the BM-03.
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Side by side
Tap a column to sort. Scores are out of 10.
| Product | Links | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nanny BM-03Gold Star | 8.1 | 8.4 | 9.4 | 8.2 | 6.4 | 7.4 | £150 | Amazon |
| Angelcare AC25-1Splurge Star | 7.9 | 7.6 | 8.4 | 8.0 | 8.8 | 7.0 | £179 | Amazon |
| Babysense 7Value Star | 7.8 | 7.6 | 9.0 | 7.2 | 5.8 | 8.8 | £85 | Amazon |
| Babysense True SleepBest budget video bundle | 7.7 | 7.6 | 9.0 | 6.8 | 6.6 | 8.2 | £110 | Amazon |
| Nanny BM-02 | 7.6 | 8.0 | 9.4 | 6.8 | 6.2 | 6.8 | £110 | Amazon |
Before you buy
Many under-mattress monitors are sold as 'reassurance' devices without medical certification. The Lullaby Trust recommends choosing one classed as a medical device, with a CE or UKCA mark, and looking for 'MD' on the product information or packaging. Every monitor in this roundup is medically certified: the Nanny BM-03 and BM-02 and the Babysense 7 are Class IIb, and Angelcare describes the AC25-1 as medically certified.
Class IIb devices have to be assessed by an independent body rather than simply self-declared by the maker, and the Nanny BM-03's UK Amazon listing quotes its MHRA registration number. The Trust also recommends buying new rather than second-hand.
Sensor pads need a firm, flat surface to work properly. Nanny's manual says the pad must lie flat and not be bent, and that a cot with a slatted base needs a solid board underneath; BabyGearLab found the Babysense pads also need a rigid surface below them. Check the maker's guidance on mattress type and thickness before you buy.
Then think about vibration. Fans, air conditioning, footsteps on some floors, or another person or pet on the mattress can all be picked up as movement, and the danger there isn't a false alarm but false reassurance. Nanny recommends a quick check every day: take your baby out, step away from the cot, and confirm the alarm goes off.
A single pad covers the middle of a standard cot, which is fine for a young baby who stays where you put them. Once babies start to wriggle and crawl, they can end up off a single pad, which can trigger false alarms. The Babysense 7 includes two pads to cover the whole cot, while the Nanny BM-03 and Angelcare AC25-1 let you add a second. Babysense suggests using one pad for a newborn and both once your baby starts crawling.
The Nanny and Babysense pad monitors sound a loud alarm at the cot (Nanny's siren is rated at 80dB) and have no parent unit. That works well at night if you're room-sharing, as safer sleep advice recommends for the first six months, but for daytime naps in another room you'll need an audio or video monitor turned up loud enough to hear it.
The Angelcare AC25-1 puts the movement alarm on its portable parent unit, which is the main reason to pay more for it. The Babysense True Sleep bundle adds a video monitor, but its listing doesn't say the breathing alarm is relayed to the parent unit, so assume you'll be hearing it through the video monitor's audio.
These monitors are cheap to run. The Nanny BM-03 takes two AA batteries that typically last four to twelve months, and BabyGearLab found the Babysense 7's four AAs last six to eight months. Sensor pads don't last for ever, though: Nanny rates its BM-03 pad for two years from first use, and the monitor warns you when it's due. If you're thinking ahead to a second baby, budget for a new pad.
No monitor has been shown to prevent SIDS. The Lullaby Trust says there's no research showing monitors help, and its guidance for professionals notes that the largest study of sudden infant deaths carried out in the UK found no apparent value in monitors for preventing them. Many parents find a monitor reassuring, which is a perfectly valid reason to use one, but it's safer sleep advice that reduces the risk.
Often, but check the manual first. The Lullaby Trust's CONI guidance says monitors should be used for sleep in a Moses basket, cot or crib, and Nanny owners report using theirs in both Moses baskets and cots. The pad has to lie flat on a firm base under the mattress, so a travel cot with a soft or sagging base may not give it what it needs. Never use a pad monitor when your baby is sleeping in your bed: it will pick up your breathing and movement instead.
It's your call, but The Lullaby Trust's guidance for its CONI programme suggests most babies can stop being monitored by around six months, because the risk of sudden infant death falls with age: 85% of sudden infant deaths happen in babies under six months old. It recommends easing off gradually, using the monitor for fewer hours each day, rather than stopping overnight.
No. Each baby should have their own sleep space and their own monitor. Nanny states that the BM-03 isn't intended for monitoring two children at once, and if twins share a cot, a pad under one can pick up the other's breathing and movement, which is exactly the kind of false reassurance The Lullaby Trust warns about.
The Lullaby Trust recommends buying a new monitor that's certified as a medical device. Sensor pads have a limited working life (Nanny rates its BM-03 pad for two years from first use), and with a used one you can't easily tell how old it is, or whether it's been damaged or got wet. If you are handed one down, check the pad's age and run the manufacturer's tests before you rely on it.
Switch off the alarm and check your baby straight away. The Lullaby Trust advises looking for movement of their chest or tummy, putting your cheek next to their face to feel or hear breathing, and trying to rouse them by talking, blowing on or touching their face, or tickling the soles of their feet. Never shake your baby. If they don't respond, call 999 and put the phone on speaker so the operator can talk you through what to do. If they respond but you're worried, contact NHS 111, your midwife, GP or health visitor. Make sure everyone who looks after your baby knows the plan.