When you're lying awake listening to every snuffle, a gadget promising to watch your baby's breathing is very tempting. I get it. So it's worth being clear about what the different kinds of monitor do, and what the UK's safer sleep experts say about them.
The three kinds of monitor
- Audio and video monitors let you hear (and see) your baby from another room. They're about convenience and reassurance, and for lots of families that's worth every penny.
- Movement and breathing monitors use a sensor pad under the mattress or a clip on the nappy, and alarm if they stop detecting movement for a set time.
- Smart socks and wearables go further, tracking things like heart rate and oxygen levels and sending the data to your phone.
What The Lullaby Trust says
The Lullaby Trust, the UK's safer sleep charity, is clear that there's no research showing monitors help prevent SIDS. A monitor can never replace a parent or carer's supervision.
Interestingly, the charity does use simple movement monitors (mattress sensor pads and clip-on skin contact monitors) in its Care of Next Infant programme for families who've been through a loss. But it deliberately doesn't include monitors that track heart rate, breathing and oxygen, because that much detail can add to anxiety rather than give peace of mind.
That's roughly where I land too. If a monitor helps you sleep, and you understand its limits, that's a perfectly reasonable choice. Just don't let it replace the basics.
The basics that matter most
The NHS safer sleep advice is simple, free and backed by evidence:
- Always put your baby on their back to sleep, feet to the foot of the cot.
- Have them sleep in a separate cot or Moses basket in the same room as you for every sleep, for at least the first six months.
- Use a firm, flat mattress, and keep the cot clear: no pillows, duvets, bumpers, loose blankets or soft toys.
- Never fall asleep with your baby on a sofa or in an armchair.
- Keep the room between 16C and 20C, and keep smoke well away from your baby.
If you do buy a monitor
- Start with the simplest thing that solves your problem. If you just need to hear crying from the kitchen, a basic audio monitor is enough.
- Expect false alarms from breathing monitors, usually from a sensor slipping or a baby wriggling off the pad. Decide in advance how you'll handle them.
- Keep cables well out of reach. Mount cameras on the wall or a stand, at least a metre from the cot, with cables secured.
- Secure Wi-Fi models properly. It takes ten minutes: here's the checklist.
And if you're ever worried about your baby's breathing or colour, don't reach for an app. Call 999 in an emergency, or NHS 111 for advice.