The report card
- Detection & false alarms30% of score7.6
Alarms on no movement for 20 seconds or under 10 movements a minute; no false alarms in BabyGearLab's test.
- Medical certification20% of score9.0
Certified Class IIb medical device under European rules.
- Set-up & everyday use15% of score7.2
Two pads and one button, but it needs a rigid base under the pads and the sensitivity is fixed.
- Alarm & parent alerts15% of score5.8
A loud alarm on the cot-side unit only; some owners find it too loud, and there's no parent unit.
- Value & running costs20% of score8.8
Class IIb certification and two pads for around £85 is hard to beat.
The full review
The Babysense 7 is a no-frills under-mattress monitor from Babysense, which says it has been making monitors since 1991. It comes with two round sensor pads, which together cover the whole cot, and a battery-powered control unit. The alarm sounds if no movement is detected for 20 seconds, or if movement slows to fewer than 10 micro-movements a minute.
It's a certified Class IIb medical device, needs no Wi-Fi or app, and at around £85 it's the cheapest certified breathing monitor I'd consider. The two-pad layout is a real plus as babies get more mobile and wriggle away from the middle of the cot.
BabyGearLab's testers had no false alarms but scored it last of six movement monitors (60 out of 100), mainly because there's no parent unit and no sensitivity adjustment, and the pads need a rigid surface underneath. UK owners on Amazon are much warmer, describing it as reliable and easy to use, with a loud alarm (too loud for some) and good battery life, though a few question its accuracy. It runs on four AA batteries, which BabyGearLab found last six to eight months.
Babysense now also sells a Babysense 8 for around £100 to £120. On paper the core spec is the same (two pads, the 20-second alarm, slow-movement alerts, Class IIb), so unless the 8 is on offer, I'd buy whichever is cheaper.
Pros and cons
What I like
- Certified Class IIb medical device
- Two pads for full-cot coverage
- Alarms on slowed as well as stopped movement
- No Wi-Fi, app or mains cable
- Around £85
What I don't
- The alarm only sounds at the cot
- Sensitivity can't be adjusted
- Needs a rigid surface under the pads
Key specs
- Type
- Two under-mattress sensor pads with cot-side unit
- Alarms
- No movement for 20 seconds, or under 10 movements a minute
- Certification
- Class IIb medical device
- Power
- 4 x AA batteries
- Wi-Fi or app
- None
- Sensitivity
- Fixed
Head-to-heads
What I read
This is a research-led review. These are the main sources behind the scores, alongside patterns in verified owner reviews. How I review.