Nanny BM-03 review

The full review

The Nanny BM-03 is made by Czech firm Jablotron, whose earlier BM-02 has been a familiar name in UK breathing monitors for years. A slim sensor pad goes under the mattress, wired to a control unit that clips to the cot or stands nearby. It raises the alarm if it detects no breath for 20 seconds (with a pre-alarm at 17 seconds), or if breathing slows to fewer than eight breaths a minute.

It's a certified Class IIb medical device, suitable from just 1kg, so it can be used for premature babies too, and it's one of the mattress monitors named in The Lullaby Trust's guidance for its CONI programme. The charity doesn't recommend specific products, but that tells you it's the kind of kit used with families who most need reassurance.

What makes the BM-03 stand out are its safeguards. Its Switch Guard notices when a baby has been laid on the pad but the monitor hasn't been switched on, and warns you; it also nudges you if you lift your baby out and forget to switch it off. It runs a self-test every time it's switched on, flashes if the room drops below 16.5°C or rises above 28°C, has a night light, and warns when the sensor pad reaches the end of its two-year service life. You can add a second pad for bigger cots.

The downsides are practical. The alarm is an 80dB siren at the cot, with no parent unit, so it suits room-sharing (which safer sleep advice recommends for the first six months anyway); for naps elsewhere you'll need an audio monitor. The pad must lie flat on a firm base, so a slatted cot needs a board underneath, and Nanny warns that fans or footsteps can be mistaken for breathing. It runs on two AA batteries that typically last four to twelve months.