We currently have a 3-month old, and this monitor is amazing! Someone at work at told me about this before we had our daughter, and it sounded like a cool concept but I was a little skeptical. After seeing the reviews on top of his recommendation, we decided to give it a try. Set up was a few steps, it isn't just a set the monitor up and turn it on. It takes a little bit of time, but it is NOT difficult like some of the negative reviews claim. If you have a brain, and can follow instructions, you'll be good to go. Not to mention, don't good things take time sometimes?
After we received the monitor and set it up, I decided to try it out. Putting our daughter in, and lifting her out... alarm worked perfect. Then we placed dead weight in (basket with a little weight to it) and sure enough, the alarm went off. So we've been using it every time we put her in the crib and it's worked great. You have to get used to turning off and on the alarm when you take your child in and out, but that's no big deal.. just a routine you need to get into.
I haven't written a review until now, just so I could get the whole experience and form a good opinion on it. Last night, the alarm went off for the first time and it scared us half to death, but it was a good thing. Her crib is right next to our bed, and my wife started talking loudly to her before she scooped her up, so we aren't completely sure whether she stopped breathing for sure, or whether she just scooted too far to the end that it lost her heartbeat/movement. I have NO idea why people on here are complaining about false positives. I would rather wake up to 20 false positives than NOT have this and have my baby stop breathing and not know it. Some people must be pretty dense.
And here's some answers to all of the negative reviews, which I find mostly baseless. Everyone is entitled to their opinions, but just to set things straight for those interested in buying this:
"This is confusing to set up and use" - First off, read your directions. Everything is right there for setup and operating. It is not that difficult if you have a brain and can follow instructions. It IS more intensive setup than just plopping the monitor on the table and being done. Why? Because this has a sensing pad under the mattress which you must connect and stage. Of course it will have more setup time.
"The sensor keeps going off"/"False positives" - First off, the sensor is supposed to go off... so, that's a good thing. Second, I personally would rather answer a million false positives and not need them than NOT have this and have my baby stop breathing. Third, if you have the problem of your baby scrunching up against the side and losing sensory, BUY THE PACKAGE WITH TWO PADS. The two pads should cover the entire area much better. But please, do not say this monitor doesn't work or is garbage. What more do you want from a $70 monitor with a sensing pad? That is an incredible price for what you're getting. So if you have a problem with coverage, buy the two pads.
"I watched my baby breathing, as this alarm was going off. This is junk."/"Doesn't alarm when removing baby" - What type of mattress do you have? The type of mattress can affect the sensitivity of the signal and increase false positives.
"Too difficult to work during the night" - You push a button to turn off the alarm when removing the child, and the same button to turn it back on when the child is in the crib. I don't think it's that difficult... How much easier can it be, actually?
"Ridiculous the way you have to install in a crib" - You place it on a board, under the mattress. Again, not that difficult. The whole basis of this product is that it senses as much of the mattress it can to detect movement above. So obviously, it is designed to go under the mattress. The board gives it a sturdy base. Pretty simple. I had a board cut and the pad under our mattress in less than 10 minutes.
"Sensor goes off as soon as you pick him up to feed him" - No it doesn't. There is 15 seconds of "no movement" you have to push the button to turn off the alarm. If you can't push the button, which should be about 3 feet away, within 15 seconds, then you may have bigger problems. Even better, push the button before you pick him up. Easy solution to a non-problem.
"Was recalled for infant deaths" - Because the parents of 2 infants obviously did something wrong, not because of design flaw. The cord comes out underneath the mattress, which should be hard enough for any infant to reach, even with their arm out the crib reaching down for it. They would really have to try hard to grab it. And maybe it's just me, but I even have it tucked away so if by some chance my child would grab it, (I know, they supposedly "fixed" the issue now), she wouldn't be able to pull it. This is the same thing with Ikea furniture... parents want to blame the manufacturer, when it is actually their negligence that is at fault. Because your child died from pulling a dresser on himself, when the furniture provided an attaching method to the wall, is NOT the manufacturers fault. As long as there is no design flaw, or fire hazard, etc. and it's just common sense, the recall means nothing to me.
Again, not to sound snippy or anything, I just wanted to address some of the negative comments on this thing. Personally, I'd give it 10 stars if I could! Take my opinion however you want, but I will be using this for my next child for sure!
| Product Dimensions | 12.7 x 5.2 x 11.1 inches |
|---|---|
| Item model number | 401-A-US-1GV |
| Batteries | 4 AAA batteries required. |
| Is Discontinued By Manufacturer | No |
| Target gender | Male |
| Care instructions | The camera/sending unit should never be placed closer to the crib than three feet. Children have been strangled in cords. Keep adapter cords out of the reach of children (more than three feet away) |
| Additional product features | audio_only |
| Number Of Items | 1 |
| Style | Standard |
| Power Source | Rechargeable battery |
| Batteries required | No |
| Battery type | Lithium-Ion |
| Battery life | 4 Hours |
| Alert type | low_battery |
| Display type | No video display |
| Sensor technology | room_temperature |
| Item Weight | 4 pounds |
