Can a Baby Monitor Give Peace of Mind?
One of the modern moms favorite nursery items, a baby
monitor, allows her to keep an eye or ear on the baby while taking care of
other needs in her home. Monitors come in a wide variety of styles, and you can get a
basic monitor for as little as $30 or you can pay as much as $200 for one of the more
advanced models.
Basic monitors allow you to hear what is going on in the nursery while you are in another
room of the house. Most monitors come with a portable receiver, so you can take it with
you from room to room.
Some baby monitors have a silent mode, with a light that comes on when
the baby begins to make noise. This is handy when you are vacuuming, or doing other
chores, where it might be hard to hear the monitor.
Other monitors are designed to work like walkie-talkies. This is nice if you are in with
the baby and you need something from another room, and call for someone to bring it.
Another feature that is nice to have is a low battery indicator, so you arent caught
off guard when you may need it most.
Some of the more advanced baby monitors include video-monitoring features
as well, so you can watch the babys activities. Another monitor has a sensor that
can be placed under the mattress to alert the parents to stopped movement, indicating that
the baby may have stopped breathing. There are even monitors that have a remote button
that allows you to activate a vibrating unit that helps calm a fussy baby.
When choosing a baby monitor, you have to consider how many units you
want, or if you simply need one base and one portable receiver. Its always best to
get a monitor that has a variety of frequencies, especially if you live in a fairly busy
neighborhood, so you have less chance of interference from other electronic devices
around.
Some parents may want to purchase a gently used monitor in a second hand store. And while
this can be a good savings, be sure to check on past recalls on monitors, to ensure that
the model you are getting hasnt had problems.
And its worth mentioning: while baby monitors are very useful and effective in
alerting the parents about the baby and giving them peace of mind,
they can also pose a problem for your familys privacy. So, make sure that when the
baby monitor is on you make sure your discussions are OK to be heard by others.
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