Baby monitors are one of the most important items that you can purchase for your new baby. Whilst it might seem like an easy purchase to make there are actually numerous decisions to be made about the type of monitor that you want.

The time when your baby is sleeping is the time when you may actually get the chance to catch up on your own rest or to catch five minutes to get some chores done or relax. However you will not be fully able to relax if you are not confident that you will hear your baby if they cry.

The first type of monitor on the market is a basic monitor which simply allows you to hear your baby when they are in a different room of the house. Split into two units; the baby unit, which stays next to the baby and the parent unit which you keep with you. Try to ensure that the parent unit can be mains powered or run from batteries as this will allow you better mobility. It is also good if it has a visual sound indicator such as a row of lights that allow you to mute the sound whilst on a telephone call but still see whether your baby is crying. Digital monitors are the best as they give clearer sound and do not have as much of a background 

Some examples of basic monitors available through Amazon are:

Many monitors now have the option to view your child on a screen. This gives added comfort and peace of mind particularly if your child is quiet and you want to check on them without fear of waking them. It can be particularly useful when your child learns to roll over and you want to check whether they are on their stomach or back. I had one of these with my eldest daughter. I also had it tuned into the television so that whilst watching tv I could flick to a different channel that had an image of her on it. The only trouble was that I was so obsessed with my new baby that I just watched her all the time!

Video Monitors available through Amazon:

Many parents find it reassuring to have a monitor that not only allows them to listen to their baby but also provides a warning if it doesn't register any movement for a specified period of time i.e. 20 seconds. The sensors on these monitors are sensitive enough that they can pick up even the tiniest of movements such as a baby breathing. They work by having a sensor placed under the cot mattress. This mat can be detached when the baby is over 1 year old and the monitor used as a normal sound monitor. I had this monitor for all of my children and I found that it provided me with a great deal of reassurance. I lost the dread that I had had about walking into their rooms first thing in the morning to wake them up. I did suffer on two occasions from a false alarm, which was terrifying, but this was over the course of three years of use so was a very low failure rate.There is also a monitor called the respisense breating monitor that can be used even when your baby is not in bed. A small sensor clips onto the babies nappy and checks for movement at all times. Some parents fell reassured by this as many babies spend a significant amount of their sleeping time in prams, baby slings or car seats.

Breathing Monitors:

The most important thing when choosing a monitor is to pick the one that is right for your situation and one that will allow you to feel comfortable. This means picking one with sufficient range for your home, especially for people in larger homes. Many parents feel more comfortable, especially when a baby moves into it's own nursery to sleep, to have some kind of breathing monitor and/ or a video unit but this is not necessary for everyone..