Is a baby monitor a must-have?

Karen writes: "I have a 6-month-old and have yet to buy a baby monitor. I can easily hear when my baby cries since our house is small. Plus, I just don't want to be 'on duty' all the time. Am I allowed to get by without one?"

It's OK to skip the baby monitor if you can easily hear your baby. Just remember, that for the first several months of your baby's life, he is crying because he actually needs something. In fact, I never had a baby monitor when my two girls were infants because of a similar situation. My house wasn't huge and I wanted some down time. After the first few months, nothing terrible happened without one, so I considered the coast clear, and went along merrily monitorless.

But I'd like to invite responses from others. What do you think? Is a monitor a must-have, even if you really don't want one? Has anyone been saved by a monitor they didn't think they needed (until something happened)? Any other monitorless parents out there? Any parents out there with more than one monitor?

See our report on baby monitors for more information.

Comments

[Clarissa's Mommy]

Baby Monitor a Must

We have a Video Baby Monitor. This has been so helpful. I would recommend it to any parent. It has given me so much freedom and our daughter independence.

When I hear her stirring, I look at the monitor and see if she needs me. Most of the time she is able to put herself back to sleep on her own (probably because I am not barging in and waking her even more).

[Sivan]

Absolutely essential!
I wouldn't have even managed to sleep without it the first 6 months (SIDs alarm allowed me not to go check on her every 5 minutes), and I used the 'tic' mode so I would hear the movement monitor too.
While it still is important to know she's breathing obviously (I use the no-'tic' alarm mode now), the primary use now (she is 1) is to hear her when she wakes or even as she sleeps (particularly if she's sick).

[Sivan]

Absolutely essential!
I wouldn't have even managed to sleep without it the first 6 months (SIDs alarm allowed me not to go check on her every 5 minutes), and I used the 'tic' mode so I would hear the movement monitor too.
While it still is important to know she's breathing obviously (I use the no-'tic' alarm mode now), the primary use now (she is 1) is to hear her when she wakes or even as she sleeps (particularly if she's sick).

[Sandra Gordon]

Thanks for your comments!

[Peggy H]

I just decided to get a monitor and my daughter is 7 1/2 months old. We co-sleep in a king size bed so I only need it for nap time. Now that she can move around I need to know the instant she is awake so I can get to her before she decides to take a nose dive off the bed. Up until now I would just check on her through out her naps, every 10 to 20 minutes or so, which worked just fine.

[Peggy H]

I just decided to get a monitor and my daughter is 7 1/2 months old. We co-sleep in a king size bed so I only need it for nap time. Now that she can move around I need to know the instant she is awake so I can get to her before she decides to take a nose dive off the bed. Up until now I would just check on her through out her naps, every 10 to 20 minutes or so, which worked just fine.

[Peggy H]

I just decided to get a monitor and my daughter is 7 1/2 months old. We co-sleep in a king size bed so I only need it for nap time. Now that she can move around I need to know the instant she is awake so I can get to her before she decides to take a nose dive off the bed. Up until now I would just check on her through out her naps, every 10 to 20 minutes or so, which worked just fine.

[Peggy H]

I just decided to get a monitor and my daughter is 7 1/2 months old. We co-sleep in a king size bed so I only need it for nap time. Now that she can move around I need to know the instant she is awake so I can get to her before she decides to take a nose dive off the bed. Up until now I would just check on her through out her naps, every 10 to 20 minutes or so, which worked just fine.

[Julie]

I still use mine occassionally with the 3 year old just to make sure I hear him when he's been sick (big house). But when he was an infant he was on an apnea monitor and you'd better bet I used it and the baby monitor when we got off the apnea monitor...hearing him breathing was a constant need. I realize most parents don't have this kind of health problem but I would not dream of not listening closely to an infant just in case.

[Adina]

I have foster children in my home and use two monitors. One is a basic two channel one. The other is a Sony 27 channel baby call. My two monitor system works very well. Sometimes I have to switch outlets, but I can sleep well knowing I'll hear a child when they need me.

[Marc]

Monitors go beyond hearing your babies cry. It provides freedom to go outside and work in the yard and some models like our have motion sensors. If you baby stops moving because of SIDS an alarm goes off. I think the motion sensor is probably the most important child safety advancement I have seen.

[Melissa W]

Even though our first house was small our daughter's bedroom was not very near our bedroom and I'm such a hard sleeper that it really was necessary for us. Plus, instead of hampering my freedom (I'm NOT my kids' beck and call girl!) I found that I could take my monitor outside and get things done that I couldn't otherwise with them awake.

Now that we've moved to the south, I don't think they build houses where the other bedrooms are near the master so we need a monitor. And since the 5 year-old decided that she wanted her 2 year-old to share her bedroom, I can hear if they're goofing off instead of sleeping.

[mb]

For me, the baby monitor is essential.

Although Our baby's room is right next to our bedroom, I definitely sleep better with the monitor because I don't worry about whether or not I will hear her, since the monitor is right next to me.

I also like that fact that when I leave the house and she is asleep, I can move the monitor into my husband's den so that if she does wake up, he will definitely hear her.

[Liana]

With our first child, our house was small enough that we didn't find a monitor to be necessary.

Now that we're living in a much larger house and are expecting our second child in October, I've kind of revisited the idea of getting a baby monitor. However, our bedroom is no further away from where the baby will be than our first house and our house is echo-y enough that I don't think getting a monitor will be necessary this time either.

[Christina G]

We've got a three bedroom apartment (1000 sq ft) and decided the baby monitor was an unnecessary expense. I would feel differently in a large home though.