Breathing monitor: reviews, rankings, is it worth it?

Czy breathing monitor is the device in which worth invest while being a parent newborn or a baby? When in doctors' opinion - such sensor is the most useful? How a breath monitor works and what do you have to pay attention to when buying and using it? Is reaching for ranking of breathing monitors will we make it easier to choose a good product? Below, we've compiled everything you need to know about newborn and infant home breathing monitoring devices. 

Parents getting ready for the birth of a child - especially the first one - wonder if it is worth buying a breathing monitor, also known as a newborn breathing sensor or controller. They ask this question not only to themselves, but also to friends, also on parenting forums.

Breathing Monitor: Is It Worth It?

The lack of experience in nursing a newborn baby, a prophylactic approach, but also the multitude of products on the market, prompts parents of the youngest toddlers to look for reliable information on breathing monitors. The main reason is fear of SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome in healthy children), which you can read more about here. It is legitimate and there are also other threats, such as:

• child apnea,
• ALTE syndrome, i.e. life-threatening momentary stopping of breathing,
• defects in the heart or respiratory system, which can also be considered concerns.

Breathing monitor: doctors' opinions

In the opinion of specialists, incl. doctors, The breathing monitor is recommended for children at risk of apnea. Healthy babies, with no medical indications, hardly need it, but parents with a higher level of anxiety, fearing this type of event, can find a suitable baby breathing sensor among the wide range available on the market. Medical indications such a choice may be:

• toddler's low birth weight,
• heart defect,
• Apnea in the history, i.e. in the family of the closest child, as well as in the infant itself.

The breath monitor: how does it work?

As the name suggests, the device monitors the baby's breathing while it is asleep. Another name for the product is baby breathing sensor. The principle of operation is collecting signals from the child's body while breathing, i.e. primarily chest movements. If the child is not breathing for 15 seconds, the parent is notified with a discreet signal, also recorded by the child, who may wake up and begin to breathe freely. After the beep, the parent should look at the toddler, lift the child and check that the breathing has returned and is stable. If the apnea time is extended to 20 seconds, the sensor alarm is loud and clear. When the device alarms us and the child is not breathing, it is necessary to conduct first aid in this type of incidents - we discuss it in detail here.

Devices available on the market have different sensitivity - you can find among them those that alert you to slowing down your breathing or its shallowing. When choosing a breathing monitor for your child, it is worth carefully comparing the individual parameters.

What does an infant breathing controller consist of?

An infant breathing controller basically consists of two main components - a mat or other sensor plate type, inserted under the mattress and the receiverwhere the signals from the mat go. There they are processed and registered, and in the event of any irregularities, an alarm is triggered. The components of the breathing monitor are connected by cables or powered by batteries.

Devices can be not only stationary (described above), but also portable - small, in miniaturized form: sensor and receiver in one. We attach them with a clip in the area of ​​the toddler's tummy - on a diaper or clothes.

How to choose a baby breathing monitor?

Before buying, it is worth browsing the websites offering the product from the manufacturer itself, asking about certificates of compliance with European standards and legal provisions in force in Poland for such devices. Certainly, the product must be CE marked. It is good when CE also has numbers that mean the notified body that granted this certificate.

The warranty procedure and servicing at the manufacturer's - or at its authorized service center - in the event of too many false alarms, is of great importance in this case.

If we have already decided to buy an infant breathing controller, let's check whether it is a traditional monitor, whether it combines the functions of a breathing monitor, electronic baby monitor or a video monitor. You can then view the child sleeping in a different room or even on a different floor than the parents' bedroom - although this solution is not recommended in the first year of a toddler's life.

Second hand breath monitor: yes or no?

Manufacturers do not recommend this option, due to the lack of certainty as to the 100% efficiency of the previously used equipment, which is to react properly in the event of any respiratory crisis of a child. However, taking into account the high price of all breathing sensors and their warranty period, it may be worth it - following a rule zero waste - contact an authorized service center, perform a thorough inspection, replace the battery, and at the same time be satisfied with the care for the environment.

How to use a baby breathing sensor?

The breathing monitor is a highly sensitive device, which means that all mechanical, powered, battery-operated toys and music boxes should not be in the baby's crib, i.e. in a place where the monitor is to perform its duties - they may disrupt its proper operation.

Ranking of breathing monitors: does it make it easier to choose?

When choosing a sensor for your toddler, it is worth following more than one ranking of breathing monitors, as well as comparing the opinions of doctors and the experiences of other parents who decided to buy the device. When looking for this type of ranking, it is necessary to make sure that the ranking is not sponsored by a specific manufacturer. Independent opinions and recommendations of specialist doctors are crucial in selecting such complex devices.