when should I stop using a monitor? ?

[birchykel]

my daughter is 2.3 years and my monitor has just given up on me so im thinking should i have one now or should I still play it safe? ?
my house isn't huge so I would hear her.
any suggestions?
x

[Inneedoftea]

Don't worry. I used a monitor with my first until she was in a bed (2 and a half) and then the same monitor gave up when Dd2 was about 4 months old. Never replaced it. Can always hear her. Now she's in a bed and just yells if she needs us. Honestly we prob used it for too long first time around. Also I used to wake up if the monitor made the slightest crackle and take ages to sleep again. Kids were always sound asleep. Just made me worry more!

[mumofboyo]

I wouldn't bother. Your dd is probably big enough now to make enough noise to alert you to any problem.

We stopped using ours with ds when he was 17 months: dd was born, we moved house and we started to put her to bed at 7pm so used the monitor to hear her. Even though it's a bigger house the internal walls are like cardboard so when dd was 7 months it gave up the ghost and we never got another one.

[birchykel]

Thanks I do think it will be ok I just needed reassuring.
I guess I worry that if im downstairs watching a film and living room door closed (cos house small and noise travels upstairs) then I won't hear her if she cries etc. am I being crazy?

[mumofboyo]

It's not crazy to fret or worry about your child being upset
We don't have a living room door (no idea why not, there's a door frame but no cut outs where the hinge or catch might be ) but the stairs are right next to it, so we have our telly on really quiet, like volume no. 2 or 3, at night so could easily hear if our dc call out.

[Deliaskis]

Funny they must all last about the same length of time. Ours gave up at about 2.3 as well, and I did get a new one (well actually a cheap second hand one, but I did replace). We had just moved into a new house and although we would hear her if we were in the lounge (even with TV on), we might not hear if in dining room or kitchen, or particularly if outside having BBQ or something. And when staying elsewhere we might be further away. So we got another one for that purpose. I don't bother having it switched on all night though, she will definitely wake us up if she needs us in the night, it's more for the evening as if we're not in the living room we wouldn't hear.

D

[JoandMax]

We stopped with DS1 at around 18 months I think, he didn't ever wake up in the evening anyway and we always leave all doors open so could easily hear him when in bed.

DS2 is 3.5 and we still use it...... He's not a great sleeper and starts off groaning, which if ignored reaches fever pitch so I'd rather get in early t avoid that so we need a monitor to hear the groans! He generally comes in our bed when we go to bed anyway so it goes off then but on the rare occasion he's still asleep when I go up I leave it on