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Parenting

When to STOP using the baby monitor??

59 replies

CrookshanksinJimmyChoos · 05/08/2007 20:02

DS is now 15months old. His room is just down the hall from ours.

Lately, he's been quite whingey in his sleep, nothing that requires us to get out of bed and see to him - just normal sleep noises I guess- he doesn't even wake up. However, although it doesn't bother me, as I'm deaf, DH is picking up everything on the monitor and as a result is waking up 3-4 times a night and although he doesn't have to get out, its making him very tired.

We were considering not using the monitor and just leaving our door open so that when he cries/coughs, we are still alerted to him, but DH won't be disturbed by every single snuffle, but we are feeling about not using the monitor...

Any experiences please?

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pinkspottywellies · 05/08/2007 20:05

I've only ever used the monitor when we're downstairs in the evening, then turned it off when we go to bed as we hear her from across the landing. I always think she'll make me hear if she really needs me!

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Marne · 05/08/2007 20:05

Used it till dd1 was 12 months, never used one with dd2 as i found i woke when she woke even though she did'nt make much noise

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elesbells · 05/08/2007 20:06

i stopped using the monitor for dd1 & 2 when they were a year old or so. dd3 is 16 months and has had problems so i still use hers for the alarm thats on it. i think as long as he is ok physically and you can wake easily if he really needs you, there is no reason for you to carry on with it imo HTH

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Jojay · 05/08/2007 20:07

We never used the monitor at night once ds went into his own room either. Unless you live in a mansion, your DH will hear him if he really needs you.

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CrookshanksinJimmyChoos · 05/08/2007 20:11

Yes! That does help!

We were feeling crappy for not wanting to use it! What if something happens etc etc! Guilt.....guilt...

I've got a vibrator alert thing that alerts me to him, but I only use it when DH is on shifts and I'm alone as its mahoosive and bed feels like concorde taking off, so DH quite happy to just use the monitor and to nudge me when its my turn to get out - has led to some funny moments where he has accidently knocked me in his sleep and I've thought he was nudging me for the baby and jumped out only to find DS peacefully asleep and an apologetic DH when I've returned!! lol

However, hearing every snuffle really taking its toll on him....its not as if its winter and all the doors are shut...

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nomdeplume · 05/08/2007 20:16

I was still using ours when DD was 2.5. In my defence I only used it downstairs and that was because her room was far from where DH and I were sitting, we could only hear her without the monitor when she was at the full pelt hysteria stage (no turnng back stuff). I never used it upstairs as DD was in with us until she was 10wks and then she moved into her own room just across the landing and so she was in earshot.

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Bouquetsofdynomite · 05/08/2007 20:19

I abandoned the baby monitor for baby no 2, our landing was so small it was unnecessary. Stick it in the loft for the next baby (you might move house) or Freeccyle it.

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nomdeplume · 05/08/2007 20:22

when we moved house I had to change the channel on our monitor and i obviously crossed over with someone elses nearby as every now and again we used to hear a baby/young toddler sobbing 'Mummy'. It was quite creepy actually.


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CrookshanksinJimmyChoos · 05/08/2007 20:24

Arghh! Spooky!

We will still use it for his naps when we are downstairs and for the early evening, but I think for actual bed, will stop using it....DH is so knackered from the constant waking....I mean when I was a young baby monitors were hardly in vogue and I turned out ok! Well I think.....

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Seona1973 · 05/08/2007 20:28

we dont use the monitors for hearing our lo's wake in the night. Our parent units are downstairs so we can hear them wake from naps/in the evening when we are still up but they are in bed. We leave our door open slightly and hope we hear them if they cry. I also wear earplugs (dh snores!), but can still hear the kids if they cry loud enough.

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DontCallMeBaby · 05/08/2007 20:34

Never used it upstairs - DD was in her own room from 10 days, but we have always had either her door or ours open, and the walls are like paper anyway. We still use it downstairs in the evening, better to hear shufflings and mutterings and know somethng is coming, rather than be blissfully unaware until there is screaming from the top of the stairs. She's 3.4

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DulwichDolly · 05/08/2007 20:36

as soon as you feel you can hear your baby crying.... mine was on the floor below our room but i can still hear... depends on the trust you have on yourself to hear your baby.... we are all different, live in different places and each house different acoustics.....

I did it at 6 monthss!

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tortoise · 05/08/2007 20:37

I still use the monitor for DD's when i am downstairs in the evenings. Never used it during the night as i can hear them from my room.

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yummybunnymummy · 05/08/2007 20:47

Hi, I have a confession to make, was at a local B/F group who were discussing monitors, and when I announced that we still used it for our ds1 (when he was about 17-18 mths) they were all really shocked - especially as we live in a really tiny house.

I understand how you feel, i felt like we were being really negligent by turning it off. We turned it down gradually over 2 weeks and haven't looked back, but really do whatever you'll both be happy with and your instincts.

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FluffyMummy123 · 05/08/2007 20:47

Message withdrawn

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FluffyMummy123 · 05/08/2007 20:47

Message withdrawn

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yummybunnymummy · 05/08/2007 20:47

p.s. still have it on in evening when we're downstairs (ds1 is 3 and ds2 is 19 mths)................

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FluffyMummy123 · 05/08/2007 20:48

Message withdrawn

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yummybunnymummy · 05/08/2007 20:56

thats a bit harsh IMO

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DreamtOfMandalay · 05/08/2007 21:00

I put DS in his own room at 7 months and used it for the first night, never again. (and his room is on the floor below and has the door shut). I have never had any trouble hearing him and am usually awake at the first yip. DP, needless to say, sleeps through everything but full on screaming.

IMO at 6 months plus they are big enough to make you hear them if they need you.

Ditch it now, I say!

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oliveoil · 05/08/2007 21:01

ha!

I have 2 monitors

one for dd1 and she is 4. That is years not months

one for dd2 and she is 2. That is years not months

and I don't give a flying fart what anyone else thinks tbh

dd1 has never ever ever EVER got out of bed, she will shout me is she wants me

same with dd2

we only use them when we are downstairs and in our house you can't hear a thing when you are downstairs so they could cry all evening and we wouldn't hear them. I would rather hear them.

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peggotty · 05/08/2007 21:04

I still use one for dd who is 2.5 . I don't know why, we don't live in a mansion. Only use it in evening, er... (deperately searching for other redundant reasons..)


We just do, ok?!

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barbamama · 05/08/2007 21:04

My ds is 2.7 and we still use the audio monitor - downstairs in the evening and next door in our bedroom at night! We only stopped using the breathing monitor a couple of months ago when he went into a bed. betetr safe than sorry we say and we are just used to the reassurance. Will switch them to the new baby in a month or so.

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nomdeplume · 05/08/2007 21:09

cod, dd's door in our old house was very 'sticky' and so it was impossible for her to open on her own. When we moved house to a new 'non-sticky' door, dd was 'trained' to not get out of bed and to shout us instead.

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Bouquetsofdynomite · 05/08/2007 21:17

FWIW we now live in a very long house and if we had another baby it would soon be sleeping at the other end of the house from us. I still wouldn't get another baby monitor! I have faith that another baby would inherit my capacious soprano lungs like its siblings. I have a friend in an identical house who has never used one and has never had a problem.

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