Back in the day, when my parents were babies, there weren’t such things as baby monitors and yet they still survived… well, actually I guess that’s the point; baby monitors save babies lives and are there for that very reason. They are a baby essential! You cannot put a price on keeping your baby safe.
Tommee Tippee are a leading name in the baby world, in particular, for the bottles and feeding equipment which are fantastic. However, they also venture out into other products and are producing quality products. Here they have introduced a movement sensor pad to accompany the traditional sound only baby monitor. The idea is that it monitors the baby’s movement, including breathing, and if it stops sensing movement then an alarm goes off. This did cause me a little confusion at first because I was thinking, “how much movement do babies make during sleep?” Hopefully not a lot, but turns out that it is mainly sensing the gentle movement of the baby breathing…something essential in order to sleep, or do anything for that matter. I also found out about the alarm pretty soon on. Turns out it works! I plugged everything in and then went off to read the instructions, that’s right, I read the instructions after I had set it up…typical dad fashion! It didn’t take long to sense no movement so the sharp, high pitch alarm sounded causing much confusion and distress to the wife. Tommee Tippee have hit the nail on the head refining that high pitched irritating noise. It would be near impossible to ignore it.
So the mat fits underneath the mattress and does it’s thing. It isn’t wireless, so you do need to work your manly magic and try and hide it within the make up of the cot you’re using: hanging wires can cause the alarm to sound. Once this is up and running you can take the other hand unit downstairs ready to watch the football or Jack Bauer in 24 or the ridiculous One Born Every Minute, depending on who wins the remote control argument. The wife and I had great fun testing the range. I played the role of baby and she was the responsible adult (good casting I felt) and we tested in and around the house. She heard everything I said, even the whispers. I received a short sharp response to one of my suggestions, but she wasn’t supposed to hear it! Guess that shows it’s a pretty sensitive system.
With regards to setting this system up, it was very simple. Plug it all in and away you go. With a little common sense, even the pictures make sense. The system has a couple of little extras which are quite useful:
#1 The display tells you the temperature of the room
#2 There is a small night light
#3 2-way talk back system
#4 Interference free
#5 Out of range indicator
The considerations on this product are few and far between and personal but important.
The first is whether we are taking the whole Big Brother thing a bit far with the movement sensor. I mean, in my experience knowledge can be a negative thing. Will this sensor create more paranoia than normal? What if it goes off by accident? What if it stops working? What if your baby rolls off the sensor? There is part of me that thinks things are getting too invasive and despite the ‘Closer to Nature’ slogan, I can’t help but wonder if this isn’t natural at all.
That being said… and emphasising that this is me merely musing the contrary happenings in my head…
It doesn’t have a video option. What with the wonderful world of iPhones and smart phones, is sound (and movement) enough? There are products out there that are as simple as an APP on your phone or tablet that turn your device into a ready made baby video monitor. They work all over the world so you can be in the office watching your little one sleeping. Or keeping tabs on the wifeski! Tommee Tippee do offer a video monitor which does look great. So they have addressed the lightning speed of technological advancements. Here’s a link:
http://www.tommeetippee.co.uk/product/digital-video-monitor/
This comes down to personal choice.
Do you want a good old fashioned sound only baby monitor? Yes? Well, this one is perfect and I wouldn’t be able to fault it.
Do you want a movement sensory monitor as well as a sound monitor to calm your nervous disposition or add to your anxiety? Yes? Well, this one works very well, is very sensitive, easy to use and does exactly what you will want it to do with a few extras and only £99. (Which is pretty competitive for the baby monitor world! No complaints here.)
Do you want a digital video baby monitor? Yes? Well this isn’t it, and that world is a whole lot bigger. You’re going to need to spend time looking around and researching to find something that meets your requirements, but might I suggest that you start by looking at the Tommee Tippee option first.
I have to say that I’m not sold out on the movement sensor, which means that this product would mean I’m paying for something I don’t really want. I can’t fault it for a sound only baby monitor and will definitely be using it, but personally, the movement sensory pad doesn’t ‘fit’ into what I want for my baby’s nursery. For that reason I have to knock of a star which means the Tommee Tippee Baby Monitor and movement Sensory Pad receives an official Dad Network Star Rating of 4 / 5
