Are You Addicted To Your Baby Monitor?!

One accessory that most parents deem as a necessity is the baby monitor!

And not for no good reason, right? Baby monitors, even the most basic ones, provide some much-needed peace of mind for parents when they’re not in the room with their little ones.

Unfortunately, they’re kind of a double-edged sword, because for all the peace of mind they can provide, they can also have the exact opposite effect. Quite often, I see parents running into their baby’s room the moment they hear the slightest peep out of the monitor. They check to make sure baby’s in a comfortable position, they check their temperature to make sure they’re not too hot or too cold, they check their diaper to see if they might need a change, and after they’ve confirmed that everything’s as it should be, they head backout of the room, sit down for a few minutes until they hear another rustle come through the speaker, and then they’re back in action, repeating the whole process.

Now, if you’re reading this and thinking, “What’s so strange about that?” then it’s possible that you are, in fact, addicted to your baby monitor. ;)

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And therein lies the problem. On the one hand, I think it’s great that we have the technology to monitor our babies. On the other hand, it’s not exactly good for your mental wellness, or your baby’s sleep, if you’re in a state of hyper-vigilance throughout the night, and rushing in to “fix” things every time baby fusses a little.

Remember the purpose of monitors- they are there to alert you to an emergency, to let you know when your baby actually needs something, and to give you peace of mind! They have not been proven to be effective in reducing the incidence of SIDS.

Giving your baby the opportunity to fall back to sleep when they wake up in the night is really important, and actually essential if you want them to learn the skills they need to regularly enjoy nights of restful sleep.

In short, if your baby monitor gives you peace of mind, keep using it. If it’s stressing you out, it’s time to make a change. Turn that volume DOWN! Babies are very active sleepers! You only need to hear when they need you. You don’t need to hear every time they roll over or fuss a tiny bit between sleep cycles.

And if you want to minimize the potential for SIDS or sleep injuries, check out the AAP’s guide to safe sleep. Most notably, put your baby on their back to sleep, keep the crib clear of any possible airway obstructions, don’t smoke, breastfeed if possible, and use a firm mattress and a tightly secured fitted sheet. That will go a lot further towards keeping your baby safe than even the most technologically advanced baby monitor ever could.

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