New parents face many uncertainties while expecting regarding what they will need to take care of the baby. On top of those uncertainties, there is the need to spend a limited budget efficiently. Questions like, “What exactly will I need?” “When will I need it?” “Could I buy this after the baby gets here?”, are in the expecting parents’ minds as they navigate the pregnancy months. Specifically, will parents need a baby monitor? When will they start using it? Can it wait after the baby is born? Below is some guidance that will hopefully make the decision to buy a baby monitor easier.

What’s the purpose of baby monitors?

The purpose of a baby monitor, in the simplest way possible, is to allow parents to watch their baby from a distance. How much of a distance will depend on the parents' needs and preferences. The most common use is for parents to be able to see the baby in their crib during the night. However, using a baby monitor can go beyond that, and there are no limitations to its possible uses. For example, some parents use it to keep an eye on their baby while away at work or, if the monitor has a built-in microphone and speaker, to communicate with the one changing the baby’s diaper while the other parent is in another room.

Do I need a baby monitor for a newborn?

As with other baby-related questions, the answer to this one is it depends. Considering that using a baby monitor allows parents to keep an eye on their baby at a distance, the question that will let parents know whether they will need one for their newborn is, “Will our newborn be separated from us during the day or the night?” If the parents answer this question affirmatively, then they will most likely be able to benefit from a baby monitor as soon as that temporary separation from their newborn takes place.

Apart from each family's specific circumstances, it is worth considering further the typical use of a baby monitor, which is for parents to see their baby during the night without having to go up to the baby’s crib. There are many theories on the best sleeping arrangement for newborns and babies, but they all boil down to whether the baby will sleep in the same room as the parents or if it will sleep in his or her own room. If parents want to do what is sometimes called ‘co-sleeping,’ and their baby will be right next to their bed, then a baby monitor will not be very useful. If, from the very beginning, the baby will be in another room different from the parents’, then a baby monitor will most likely be helpful.

How long do you use a baby monitor for?

How long parents will use a baby monitor depends on their family’s and baby’s specific circumstances. The usual age range in which a baby monitor is used starts whenever the baby stops sleeping in the parents’ room, if the baby ever did, up to four years old, at the maximum. Specific circumstances that might determine when parents exactly stop using a baby monitor include, among others, the baby’s sleep patterns, how fast the baby develops his or her mobility, and how far away the parents’ room is from the baby’s.

Baby monitors are really useful for parents during the first two years of a baby’s life because they are a way to know when the baby wakes up, either expectedly or unexpectedly. Parents need to rest too, so the baby monitor is a useful tool for them to be able to do so and only care for the baby exactly when they need it, as opposed to randomly going up to the baby’s crib to see if the baby needs to be tended for or not. As the baby’s sleep gets more constant and lasts longer, the need to know if they are awake diminishes. 

Regarding the baby's motor skills, the need for the baby monitor slowly disappears as the baby becomes increasingly mobile. If, for example, the baby can get off the bed and get to his or her parents' room independently, the monitor will have most likely become irrelevant. Finally, if the parents’ room is relatively close to the baby’s, they will be more likely to be woken up by the baby crying than if the rooms are very far away.

Do doctors recommend baby monitors?

Parents should consult with their baby’s primary healthcare provider or pediatrician whether their baby requires any particular type of monitoring once the family is back home. In the vast majority of cases, however, the choice of using a baby monitor will be the parents' and will depend on their preferences. In general, the baby requires his or her needs to be taken care of during the night, and there are several ways of doing so. As mentioned above, ‘co-sleeping’ is one option. Another option could be a nanny who only helps during the night shift. In summary, parents should decide what works best for them if there is no concrete doctor's indication.

Recently, technology advancements have been applied to develop baby monitors, and very sophisticated options are available for purchase. Some of them go as far as measuring the baby’s breathing and oxygen levels. While the initial impulse of parents might be to buy one of those, they should keep in mind that the so-called SIDS monitors are a double-edged sword. It is advisable to buy one only if indicated by your baby’s primary healthcare provider or pediatrician.

Are baby monitors necessary?

The answer to this question, as with other baby-related ones, is it depends. Putting aside less common uses of baby monitors, like keeping an eye on the baby while at work, it is a fact that newborns and babies require being tended to during the night. Each family is a world in itself, and parents decide, according to their circumstances, how to best meet their baby’s needs. A baby monitor is not, by any means, the only way of making sure parents are there for their baby when he or she needs them at night, but it is undoubtedly a convenient way of making sure that happens.

What’s the difference between a smart baby monitor vs a normal monitor?

The main difference between baby monitors, which directly impacts their price, is how much information they can capture and transmit to parents. There are very simple monitors, the first ones sold decades ago, that only transmit sound. Some monitors transmit both sound and video. These two types are commonly referred to as normal monitors. Then, smart baby monitors go from including a built-in microphone and speaker to keeping track of the baby’s breathing and oxygen levels, usually through a specialized sensor placed in the baby itself or on their crib.

Another difference between normal and smart baby monitors is that the latter can aggregate information and present it to parents in a way that supposedly helps them take better care of the baby. For example, baby monitors can track how often parents go up to the crib and give them a weekly and monthly average. Others can even keep track of the baby’s sleeping position. In summary, some baby monitors can give parents considerable data about their baby’s sleeping habits and usual conditions.

Why are baby monitors discouraged?

Doctors and other health care professionals discourage what was defined above as ‘smart’ monitors. This is because parents are not formally trained on how to use those monitors or how to analyze the data they output, much less take action on it. Because of this, smart monitors can be a source of stress and anxiety, especially for new parents who are going through a baby’s first months for the first time. This stress and anxiety can quickly get out of control and go as far as triggering unnecessary visits to the emergency room because of a false alarm from a defective monitor or a wrongly installed one, for example.

Normal monitors, on the other hand, that only transmit audio or video, or both, and that parents simply use to be able to get some sleep will most likely not be discouraged by your pediatrician or primary health care provider. Ultimately, this use of baby monitors just helps parents ensure they can hear when their baby needs them at night and provides them with ease and tranquility that they will not sleep through their baby’s cry. Other uses, like making sure the baby is breathing regularly, will most likely be discouraged by the doctor because it is believed they have little to no impact on the baby’s well-being but a significant impact on the parents’ anxiety and stress levels.

Baby monitor thoughts from new parents

We highly recommend a normal baby monitor that helps parents get as much sleep as possible while ensuring they are there to tend to their baby’s needs at night. Without using one, we would have gotten restless sleep many nights, getting up to check the baby who knows how many times per night. Like most healthcare providers out there, we do not recommend a smart monitor if your doctor does not directly prescribe it. Some things work best without human intervention. You can see our Honest Nesting Checklist here for more general recommendations on what to buy for your coming baby!