If I thought I was anxious before having Ruben, it’s nothing compared to the constant terror I feel now that we have this fragile (yet super chunky!), beautiful little bean to keep alive everyday. So anything that helps ease that anxiety is so important to me and when I was sent a Snuza HeroMD baby heart rate monitor, I knew it would be a real help!
At night, we have an Angelcare monitor, which I do really love, but at 4x the price, I think the Snuza is much better value for money. Steven is a huge fan of anything tech, so it’s interesting to see his excitement go from flashy cameras (pun intended!) to technology for the baby to make things easier and safer. He absolutely loved this little monitor, and so did I!
The device itself is about the size of a pedometer, and it comes in a little case to keep it safe – perfect for travelling. You simply fold over baby’s nappy and clip it to the top. It’s never left a mark on Roo and he doesn’t seem bothered by it at all, which was my only real worry when I first saw it. There’s a soft purple tab that goes on the skin, and this is what checks the breaths. If it doesn’t detect anything for 15 seconds, it will vibrate to try and stimulate the breathing again, and if it doesn’t detect anything after 5 further seconds, it will set off an alarm and flashing light – for something so small it’s certainly loud!
You can also set it to alert you if your baby’s breathing rate Falls to less than 8 breaths per minute. The light flashes as baby breathes and it could be seen through Ruben’s vest and 2.5 tog Gro-Bag, but without disturbing our sleep.
When we stayed in Peterborough over the past weekend, despite Roo sleeping further away from us than normal, I was able to sleep easily, (partially thanks to those comfy beds and black-out curtains!) knowing that if anything were to happen, I would know about it. Someone once said to us ‘A baby that’s really in trouble won’t make any noise at all, but a monitor will’.
The monitor is easy to set up with super simple instructions (because the last thing a new parent wants is to be faffing around reading a 50 page booklet when they’re super sleep deprived!) and doesn’t take up any extra room in your nappy bag if you need to use it on the go. There are no cords, wires, pads or external power sources so it really is super convenient.
It’s marketed as “the world’s first medically certified portable baby breathing monitor for Europe” and has won 12 awards! You can get it from Amazon for £72.99 at the moment, or RRP £79.99 but the peace of mind it gives you is absolutely priceless.
I’d really recommend putting this on your baby wish list or buying it for yourself as it’s a really great little gadget!
I was sent this to review but all my opinions are entirely my own.