BébéSounds Angelcare Movement Sensor Blister Package
by Graco Baby

List Price: $99.99
Category: Baby Product
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Product Summary

• It includes an under-the-mattress sensor pad, a nursery unit, a parent's unit (sound monitor) and two AC adapters
• Alarm sounds when no movement detected for 20 seconds
• You will not be able to use Angelcare for more than two babies at a time because the monitor only has two channels
• Can only be used to monitor one baby at a time
• It can also operate with 8 AAA batteries (not included)

• Sanyo Eneloop AAA NiMH Pre-Charged Rechargeable Batteries (4 Pack)

Description of BébéSounds Angelcare Movement Sensor Blister Package

Baby Products Reviews of BébéSounds Angelcare Movement Sensor Blister Package

Customer Review: Sleep Like A Baby With This Monitor!
Summary: 5 Stars

What's Included
Unisar/Angelcare left nothing out on this monitor. Included are the under-the-mattress sensor pad, nursery unit with AC adapter and parents' unit with AC adapter. (Monitor sets with two parent's units are also available, and comes with an adapter for each unit.) Keep reading for more information on each component...

SetUp
An impatient mother-to-be, I installed the monitor system myself several weeks before our daughter was due. My only brief setback was that the bottom of our crib was not solid; in order for the motion sensor to function properly, you must first have a thin sheet of plywood or masonite cut to fit the bottom of the crib frame. (For your convenience, there is an order form included in this monitor's packaging for ordering a masonite panel. I was able to convince my husband to remove his posterior from the sofa, go to the home improvement store and pick up the necessary materials, the cost of which isn't even worth mentioning here.)

The under-the-mattress sensor pad must be put into place first; as the name suggests, it is placed in the center of the crib underneath the mattress. Anyone who has struggled with a tight-fitting crib mattress can probably guess already that this was the most difficult aspect of the entire installation, as our crib was already assembled. The sensor itself is not large, but is designed to monitor the entire crib mattress.

The cloud-shaped nursery unit should be put into place next, as a thin cord connects it to the sensor pad inside the crib. This was one of the extremely few downsides I found to this monitor, and is mostly due to aesthetic preference - due to the cord length, the nursery unit must be placed within a few feet of the crib. Having nowhere to place it but the floor at first, I solved the problem by simply rearranging furniture a bit so that the monitor could sit on a shelf of the changing table - there, problem solved. (Thinking ahead to future safety measures, I used the twist ties that came in the original packaging to tie the cords as tightly as possible to the crib railing, hopefully eliminating the possibility of our little one swinging on them once she's mobile.)

The nursery unit features two methods of operation - sound only and sound and movement. Sound only is, of course, sound only. Using the sound and movement feature puts the sensor pad into play; if absolutely no movement is detected for 15 seconds, the nursery unit emits a sharp beep to alert the parents' unit; after five more seconds with no movement whatsoever, a continuous, beeping alarm is sounded - both on the parents' unit and on the the nursery unit. The piercing alarm will definitely get your attention, as well as your baby's - should it ever go off, it will more than likely startle your infant awake.

The nursery unit also has a 'tic' feature, which emits a steady 'tic' sound as movement is detected in the crib. Again, this sound is transmitted via both nursery and parents' units - if you've read any other reviews at all, you've probably heard that this noise can become rather annoying rather quickly, and they are correct. Still, this feature is excellent for anxious parents as you can hear every...single...movement. (We are frankly amazed at how very little the sensor pad is able to detect!) For us, knowing that the sensor pad is working away and that the alarm will sound should no movement be detected is enough.

Finally, the nursery unit features an on/off indicator light and two channels in case of possible interference, which has never been a problem for us. The nursery unit is equipped to convert to battery backup in case of power failure, and requires four AAA batteries.

The angel-shaped parents' unit (in addition to being just plain cute) is also incredibly easy to use. Equipped with an AC adapter and battery backup capability (again using four AAA batteries), it is easily moved from room to room or left in one spot. (Again, monitor kits are available with two parents' units and adapters, which eliminates the need for moving the unit altogether; we keep one in our bedroom and one in the den, so we don't miss a thing no matter which part of the house we're in at the moment.) The parents' unit features nine lights on the front of the unit, so you can 'see' your baby's sounds as well as hear them - you can also listen in to the movements if you have the 'tic' feature selected, and hopefully you'll never hear the loud-and-clear alarm emitted by this unit. One "wing" of the unit controls volume; the other features two channels for avoiding potential interference.

But How Does It Work?!
It may be obvious already from my description of the components that I'm rather impressed by this monitor. Once set up, we've never moved a thing - including the channel or sensitivity adjustment - and never had the first problem. The sound quality transferred from nursery to parents' unit is excellent; we hear every sniffle, whimper, blood-curdling scream, rattle, squeak (et cetera) that our daughter makes, and have never had the alarm sound except for the one time I removed her from the crib and didn't turn off the nursery unit. Let me assure you, that will only happen to you once! We played with the 'tic' feature extensively before bringing our daughter home and were impressed - and amused - to find that it picked up such subtle movements as a gentle bump to the crib railing, adjusting the padded bumpers, placing a stuffed animal in the crib and winding the mobile. My confidence in the sensor pad after our makeshift road-test was such that I very rarely risk waking up our sleeping baby by using it while she's in the crib.

I love the fact that all of the units are equipped to revert to battery use when needed, especially since our electricity only seems to fail in the middle of the night. Having this option will also make traveling with baby easier - just toss the nursery unit and parents' unit in a bag and go. When we travel across the country in a few months with our not-quite-four-month-old, this monitor is one thing that will definitely not be left behind!

Anything Else?
One comment that I've seen made repeatedly about this monitor is that of price concern. Well yes, at $80-130 (depends on the retailer and one-unit or two-unit styling) this monitor may leave you at first with a bit of sticker shock. But do keep in mind the old addage "you get what you pay for" - and in this case, you are paying for an incredible, quality monitor that seems to be built to last (we certainly intend to use ours for future children!) and for the peace of mind that comes with knowing your sleeping infant is safe and secure. What parent could put a price tag on that?

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