BébéSounds Angelcare Movement Sensor w. Sound Monitor w. Two Parents' Units
by Graco Baby
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Baby Products Reviews of BébéSounds Angelcare Movement Sensor w. Sound Monitor w. Two Parents' Units
Customer Review: I'd remortgage my house to afford this if I had to! GREAT PRODUCT!
Summary: 5 Stars
I, like many other nervous new mommies, lost ALOT of sleep before purchasing this product. The threat of SIDS scared me to death - I could barely sleep and I always feared waking up to a non-breathing baby...I bought this monitor when my son was almost 3 months old ( I wish I had known about it sooner! ), and have found it to be a big sanity saver! It is so reassuring to hear the "tic" noise, as well as see the blinking light to indicate movement being sensed.
FIRST - YES, you *do* need to have a hard, flat surface under the mattress for this to work properly. Luckily, our crib was the perfect setup, so we didn't need to insert any board to use this monitor. Prior to moving him into the crib, it worked wonderfully in his bassinette as well!
SECONDLY, *TEST* the monitor's sensitivity to determine what in your house MAY interfere with the sensor pad! Think of the variables in your home. Yes, ceiling fans might, but also think about your washing machine ( some aren't balanced well on wash/spin cycles, and may cause vibration in your home ), stereo systems ( some have loud bass which also causes vibration when volume is up ), etc. We have a ceiling fan in our living room, which is directly under our son's room, so I won't even run that ceiling fan when he is in his crib. Test it out thoroughly to be sure that you have it on the most effective sensitivity setting...test *with* and *without* the baby in the crib...test it with weighted pillows, the family pet or a sack of pototoes in the crib...whatever! Just put it to the test to ensure that it is working properly for *your* individual set up! Test it frequently, just for extra assuredness. We have only had two false alarms - the first, we were using it in a travel bassinette ( not the proper set up for this product ) and knew that a false alarm would likely happen due to that circumstance and the second, last night - when my son scooted WAY down to the foot of the crib, out of the sensor pad's range. I'd rather have a false alarm, then the REAL thing anyday!
Some reviewers have reported that when they *forget* to turn it off after lifting the baby from the crib, the alarm sounds...well, DUH! It just goes to show that the product works! I have yet to forget to turn it off...I do that BEFORE picking my son up from his crib. And besides, think of the accidental alarm as a drill...and so what if your spouse is in the room with the parent monitor and you forgot to turn it off...being awoken in the middle of the night JUST COMES WITH BEING A NEW PARENT! Consider it practice ( or revenge! ) for the spouse who gets to stay in bed while YOU tend to baby! You'll learn by habit to turn the alarm off when the baby is not in the crib. I just turn the switch in the back to "sound only" so that it doesn't affect the parent monitor! Problem solved!
If I could improve the product, I would do the following:
*Increase the size of the sensor pad - make it longer to allow for the length of the standard crib mattress - although then it would be too long to use in a bassinette.
*Make the parent monitor with a rechargeable battery.
*Add a second light to the parent monitor to allow parents to see the blinking light when "tic" feature is silenced. Seeing that blinking light *IS* very reassuring!
Other than that, I give this product a five star rating, for the peace of mind it has given me! IT REALLY IS A "MUST HAVE"! I have recommended it to several expecting friends, and they have registered for it or purchased it based on my review of it. We go to such great lengths to ensure that our little ones are safe, that the $100 price tag is irrelevant compared to the performance of this product, and the peace of mind it gives to new parents. I would have paid TEN times more for it if I had to, simply because I value my son's safety and consider it a HIGH priority. When used PROPERLY, this is a great investment! The sound on the monitor is mostly clear, but certain things ( microwaves, cordless phones ) may also cause interference or static...as with ALL monitors on the market. I also have a Fisher Price monitor, and that thing is the WORST - terrible squealing feedback noises and static. I prefer the Angel Sounds monitor over that one, hands down! The big selling point of this product is the motion sensor pad. IT IS WORTH IT!
Again, I HIGHLY recommend this product to ALL expecting and new parents!
Updated:
The above portion of this review was written in October of 2003. Since then, we have added one more member to our family - our baby girl, who is now 14 months old. Again, we used this monitor ( actually, I purchased a second one, since the sensitivity in the newer model is supposed to be higher ) and have nothing but GREAT things to say about this product still. I have even been able to use BOTH monitors without interference or static at all...I just keep my son's on Channel B, and my daughter's on Channel A, and then I have an extra parent monitor set up to "piggyback" the two.
It gave me peace of mind with my first child, and again with my second. My second pregnancy was high risk, and we nearly lost my daughter prior to and during her birth. After all of that stress, the last thing I wanted to have to worry about was SIDS. This monitor again helped to ease my mind and calm my fears. I HIGHLY recommend this monitor. If you could only buy ONE thing for your baby, THIS SHOULD BE IT!
Honestly, I won't ramble on and on, but this product really and truly is worth the price. Like I said - I'd remortgage my house to afford it if I had to!
Customer Review: Works, but poor design
Summary: 2 Stars
We've started using this for our newborn son, and there is no doubt that the device works well in terms of core functionality. However, its commonsense design is poor, and on that basis, I've downgraded it from 5 stars down to 2, as some of these design flaws hit you between the eyes at 2am in the morning, where you really dont have the patience to deal with them.
Here are the flaws in its design as I see it, all of them could have been easily fixed if a little more thought had gone into it.
1. Volume of movement alarm is linked to the volume of the microphone. The alarm if movement doesn't happen should be as loud as possible, as I want to cover the distance between waking and fixing the problem as soon as possible - however this device has linked the volume of the alarm to be the same as the volume of the baby monitor part. The end result is that if you don't want to get blasted in the ear by your baby's every grunt at night, then you may miss the important movement alarm. Same goes for if your trying to enjoy a quiet (and rare) moment alone with your partner - you might be interested in seeing only the lights to indicate baby's noise level... but this means that the SIDS alarm cannot be heard. Needs at least two volume controls - one for the microphone and another for the alarm (or default the alarm to maximum).
2. If you're using the Tic function, with the microphone level turned down, then you can't tell whether the lights flashing is due to movement or sound.
3. You need to switch off both ends of the device to deactivate it. Why? If you switch off only the base unit, the parent unit will lose its channel and a stream of static will issue from the parent unit, which will wake your partner. If you don't switch off the base unit, then as soon as you take bub from the cot, 15 seconds later the alarm will sound. At 2 am in the morning, I'm not lucid enough to remember to switch off both ends of the device. The best solution is to switch it from the "movement and sound" setting (called "Tic off") to the "sound only" setting... at least your partner won't get blasted by the alarm or static, just a screaming baby as you try and change the daiper.
4. Use of AAA batteries in the parent unit. The device is large enough to use AA batteries that can then be recharged easily in the same charger as used for digital cameras, etc - but unfortunately you can't use them, because they've chosen to use AAA size. I don't want to fork out another 50 bucks for a AAA size charger - I'd rather use the far more common AA size.
5. Critical switches are on the back of the base unit - so the unit is always on the shelf with its back facing out.
6. Poorly labelled three way switches, e.g. "Tic Off" doesn't say whether it includes sound or not. Fair enough, easy to work out, but why cut corners this way? Have two two way switches - one for sound, one for movement and make it all clear.
7. The ring on the top of the parent unit looks as though it will fit over a standard door knob - it doesn't though. Rather than a stylised angel's halo, I would have much preferred a functional belt clip.
8. It would be nice if the "tic" feature could be turned on from the parent unit, just to give a little reassurance, and then turned off - but you can't. The switch is on the base unit, meaning you'll need to go into bub's room to activate it - sort of defeating the purpose.
Having said this, we've found that the parent's unit receives the transmission from the base very well within the confines of our house, and we've yet to have a false alarm with the movement sensors... so in this respect, I think you can rely on the device despite its annoying drawbacks.
Of course, it would be well worth investing in a first aid course for children should you be concerned enough regarding SIDS - as there would be little point in being alerted to the fact your child's heart and breathing had stopped if you didn't know how to perform infant CPR in an effort resuscitate them. That would be horrific.
I wouldn't rebuy this device; there are other baby monitor/alarm systems that I'd investigate before getting this one. Maybe they don't work as well, but its worth investigating.
Customer Review: AWESOME
Summary: 5 Stars
I decided to review this monitor after reading the reviews. I have owned this monitor since we moved our daughter to her own room and crib at 7 weeks. She is now almost 5 months old and this monitor is the only reason I sleep at night. Our parents always tell us how we slept on our stomachs and they never worried. Well, I worry. While I was purchasing this monitor for a friend I noticed the stars, so I read the bad reviews. I think I counted 11 out of 169 (170, now)reviews were negative.
Now I will give my quick review of those poor comments. Several of the poor comments came from people who never even used the movement sensor monitor because it was not wanted, needed, too difficult or bothersome to get the board(even though you can purchase it directly from the company for less than $20 for those unable to make one for themselves) So these poor reviews are misleading. I can see how they think it was not worth the money.
Some of the reviewers complained of the poor sound quality coming from the sound monitor, I am not sure if it matters how clear it is as long as you can hear your child cry. Maybe when my child is older and can talk to me it will matter, but for now, crying is crying in our book and you can't mistake it for babbling or cooing.
As for interference, yes we have it when the transmitter is turned off and the receivers are on, but when the transmitter is on we only hear our childs room noise.
One review complained that the product only had 1 AC adapter for the two receivers. The product new comes with AC adapters for all units involved. Maybe their unit had been returned to the store with an AC adapter left out.
One reviewer complained that the tic of the movement sensor was annoying. The tic can be turned off without turing off the movement sensor or sound monitor.
Another review claimed to have many false alarms. I am not saying that there are no false alarms but I would rather have rare false alarms than none at all. So far for us, we had one false alarm when our daughter moved to the very far corner of the crib at 10 weeks, and the other two just a couple of weeks ago (twice in the same night) , the cause was thought to be that I moved the sensor pad to far over after changing the sheet and I forgot to check the pad to make sure it was placed properly. The next day we did just that, we checked the pad, and as of earlier today, so far so good.
We liked this unit so much we bought one for our 1 week old nephew, our friends 1 week old,and for a shower gift. I agree with Graham (a reviewer) on the improvements that could be made. Right now though, it is a good start.
I ask that before you return this product or list a poor review, you consider this:
This is a movement sensor with a sound monitor, not a sound monitor with a movement sensor, when you purchase this product you are mainly buying the movement sensor.
This sensor was reviewed by 170 people and only 11 or so gave it less than 5 stars, the 159 gave it 5 stars.
Make sure you have followed the setup instructions exactly, it makes a difference the type of board, the size and the placement.
if it still doesn't work try exchanging the unit. Sometimes units just don't work. It could be a wire or something.
Lastly, if you are looking for a sound monitor that is crystal clear and you don't really want the movement sensor, this unit is not for you.
I recommend this product to anyone, I understand that it is not fail-proof but it still gives you some peace knowing that you might be warned if there are problems.
UPDATE: I posted this review over 1 1/2 years ago. We are still using the monitor and sensor...It has taken a beating but keeps on ticking, so to speak. It worked the other night when our now two year old held her breath while sleeping, first alarm in a year. We have had several warning ticks over the year, 15 or so, but it clicks and the we notice she starts to breathe. I will definitely be buying another one for our second child.
Customer Review: Saved my baby's life
Summary: 5 Stars
The two items every new mother needs is an Angelcare movement monitor & breathable bumpers for the crib.
I was doing a routine midnight feeding when my son was 2 months old, and placed him back into his bassinet 20 min after he was done eating. I fell asleep and was awoken by the initial warning beep of the monitor. I turned on the light to check on my son, when the second beeping alarm started going off. I looked into the bassinet and found my son's mouth wide open, full of vomit, and he was not moving. I flipped him over and did back blows and he proceeded to projectile vomit multiple times. He started crying after he vomited and was fine after, but I realize how close and how easy it was to loose a child. If that monitor did not beep to wake me up, I would have woke up the next morning to a dead baby. I owe my son's life to this monitor. Babies are at risk for SIDS until they are 2 years old, he just turned 2 & I still have it in his crib. I don't plan on removing it until he moves into his toddler bed. I purchased a second one for my newborn and started using it immediatly in the hospital.
Shortly after my son was born, I was paranoid about SIDS and tried purchasing a real apnea monitor. After finding out how expensive they are, I looked on ebay and found a couple of used ones for around $500. I tried bidding on a couple and lost so I figured someone needed it much more than I did, I had a healthy, term baby. I ended finding this on the internet by accident and was so excited. It was cheaper, and I didn't have to put any electrodes on my babies chest!
Now I own 3 of them, 2 original monitors and one of the new digital ones. With the second baby, I purchased the new digital version and absolutly LOVE it. It's nice because you don't have to turn the parents monitors on every time you put baby to bed, they turn on automatically when the base unit is turned on. They are clear, no static and I love the temperature reading (which I never thought I would use but now we check all the time). The only downside is we had the Summer Infant baby video monitor handheld unit in our room next to the digital parents unit, and we had to seperate the two because they would interfere with each other. So what we ended up using the angelcare unit as the sound & movement monitor and just turned the video monitor volume all the way down so you didn't hear the interference static, but you could view baby perfectly fine when ever you wanted. There is no interferece at all with the original angelcare monitor and the video monitor.
Another thing I found with both original & the digital monitor, is some ceiling fans can cause enough vibrations in the room to make the sensor think it's your baby that is moving. We found this out by mistake when we moved into a new house with carpets and ceiling fans. We took the baby out of the crib, and forgot to turn the monitor off, and 20-30 min later, it went off. To compensate for this, we turned the sensitivity down while the fan is on.
I was watching the show: Dr. G, Medical Examiner, and she did an autopsy on a little 7 month old who was found dead in her crib. I was thinking to myself, if she would have had one of these under her matress, she might still be alive. This item is priceless. If someone I know is expecting a baby, I tell them my story and print out the ad from Amazon.com and give it to them. This product should be on everyones baby registry! It just may save your baby's life.
Customer Review: THE BEST
Summary: 5 Stars
I decided to review this monitor after reading the reviews. I have owned this monitor since we moved our daughter to her own room and crib at 7 weeks. She is now almost 5 months old and this monitor is the only reason I sleep at night. Our parents always tell us how we slept on our stomachs and they never worried. Well, I worry. While I was purchasing this monitor for a friend I noticed the stars, so I read the bad reviews. I think I counted 11 out of 169 (170, now)reviews were negative. Now I will give my quick review of those poor comments. Several of the poor comments came from people who never even used the movement sensor monitor because it was not wanted, needed, too difficult or bothersome to get the board(even though you can purchase it directly from the company for less than $20 for those unable to make one for themselves) So these poor reviews are misleading. I can see how they think it was not worth the money. Some of the reviewers complained of the poor sound quality coming from the sound monitor, I am not sure if it matters how clear it is as long as you can hear your child cry. Maybe when my child is older and can talk to me it will matter, but for now, crying is crying in our book and you can't miss it. As for interference, yes we have it when the transmitter is turned off and the receivers are on, but when the transmitter is on we only hear our childs room noise. One review complained that the product only had 1 AC adapter for the two receivers. The product new comes with AC adapters for all units involved. Maybe their unit had been returned to the store with an AC adapter left out. One reviewer complained that the tic of the movement sensor was annoying. The tic can be turned off without turing off the movement sensor or sound monitor. Another review claimed to have many false alarms. I am not saying that there are no false alarms but I would rather have rare false alarms than none at all. So far for us, we had one false alarm when our daughter moved to the very far corner of the crib at 10 weeks, and the other two just a couple of weeks ago (twice in the same night) , the cause was thought to be that I moved the sensor pad to far over after changing the sheet and I forgot to check the pad to make sure it was placed properly. The next day we did just that, we checked the pad, and as of earlier today, so far so good. We liked this unit so much we bought one for our 1 week old nephew, our friends 1 week old,and for a shower gift. I agree with Graham (a reviewer) on the improvements that could be made. Right now though, it is a good start. I ask that before you return this product or list a poor review, you consider this:
This is a movement sensor with a sound monitor, not a sound monitor with a movement sensor, when you purchase this product you are mainly buying the movement sensor.
This sensor was reviewed by 170 people and only 11 or so gave it less than 5 stars, the 159 gave it 5 stars.
Make sure you have followed the setup instructions exactly, it makes a difference the type of board, the size and the placement.
if it still doesn't work try exchanging the unit. Sometimes units just don't work. It could be a wire or something.
Lastly, if you are looking for a sound monitor that is crystal clear and you don't really want the movement sensor, this unit is not for you.
I recommend this product to anyone, I understand that it is not fail-proof but it still gives you some peace knowing that you might be warned if there are problems.