Young Mothers’ Stories – The Importance of a Baby Monitor During Your Baby’s First Year

Becoming a parent for the first time can feel overwhelming, with so much information and so many things your baby may need. Today, the choices are almost endless, which can make decision-making even more difficult. Just like other baby essentials, baby monitors are available in an ever-growing range of models and features. New mums Sirle (25) and Kaie (28) share their experiences and explain why using a baby monitor with a camera made everyday life much easier for them.

Young Mum Sirle’s Story

“A baby monitor is one of those things you may not realise you need until your baby is born. You might think you can simply put your little one to sleep in the next room and hear when they wake up. In reality, at least for me, it was completely different,” begins Sirle, mum to 6-month-old Mia.

“I was constantly worrying about whether she was okay, whether she was breathing, or whether she had been sick. Because we were so worried, we kept checking on her and ended up disturbing her sleep.”

Sirle (25), mum to 6-month-old Mia

“Mia is my first child. When she was born, I didn’t want to let her out of my sight even for a moment. During the first few weeks, when babies spend most of their time sleeping, she slept either in my arms or in a baby nest on the sofa next to me. Very young babies are not yet easily disturbed by the activity around them. As Mia got older, she started waking more easily, and the time came to move her away from the everyday noise into her own room so she could sleep peacefully. That was when I realised our home was missing a baby monitor. Neither I nor her dad could relax and get on with things while she was sleeping alone in her room. I was constantly worrying about whether she was okay, whether she was breathing, or whether she had been sick. Because we were so worried, we kept checking on her and ended up disturbing her sleep. It was time to start researching – which baby monitor should we choose? We simply couldn’t manage without one anymore. There were countless options available in every price range.”

Sirle and her partner chose a baby monitor with a camera to keep an eye on their little girl while she slept. There were several reasons for this, with their biggest concern being that their baby might be sick and choke. “We chose a video baby monitor because Mia often brought milk back up, including while she was sleeping. We felt that an audio-only monitor would not give us the same peace of mind, as a child may not necessarily make a sound if they are choking.”

“We no longer had to worry constantly about our baby, sit beside her cot while she slept, or disturb her sleep by repeatedly checking on her.”

Sirle (25), mum to 6-month-old Mia

Once they started using a baby monitor, everyday life immediately became easier for little Mia’s parents. “Using the monitor was a huge help for us. We no longer had to worry constantly about our baby, sit beside her cot while she slept, or disturb her sleep by repeatedly checking on her. We placed the baby monitor camera on a chest of drawers next to the cot, and thanks to the clear video image we could easily see on the parent monitor that Mia was sleeping peacefully and breathing normally. The parent monitor can conveniently be placed next to you on the sofa or on a cabinet. You don’t need to stare at the screen constantly – it’s enough to keep it within view so you can see your baby from the corner of your eye and quickly check that everything is okay. The baby monitor also picks up even the smallest sounds and rustling, making it easy to glance at the screen whenever you hear something.”

“When Mia was three months old, she started rolling onto her tummy, and that was another moment when I realised just how essential a video baby monitor really was.”

Sirle (25), mum to 6-month-old Mia

“When Mia was three months old, she started rolling onto her tummy, and that was another moment when I realised just how essential a video baby monitor really was. She would often roll onto her stomach in her sleep, sometimes with her face directly against the mattress. At first, seeing this was quite frightening and made me worry about whether she could breathe properly. Fortunately, on the baby monitor screen we could clearly see her body moving – she was fine and breathing normally. Without the baby monitor, I probably would have spent her naps sitting beside her just to reassure myself, and none of the household chores would have been done.”

Kaie’s Experience with Her First Child

Young mum Kaie (28) has an 11-month-old daughter, Marta, who loves sleeping in her pushchair. During Marta’s first few months, Kaie spent a lot of time walking with the pushchair because that was how her baby slept best. When Marta reached 8 months, she no longer wanted to sleep in a moving pushchair, so she began taking her naps in the stationary pushchair on the balcony. While Marta had always been under her mum’s watchful eye during walks, Kaie wanted to use nap time for something other than constantly watching her once she started sleeping on the balcony.

“I kept the balcony door open so I would hear when she woke up, but I still found myself constantly looking towards the balcony and worrying that I might not hear if something went wrong. I quickly realised that, for my own peace of mind and my baby’s wellbeing, we needed to get a baby monitor as soon as possible.”

Kaie (28), mum to 11-month-old Marta

“Marta started sleeping on the balcony, and I finally thought I would get some long-awaited time to myself to watch TV in peace and take care of things around the house. At least, that’s what I thought at first,” says Kaie. “I kept the balcony door open so I would hear when she woke up, but I still found myself constantly looking towards the balcony and worrying that I might not hear if something went wrong. I quickly realised that, for my own peace of mind and my baby’s wellbeing, we needed to get a baby monitor as soon as possible. Accidents can happen, and I believe it is always better to be safe than sorry. Babies this young should be carefully supervised even while they sleep, especially when they are sleeping in a separate room, outdoors or on a balcony.”

“I’m convinced that using a monitor has helped us prevent several accidents in our family.”

Kaie (28), mum to 11-month-old Marta

“I’m convinced that using a monitor has helped us prevent several accidents in our family. For example, Marta has repeatedly tried to wriggle out of the pushchair straps while sleeping on the balcony. She does it very quietly, and without the monitor she might have fallen out of the pushchair several times. Recently, she has also become interested in climbing, so we need to keep an especially close eye on her while she sleeps on the balcony to make sure nothing serious happens. With an audio-only monitor, it can be easy to confuse wind or other background noise with a child quietly trying to undo the pushchair straps.”

Summary of the Young Mums’ Stories

With audio-only baby monitors, both the baby unit and the parent unit can usually be conveniently powered by rechargeable batteries. With video baby monitors, however, the camera unit often needs to remain connected to a power source. Because of this, people sometimes assume that a video baby monitor can only be used indoors near a power socket and is not suitable when a baby is sleeping outdoors in a pushchair. In reality, this does not have to be the case – when using a video baby monitor outdoors, on a balcony or simply away from a power socket, a power bank can be a very convenient solution. With a power bank, you can use a video baby monitor almost anywhere and at any time. The parent monitor usually has its own rechargeable battery and does not need to remain continuously plugged in.