The Angelcare Deluxe Monitor

The Angelcare Deluxe Movement Sensor with Sound Monitor combines a sound monitor and a movement monitor in one single system. It's a brilliant device for paranoid new (and second/third/etc time) parents. The alarm goes off if the sensor pad doesn't detect any kind of movement, such as breathing, in 20 seconds. Of course, it also works as a high-quality sound monitor and you can use the newer models as both, or as either or.

I have to admit though, that I don't know if this device can actually save a life. I know the alarm goes off if you pick up your baby and forget to turn the monitor off. We've certainly done that. We've also had a few heart-attack provoking false alarms because our baby moved too far from the sensor pad for it to detect any breathing. But I don't know if there has ever been an incident where this monitor saved a life because the parents were able to get to their baby in time to rescue it from SIDS or something else that caused it to stop breathing... So while that remains the ultimate question I'm very grateful that I have never had to personally find out.

We used our Angelcare for both kids as infants and it probably made us sleep calmer. It certainly kept us from having to check that our child is breathing 100 times per night. I could just quickly glance at the base monitor's blinking light in the middle of the night to know that everything was alright, although our son hadn't made a sound in what seemed like ages as far as hungry little babies are concerned. 

I also liked the large temperature display feature on the parent unit because our house goes from hot to cold very quickly in the evenings and I didn't have to be in the same room with the baby to know what the temperature was. 

The sound monitor is very sensitive as well, and picks up even the slightest whimper.

Would I buy this again? I believe the answer is "yes". It sells for around $130 on Amazon and in this case I think it's definitely worth the money. That's because I'm still slightly paranoid, even after two kids, and I'd rather find out in 20 seconds if there is a problem than any later... 

Pros: 

- Movement sensor and sound monitor all in one.

- Soft night light on nursery unit.

- Room thermometer on parent unit.

- Alarm will sound if no movement is detected in 20 seconds.

- Sensor pad is very sensitive and picks up movement even if baby is not on top of it. 

- The monitor automatically converts to battery in case the power goes out.

- Adjustable sensitivity.

Cons:

- If baby moves too far from sensor pad to the sides of the crib, the alarm will go off. It's a little bit hard to go back to sleep after such an event...