Understandably, parents always want to keep their baby safe. You can use a wide array of devices for that, including a baby breathing monitor. But it’s also understandable if you’re adamant and anxious about using the device.
In this article, get a clearer understanding of these monitoring devices. Discover what advantages they offer, as well as their potential drawbacks. Most importantly, discover how these devices can help keep your baby safe.
What Is a Baby Breathing Monitor?
This type of baby monitor is designed to monitor a baby’s breathing. It keeps track of their breathing and checks for any signs of abnormality—which can also be signs of potential sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). This can reduce the risk of your baby from experiencing it.
This monitor has electrode dots attached to the baby’s chest to monitor its movement and the electrical activity inside. The alarm goes off if the rates fall below a set level or if there’s a long pause in the baby’s breathing. You can get these breathing monitors as wearable devices or as a monitor that’s linked to a computer.
3 Main Benefits of Getting Baby Breathing Monitors
There are three main advantages of investing in a breathing monitor for your baby:
1. Alert Discrepancies About Baby’s Breathing
Parents with premature babies or babies born with breathing difficulties can use a breathing monitor. This is because it can monitor the baby's vital signs even while they sleep. It’s recommended to them by professionals. In case of any signs of breathing abnormality, the monitor will alert you with a loud alarm.
2. Give Peace of Mind
Worrying about your baby’s breathing is scary and difficult. But with a monitor, you can check on your baby anytime, which can help ease your anxiety. You can check their breathing and heart rate. Any abnormality will alarm you, allowing you to take action before anything bad happens.
3. Parents Can Rest More
Constantly worrying about something going wrong with your baby’s breathing can make it impossible to rest and sleep. You’ll be tempted to check multiple times, especially during the night. This can affect your work and health. But with a breathing monitor, you can get more rest and sleep. You have a device that will alert and wake you up if there is any problem through the night.
Risks Associated With Baby Breathing Monitors
Despite their great benefits, there are also some downsides you should consider. These include:
- No Signs of Decrease in SIDS Incidents
Experts have mentioned that there are no relevant results on how breathing monitors help in reducing the incidences of SIDS. This means that having a breathing monitor at home doesn’t guarantee a baby’s safety and health. Further research and exploration are still needed to support the claim that it can prevent SIDS.
Furthermore, even the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) doesn’t entirely recommend regularly using the devices for SIDS prevention. However, they did publish guidelines about their use.
- They Can Make False Alarms
These monitors can sound false alarms, which can make parents more anxious. Babies don't breathe like older kids and adults. They have periodic breathing, which means they have pauses in their breathing.
These are normal and frequent but can also be detected as abnormalities by breathing monitors. Getting false alarms can be extremely stressful as it will lead you to think that your baby has stopped breathing.
Ask Your Doctor Before Buying
To make sure that it would do your family more good than trouble, the best way to ensure that you should get one of these monitors is to ask your pediatrician. Here are some questions you can ask them:
- What do you think about baby monitors?
This will help you grasp if they have any experience with these devices. You can also ask them if other families in their practice have used them. This way, you can determine if others have good experiences with one, which you can consider when buying.
- If we use one, how should we respond to the alarm?
It’s necessary to know who to call and what to do if the alarm goes off if you ever use one. First, ask your doctor what signs or symptoms to look for. Ask about in what situation you should seek serious medical attention for your baby as well.
As a good measure, when using a breathing monitor, you should know how to perform CPR, and your skills should be up to date. If other people would look after your baby, ensure they know what to do.
- Will it affect the way I put my baby to sleep?
Parents are concerned about changing their baby’s sleep routines. This is especially true if they ever use breathing monitors, particularly wearable ones. But, it’s best and recommended to stick with your usual sleep practices. To make sure, you can ask your doctor about this.
Conclusion
A baby breathing monitor can add extra safety for your baby’s well-being. It can help you manage your anxiety and determine when your baby needs immediate, serious medical attention. But if you plan to get one, it’s best to tell your pediatrician about it.
If you want to look at some units, visit us www.cuddlebabystuff.com. We also offer other baby essentials and monitoring devices that you can always use to ensure your baby’s comfort and safety.
