Baby Monitors… Are they safe or effective?

The uses and applications of baby monitors have grown over the years. There are audio-only versions, video monitors, and now motion sensors. Soon they will be able to tell you baby's oxygen level and temperature or predict how long your baby will sleep. How did parents ever have kids before these? (Big sarcasm here!)

photo source: Shutterstock. Baby on a hospital monitor

Some of the newer baby monitors claim to be able to help a parent learn a baby's sleep patterns to help with sleep training. I think it is wonderful to have all the research that is being done on sleep and I know that it is hugely important for babies and their tired parents to sleep, but I wonder how we did it for so many centuries by just paying attention to our babies and learning their cues? I don't think it is a good thing that parents rely on gizmos to "learn" about their babies.

Unfortunately monitors are sold with the hint of prevention of SIDS. Parents often feel a sense of comfort when they sleep with a monitor to alert them when baby cries. When I was a new mother the monitor was rarely used. I had more anxiety when it was on and I couldn't sleep as well. I could hear the cry just as well without the monitor, but the monitor allowed me to hear every deep breath, grunt or sighing noise common to a sleeping baby. The monitor highlighted every sound, keeping me awake. I know our neighbors used a monitor when we would gather outside on their driveway or deck and their baby was asleep or if they were in the basement and baby was upstairs on the 2nd floor. I can actually see a benefit to that, but I hope parents would never use the smartphone app to use it when they stray far from home.

Parents are starting to ask about the newer generation monitors that sense baby's movement and alarm if no movement is felt. Some will even vibrate the baby if no movement is sensed after 15-20 seconds. Before you think these are the answer: the FDA has NEVER approved a baby product to prevent or reduce the risk of SIDS. I know of one product that is working with the FDA and projects that by 2015 they will get FDA clearance. At this point, their sock only tells parents the vital signs and oxygen. It doesn't even look like it alarms when the level gets low. Until it has been shown to work and be safe for general use, I would not waste money on any device. And yes, some of these devices have actually strangled babies to death, so they are not without risk!


If you really want to help prevent SIDS, use the precautions recommended by experts. (For more, see my previous blog on SIDS Prevention Guidelines.)

• Before baby's born: get regular prenatal care and do not smoke, drink alcohol, or use illicit drugs during pregnancy. 
• Put baby on his back to sleep. Every time. Even if you're in the room. When baby can roll on his own, he can sleep in the position of comfort he finds. 
• Use only a firm sleeping surface made for infant sleep. Never leave baby on the couch, in an adult's bed, in a car seat, in a sleep positioner, or in a swing.
• Check your crib and bassinet for recalls. 
• Pacifiers have been shown to help prevent SIDS, so it is okay to use one for baby's sleep times. If your baby won't take one, that is okay. You cannot force it. Some breastfeeding experts say to wait until 3 weeks to allow breastfeeding to be established, but I do not find that it interferes with breastfeeding if you use a pacifier earlier.
• Keep all soft objects (pillows, loose blankets, bumper pads, stuffed animals) out of the bed until your baby is over 1 year of age.
• Keep baby out of your bed, but in your room.
• Breastfeed as long as possible. Yes, it has been shown to help prevent SIDS!
• Vaccinate your baby. Research shows immunizations may protect against SIDS and we know they prevent illnesses that cause death.
• Get baby regular health checkups to insure proper growth and development.
• Keep baby away from smokers and places where people smoke. If you smoke, talk to your doctor about ways to quit. If you cannot quit, never smoke in your home or car. Always go outside where the smoke is less likely to settle on your hair, clothes and furniture.
• Keep the room at a comfortable temperature and avoid over wrapping your baby. When babies get too hot, they are more likely to suffer from SIDS.
• Do not use home cardiorespiratory monitors to prevent SIDS. Some babies leave the hospital with these due to heart or lung problems, but they have never been shown to decrease SIDS.
• Do not use other products that claim to reduce the risk of SIDS. As stated above, none have been shown to prevent SIDS. 
• Give baby tummy time when you can watch and play with him. This strengthens baby's muscles to allow him to learn to roll over safely by 4-6 months.
• If you are overly tired or are under the influence of certain drugs or alcohol: you may not be alert enough to care for your baby. Ask for someone else to help until you are more alert and able to wake to baby's cues.

Baby Safe Sleep Resources

• AAP Policy Statement on SIDS
• NIH Back to Sleep Campaign
• NIH Preventing Sudden Infant Death Syndrome and Suffocation
• National Institutes of Health. Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute Of Child Health And Human Development. What Does a Safe Sleep Environment Look Like? 2006. No. 06-5759
• Changing concepts of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome: Implications for Infant Sleeping Environment and Sleep Position. 2000 Mar, 105(3 Pt 1):650-656
• A Parent’s Guide to Safe Sleep
• Dear Fisher Price is an open letter to Fisher Price from KCKidsDoc regarding their Rock n'Play Sleeper

Common Sleep Myths - by guest blogger Kerrin Edmonds

made at www.quickmeme.com

Social Media really is shrinking the world. How else would I be able to keep up with my friends without leaving my living room? I've realized that people I know from different aspects of life somehow know each other because they are friends of friends. I can easily share great information with hundreds of people with one easy click.

Business networking through social media is a wonderful tool. I have recently been contacted by a number of sleep consultants who found me through Facebook. Since there are always so many questions about sleep, I'm excited that many of these certified sleep consultants have offered to share articles when they write them. Some have been published on other sites, and I have (or will) post those articles on my Social Media sites. For those who have great information to share but don't have a website to link, I will have them guest blog here.

I'm excited to introduce my first ever guest blogger, Kerrin Edmonds.

Kerrin grew up on California’s Central Coast and has lived there her whole life.

Growing up with a Mom who owned and ran her own preschool, as well as being the oldest of three kids, Kerrin has always been around children from the start. But her passion for babies and more particularly, for baby sleep issues, was born with her first baby. After weeks of crying and sleepless nights, she felt there had to be a better way……So she started her journey to a better sleep for her whole family. After graduating from the Family Sleep Institute, and becoming certified with the International Sleep Consultants Association, Kerrin founded “Meet You in Dreamland,’ where she helps families find and keep their restful nights sleep.

Kerrin also works with a local group called Pickles and Tickles, a organization that offers early intervention services to families with children under the age of three.

Kerrin lives in California's San Luis Obispo North County with her husband, daughter, son, funny looking little dog and sweet kitties.

Common Sleep Myths

By Kerrin Edmonds

As we parent our children in regards to sleep, there is a myriad of information, recommendations, myths, rules and even legends! It can be tough to sort through and make sense of it all. In this article I will respond to 5 of the most common Sleep Myths.

1. Putting Rice Cereal in a Babies Bottle will help them Sleep Longer-

This one has been around for decades! Many studies have  proven that babies who were given rice cereal in their bottle did not sleep any longer than those who did. Some parents have even found the opposite to be true….that babies who were given too much rice cereal or were given rice cereal at a young age suffered from indigestion and tummy upset.

2. Keeping a baby/child up later at night will make them sleep in.

This one couldn’t be further from the truth. While on the surface this makes sense, we must think biologically not logically when it comes to our child’s sleep. If we allow our children to become overtired they release a hormone called Cortisol, which is similar to adrenaline. This hormone makes it very hard for them to fall and stay asleep. Babies sleep better, longer, and cry less if they are put to bed early in the evening. Babies who go to sleep late in the evening are often "over tired", even though they seem to have energy. A typical and healthy bedtime, depending on how they napped during the day is between 6-8 pm.

3. A Baby should sleep through the night at 12 weeks-

While this would be nice, and does happen in some cases with some babies, it can be an unrealistic expectation and just cause stress if it doesn’t happen for you. It isn’t unreasonable for a baby to “need” a feeding during the night till around 9 months of age.

4. My child doesn’t need as much sleep as other children-

I hear this one a lot in my profession and while this might make a parent feel better about how little their child sleeps, it really isn’t true. It is true that some kids need/love sleep more than others but usually this varies by only an hour or two, not huge amounts that I tend to see. It is not uncommon for children to fight sleep but that doesn’t mean they don’t need it.  I am confident that all children can be taught to be good sleepers…..and isn’t that what we want?!

5. You can sleep train a newborn-

In all reality you can’t sleep train or schedule a newborn. Sometimes an infant might appear to be on a schedule until it suddenly changes. This is because our babies Circadian Rythmn or body clock is not biologically mature yet. This maturing starts around 4-5 months of age and this is when we can start scheduling naps, etc.

Most basic baby sleep myths can be busted by remembering to think biologically instead of logically in regards to our children’s sleep.  Respecting and encouraging our children’s need for sleep is something every baby deserves!

New SIDS Prevention Guidelines

As pediatricians we practice a lot of preventative medicine.  Our patients are generally young and healthy... and we want them to stay that way!  One way we do this is to discuss safety at well visits.  We try to share safety tips on our facebook page, website, and here.

A big safety issue is the sleep position of babies.  Most parents by now have heard that it is safer to put babies to sleep on their back, not belly.  Occasionally we hear of young babies sleeping on their stomachs because parents have realized they sleep longer that way, and they do.  But this is dangerous. Babies don't wake up as much when on their stomach, this is true.  Some babies simply don't wake up.  Please put your babies on their back to sleep!

Parents often want to sleep with their babies because it also is associated with longer sleep time for the baby and more convenience for the parent (especially the breastfeeding mother).  Despite ease and convenience, this is not a safe sleeping arrangement for babies. Arguments that this is safe because world wide many families share beds is not often a valid argument. Americans tend to sleep on a bed with a headboard and bedding.  Babies can get their head stuck between the mattress and headboard (or wall).  They can suffocate from the bedding.  Parents can roll over in their sleep and smother the baby.  There are simply safer options for all to sleep better.

Recently the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) released new Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) prevention guidelines.  AAP SIDS prevention Guidelines that are based on strong evidence:

• Back to sleep every time.
• Use a firm sleep surface covered with a fitted sheet.
• Room share without bed share (put the baby in a crib or bassinet near the parent bed).
• Keep soft objects and loose bedding out of the crib.
• Pregnant women should receive routine prenatal care.
• Avoid smoke exposure during pregnancy and after birth.
• Breastfeed.
• Consider a pacifier at nap and bed times, but do not attach it to the infant or infant's clothing or stuffed toys.
• Avoid overheating.
• Do not use home cardiorespiratory monitors as a strategy to reduce SIDS.

Other recommendations based on limited evidence:

• Immunize in accordance with the AAP and CDC guidelines.
• Avoid commercial devices marketed to reduce the risk of SIDS (postitioners, co-sleepers, wedges).
• Supervised, awake tummy time is recommended to help development and reduce the risk of  positional plagiocephaly (a misshapen head from laying on one side routinely).

Other issues addressed:

• Co-sleepers are not recommended.
• Absolutely no bed sharing the first 3 months.
• No bed sharing at any age if a person in the bed is a smoker.
• No bed sharing with anyone who is excessively tired.
• No bed sharing with someone who is using medications that increases drowsiness or impairs alertness (pain medicications, alcohol, illicit drugs, certain antidepressants).
• No bed sharing with anyone who isn't a parent. This includes no bed sharing with siblings or other children.
• No bed sharing with multiple persons.
• No bed sharing on a soft surface (waterbed, old mattress, sofa, armchair)
• No bed sharing on a surface with soft bedding, including pillows, heavy blankets, quilts, comforters.
• Because of the high correlation with SIDS and suffocation on couches and armchairs, infants should not be fed on these when the parent is extremely tired and at risk of falling asleep.
• When choosing a crib, be sure it has not been recalled and all the parts are put together properly.
• Use only mattresses designed for infants.  Do not add any comforters, quilts, pillows, or other soft bedding to the sleep area.
• Bumper pads are not recommended.
• Infants should wear clothing that will keep them warm (not excessively hot) and that will not cover the head/face.
• Keep dangling cords or window coverings away from the sleep area.
• If infant slings are used, it is important to keep the infant's head up and above the fabric so the face is visible (unless currently breastfeeding).  
• Infants should not routinely sleep in car seats or other sitting devices (strollers, carriers, or backpacks/slings).

NOT safe!!!!!!
Picture actually taken to show the person who gave the comforter and bumper pad set, then it was put away. 

Keep your baby safe by placing her in a safe place at all times.  It only takes one accident to have life-ending consequences.  To say that you've always slept with your babies and they are fine, so it's not a problem for babies to sleep with their parents is like saying you never wear a seatbelt and haven't had any problems.  Just wait until that first crash...