Key takeaways: Baby monitors are optional. Audio and video monitors can help you hear or see your baby. Wearable monitors that track heart rate or oxygen haven’t been shown to prevent SIDS, and the AAP doesn’t recommend them for that purpose. Keep cords at least 3 feet from the crib and secure your monitor’s Wi-Fi connection.
Baby monitors are popular, but you don’t need one, especially while room-sharing.
Types of Monitors
- Audio: lets you hear your baby.
- Video: lets you see and hear your baby.
- Movement or wearable monitors: track breathing, heart rate, or oxygen levels, often through a sock or clip.
What the AAP Says
The AAP’s 2022 safe sleep guidance says not to use home cardiorespiratory monitors or consumer devices as a way to reduce the risk of SIDS. These devices haven’t been shown to prevent SIDS, and some may give false alarms that cause worry or false reassurance that leads to relaxed safe sleep habits.
When Medical Monitors Are Used
Some babies with specific medical conditions go home with monitors prescribed by their doctor. This is different from consumer monitors.
Safety Tips
- Keep cords at least 3 feet away from the crib. The CPSC has warned about strangulation deaths from monitor cords.
- Don’t place the monitor in the crib.
- Use secure Wi-Fi with a strong password and keep software updated.
Do You Need One?
- Room-sharing: often unnecessary.
- Separate room or a large home: an audio or video monitor can help.
- Anxiety: some parents feel calmer with one; others find it adds worry. Do what helps you.
Safe Sleep Is What Protects Babies
Back to sleep, a bare crib, room-sharing, a smoke-free home, breastfeeding, and vaccines are the proven ways to reduce SIDS risk.
The Bottom Line
Monitors are optional. They can help you hear or see your baby, but none prevent SIDS. Follow safe sleep practices and keep cords out of reach.
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Sources
- Moon RY, Carlin RF, Hand I; Task Force on Sudden Infant Death Syndrome; Committee on Fetus and Newborn. Sleep-related infant deaths: updated 2022 recommendations for reducing infant deaths in the sleep environment. Pediatrics. 2022;150(1):e2022057990.
- Bonafide CP, Jamison DT, Foglia EE. The emerging market of smartphone-integrated infant physiologic monitors. JAMA. 2017;317(4):353-354.
- U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. Baby monitor cord strangulation warnings. https://www.cpsc.gov
This article is for general education and is not a substitute for individualized medical advice. Always talk with your baby’s health care provider or your own provider about your specific situation. If you think your baby or you may have a medical emergency, call 911.
