Everyone experiences pauses in breathing once in a while. This does not only happen to adults but to babies as well. This breathing pattern is called apnea. Although this is completely normal to some, it may also be related to some health conditions that should be a cause for concern especially when it happens to your baby. Being in this kind of predicament, you may opt to seek for the help of baby sleep apnea monitors.

The Different Types of Apneas

The word apnea has its origin from a Greek word which means “without wind.” It is the medical term used to describe the occasional cessation of breathing of a person. Even though it is normal, it may also be a symptom of something more serious that is health related.

Basically there are three types of apnea: obstructive, central and mixed. Obstructive apnea is most common in babies and children. It is caused by obstructions in the airway such as adenoids and enlarged tonsils. This is quite dangerous especially for babies since it usually happens during sleep time. And as babies, they still can’t articulate whether they are already experiencing symptoms of the condition.

Symptoms of this type of apnea include snoring, labored breathing, gasping for air, and changes in color. But the cardinal sign of obstructive apnea in babies is restlessness.

Another type of apnea is central apnea. This is usually caused by defect in the part of the brain the controls breathing. In babies, this could be a congenital defect. Central apnea is very rare in adults but quite common in babies especially those who were born prematurely. Unlike obstructive apnea, this can happen at any time of the day.

The third type of apnea is called mixed apnea. This condition is the combination of obstructive apnea and central apnea. This is particularly very common in infants. It could occur any time, whether awake or asleep.

What To Do If You Think Your Baby Has Apnea

When your baby is born, he or she is automatically evaluated for any problems in health like defects in breathing. But this is just an initial evaluation which can change in the next few months. The first step is to have your baby checked up by his or her doctor. If apnea is detected, the doctor can suggest different ways to help you monitor your baby one of which is with the use of baby sleep apnea monitor.

What to Look for In Baby Sleep Apnea Monitors

There are a lot of different baby sleep apnea monitors each with different features. In choosing a baby sleep apnea monitor, there are certain features that the device must have to ensure the proper monitoring of your baby.

Heart Beat Monitor

This feature is a must for the device that you will choose since no apnea monitor is 100 percent accurate in detecting cessation of breathing. This will serve as a backup in case the apnea monitor fails to detect apnea because it will also manifest in the heart rate of the baby.

Another must have feature is a remote alarm. Even if you are not in the same room with the baby, a remote monitor will notify you if anything goes wrong. It must also have a power loss alarm. This is used when the devices are low in power. Last but not the least, the device must also be equipped with an AC power for recharging and powering the device.

A baby monitor is a device that is used to check on the baby even if the watcher is not inside the same room. It is extremely helpful; especially to parents who cannot possibly stay by their baby’s side at all times. The most common type used is the audio monitor. This type receives and transmits sounds produced by the baby to a parent unit so moms or dads could hear the activities of the baby and know if there are any problems while they are at a certain distance.

Lately, additional features have been placed to these audio monitors, wherein parents could now talk back to their baby. This new feature has proven to be very beneficial to many of today’s parents. These two-way baby monitors not only provide parents with a means to check on their baby, but a means for parent-child bonding as well.

What is the difference between the two-way monitor and one-way monitor?

One-way monitors from the name itself, basically only transmit sound through a single channel wherein parents can hear the sounds that their baby makes from the other end. However, the much-improved two-way monitors can allow parents to talk back to their child with their own portable transmitter. Parents who have children with separation anxiety often prefer this type of monitor, as hearing a familiar voice could usually calm the child.

What are the major benefits of getting a two-way monitor?

With the new feature of these monitors, parents are not only able to provide for the safety of their children by being able to hear possible problems from a distance, but they are also given the chance to solve certain problems or bond more with their child by talking through the portable parent unit.

Being able to talk back through the portable transmitter can be very beneficial for parents who have kids with separation anxiety. A familiar voice from the transmitter could be enough to calm a child’s anxiety tantrums or pacify worries. And thus, parents who often find themselves caught up in the middle of work, can now simply talk to the child and calm him down without physically being next to him.

The talkback feature can also help maintain the bond of the parent and child, despite the parent being at a certain distance. Parents could sing their lullabies or read stories while they do the laundry or while they clean the house. Even at a distance, parents are empowered to interact with their child through the device. And children, upon recognizing the familiar voice of their parents are given the assurance that they are watched and are in a safe place, which can be soothing to them.

The main priority of most parents who have baby monitors is basically the safety of their children. But if one can provide safety and connect with his or her child without having to compromise work through a simple gadget, then life would certainly be much easier.

It does not only place the parents at ease, but much more, it decreases the anxiety on the child and assures him of a safe and secure environment. In providing safety for the child, sometimes it isn’t enough to lend an ear, but a familiar voice can certainly make all the difference in the world.

Baby monitors are devices that help parents put their tabs on their babies even though they are not are not in the same room? But what if baby monitor transmitters pick up more than what they are supposed to?

It has been the topic of discussions that baby monitors, especially audio types, pick up more than just sounds coming from the baby. Some parents tell stories of their baby monitors picking up EVPs.

What are EVPs

EVP is short for the term Electronic Voice Phenomenon. EVPs pertain to sounds or voices that are allegedly coming from beyond the grave. In the world of the ghost hunters, EVPs are voice recordings that are sent by ghosts or souls that have not moved on. These are sometimes used to prove that there really is life after death.

While some ghost hunters use sophisticated gadgets and devices to hunt down ghost phenomenon, there are those who use baby monitors. Baby monitors are good for this kind of activities since they are quite sensitive to sounds as well as other factors in the environment.

There have been a lot of reported cases by parents that they are getting signals from the baby units that are not relevant to the baby or the environment. Instead, they receive muffled, indefinable, and sometimes almost inaudible sounds which resemble voices and words coming from a human. When examined by experts, these sounds can’t be technically explained. But when examined by professional ghost hunters, they turn out to be ghost voices also known as electronic voice phenomenon.

Baby Monitors and Interference

Baby monitors can either be wired and wireless. Both types of devices have their own advantages and disadvantages. For wireless devices though, one of the disadvantages is interference. Interferences can be in the form of intercepted voices from other wireless devices such as wireless phones or static sounds. These interferences can also cause sounds to be muffled and inaudible.

So Are EVPs Real?

Do you believe in ghosts? Do you believe in the afterlife? These questions seem to have no specific and factual answers and so does the question “Are EVPs real?” A sound is just a sound and it all depends on how they are interpreted. If the sound of a cat is interpreted as a moo of the cow, then it comes from a cow. If an inaudible noise is interpreted as voices of people from the afterlife then it comes from people in the afterlife.

So are EVPs real? It all depends on what you believe in and how you interpret these kinds of sounds.

Flats and baby monitors have a very interesting relationship – the former may cause problems for the latter. This has been the concern of parents who use baby monitors in their flats. Because of the number of tenants who also use different gadgets, interference among baby monitors is quite common. With this kind of setup, security and comfort of your baby may be put at risk.

Fixing Interference Problems

Baby monitors are great help for parents who are always on the go. These gadgets enable parents to multi-task – do other chores while still being able to watch over their baby. However, these gadgets may sometimes cause annoyances rather than comfort and relief especially when you live in close proximity with your neighbours such as in flats.

Wireless baby monitors are usually the gadgets that experience this kind of problem. They experience interferences because of different factors one of which is the use of other wireless devices either in your flat or in the flat of other tenants. Luckily, there are several ways on how to, if not eliminate, at least minimize the existence of interference.

On top of the list is changing the channel or frequency of your baby monitor. If two devices are running on the same frequency, it will cause interference. So to prevent this from happening, you should try to change the frequency of either device. Wireless baby monitors are usually equipped with switches that allow parents to change frequencies easily.

The next option in fixing interference is by properly placing the baby monitor, both the baby’s and the parent’s units, in the proper location. What does it mean by proper location? It means that the baby monitors should be placed as far away as possible from other wireless devices. This includes cell phones, cordless phones, and routers. Microwave ovens could also cause interference on your baby monitor.

Since it is inevitable that you will be using other wireless devices around your flat, one of the best things you could do to prevent interference is to always prioritize your baby monitor. This can be done through switching your baby monitor on first before any other device. By doing this, you are giving the baby monitor the chance to get the most excellent signal it can. After that you can switch on all other devices but you should always have the cordless phone switched on last.

Another way to fix interference issues is by using digital baby monitors instead of analog ones. The latest digital technology has incorporated some fixes to solve interferences. The only setback with this solution is that it may cost you a little bit more. But if you do have the money for it then by all means, then go ahead and purchase one.

All of these are just some of the ways on how to fix interferences in baby monitors. They are not 100% percent fool proof solution but they will be able to help minimize interferences especially when you live in a flat. Of course, you should always remember not to depend too much on your gadgets and other devices.

If you can afford to spare some time, please do tend to your child as much as you can. No device can amount to the bonding between a parent and a baby other than by spending personal time with each other.

A baby monitor is a very useful device for modern parents. Such a device allows you to check on your child’s safety even when you are doing other things at a certain distance or outside the room. It not only saves you a lot of time and burden, but it also keeps you at ease knowing that your precious one is safe even at a distance. However, with the many different kinds of monitors available in the market at present sometimes it may get confusing. Knowing the different types of monitors and what to consider will surely help you in making a choice.

What are the types of baby monitors?

In selecting a monitor that best fits your family, you have three major options to choose from –an audio, video or a sensory monitor.

Audio monitors allow you to hear the activities of your child (ex: crying) as they pick up sound. This type comes in both analog as well as digital models. The analog monitors are the most affordable but are usually still reliable. They work through the radio frequency and use FM signals to transmit the sound. The major set-back of this variety is the tendency of other receivers picking up the same signal that your monitor transmits, thus less privacy and disturbances are possible.

On the other hand, the digital model may cost a little more but it provides more privacy and usually has a wider range of reception than analog. Another advantage is that the digital models do not have as much static and they give a clearer sound quality so you can hear your baby better.

Video monitorsallow you to see and hear your child by combining sound and video just like miniature TV sets. They use a small camera either mounted on the wall, table or crib to transmit the images into the LCD display. They are usually portable and come with multiple cameras and even night vision.

Sensory monitorsdetect the baby’s slightest movements even during sleep. It fits under the mattress of the baby and alarms you when the baby stops moving or is absolutely still for 20 seconds. Some models available also come with audio monitors installed. These come with a portable parent’s unit that sends you the alarm and allows you to hear your baby’s activities.

What are the things that you should consider?

Always remember, that in choosing the type of baby monitor for your family you must reflect on which model would best suit you and your baby’s needs. The size of your home, and the clarity of frequency are very important factors to consider. Simpler monitor models will do for smaller houses, but you may need a more sophisticated monitor system for a larger house.

The lifestyle and the type of work that you have to do around is also another important factor to consider, especially if your work requires you to be farther away from your baby’s room and you may need a monitor that covers the range, particularly a portable one.

Always remember that whether you would prefer an audio, video or sensory monitor, the clarity of sound and video of your unit should be of very good quality for you to effectively monitor your child. Whatever model you may choose, the most important aspects to consider is that your choice must certainly cater to your needs, fit your budget and most especially provide you with a good avenue to watch out for your baby’s safety.