Each year nearly 4,000 infants 12 months and younger die unexpectedly, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) is one type of these sudden and unexpected infant deaths and is the third leading cause of infant deaths in the United States. While SIDS cannot be explained, other sleep-related infant deaths caused by accidental suffocation and strangulation can be prevented through proper education of safe sleeping environments for infants. Audio and video baby monitors provide an additional level of diligence. But the MonBaby baby monitor is a wearable smart button that will allow parents to track their baby’s breathing and sleeping patterns through their smart phone, providing proactive monitoring and alarms.
When my daughter and first child was born, I was as text-book prepared as a new parent could be. But as I drove out of the hospital parking lot with my two day old baby in the car, I was terrified. My primary job was (and still is) to keep her safe. How was I supposed to do that without the help of the doctors and nurses on the maternity floor? Thankfully, I had those same doctors’ numbers on my phone and a list of experienced parents to call in case I had questions. All of the support in the world didn’t prevent me from panicking the first time I left her in her room by herself. I think I checked to see if she was breathing every ten minutes.
MonBaby cannot prevent SIDS, but it can alert you to warning signs of danger or distress. MonBaby is a wireless button that snaps onto your child’s clothing and is able to detect breathing motion and rate, body orientation, and activity level. Via Bluetooth technology, those measurements are then displayed in real-time on your Android or iPhone via the MonBaby app. The measurements are also stored in the cloud for you or a doctor to analyze if necessary.
The MonBaby and app will let you know if your baby has rolled from his or her back to stomach, when they are about to wake up, and if there is a significant change in motion, like an increase in tossing, turning, or struggling. All of these can be seen on the app’s display screen, but alarms can also be set for one or all of these things to let you know if you need to check on your baby.
For use on bigger kids, an alarm can also be set for fall detection and proximity monitor. If your child sleepwalks the MonBaby can alert you if they are out of their bed or out of a safe range.
So instead of checking your baby every ten minutes to monitor their breathing rate or to see if they flipped to their stomach—which is not the safest position for infants to sleep—MonBaby baby monitor will let you know if your baby needs assistance. The alarm rings on your smartphone and not the device itself.
MonBaby has a Bluetooth range of 300 feet and runs off of a 3V coin-cell battery. Battery life is about five weeks while actively being used and about a year when in passive mode.The MonBaby baby monitor will not prevent SIDS or other unexpected infant deaths, but by monitoring a baby’s movement and breathing it will add to layers of protection parents can give to their children’s safety. It will provide peace of mind and a little more sleep for parents too.
MonBaby is available for pre-order on their website.
