As parents, it is important to love, nurture and protect your child. Whilst our natural parental instincts help us to provide our children with the best upbringing, we also sometimes need the extra help of baby monitors during their early months or even for a few years.
Parents, for decades, have fallen in love with baby monitors as they allow them a sense of relief and give them their independence back while still creating peace of mind, but when is the right time to say goodbye to the baby monitor?
In this article, we will be answering this common question to help you move on from dependency of these reliable devices.
What Is A Baby Monitor?
A baby monitor is a device used by parents to monitor their newborn, baby, or young child. There are two main types, audio baby monitors, and video baby monitors, and they both produce similar results.
Whilst the audio baby monitor allows parents to hear their child’s cries wherever they are, a video baby monitor allows parents to both see and hear their child. Monitors allow a sense of security as well as working as an effective destresser.
Finally, a parent is able to go about their typical daily routines that might include gardening outside, cooking freely, doing the ironing, cleaning the house, or simply having some ‘me time’ without worrying about not being able to hear their baby in another other room or see that they are safe and sound.
Although a baby monitor clearly holds a variety of positive aspects, the main downside is how much parents can end up relying on the device. It can be difficult for parents to say goodbye to baby monitors, as for many months or even years it has given them reassurance and peace of mind. Taking that away can be daunting and create anxiety, especially if you are trying to do the best for your child.
When Should You Ditch the Baby Monitor?
There is no right or wrong when it comes to how long you should use a baby monitor for, however it is suggested that 2 years old is the best cut-off point. Whilst monitors are great for servicing parents and for creating a sense of relief, they cannot stay in a child’s life forever.
First, it is there to protect your child and aid you as a parent, but soon enough it becomes an invasion of privacy, especially when your child starts to become aware that they are being watched and listened to.
The Best Time To Use A Baby Monitor
Children go through different stages in their lives and it is best to use a baby monitor from newborn to just a few years old. At a certain point, however, this will not be necessary as it will not be benefitting the child at all, only the parent.
Under 6 Months
When a child is younger than 6 months, it makes complete sense to use a baby monitor. At this time of their lives, they will not be able to communicate their needs or ask for help.
With a baby monitor, you are able to see if they are safe, if they have fallen, if they are crying (which will be a lot, but this is because a baby always needs their parent). Babies this young are fragile and protecting them is vital so baby monitors are a great addition to the family home.
Over 6 Months
After passing the 6-9 month stage, your child will begin to understand things more, will be able to signal their parents by crying louder, and even crawl to you when in need of comfort and care.
At this stage, a baby monitor can, and probably should still be used as they are still young but rather than purely protection, it will be used more so that their parents know if they are napping well and at the right time, adopting healthy habits, are not sick, and are getting a good night’s rest.
Toddler
Eventually, your baby will grow into a toddler. At some point during this period (1-3 years old), you should decide whether a baby monitor is truly necessary for your home. As a toddler, your child will be much more independent, will be able to communicate through broken speech, understand to an extent what is safe and what is not, and also be aware of their surroundings (including a baby monitor).
This is also the stage where they will be given their own “grown up” bed in their own room, aiding that independence. In order to let your child flourish and grow, it is important for them to know that you trust them and allow them to be themselves without being watched.
Why Stop Using A Baby Monitor
If you are still concerned about ditching the baby monitor, read through our reasons as to why to stop. Sometimes monitors can do more bad than good and it is important to know what these things are.
Unhealthy Addiction
For some parents, owning a baby monitor (especially a video monitor) can turn into an unhealthy addiction. Parents can become obsessed with keeping a close eye on their babies which will only make it harder for them to stop doing this as they get older.
You Can Hear Your Child
For a lot of parents, as a child grows older they can hear their child without the need for a baby monitor. If this is the case, this means you do not need to keep hold of this device anymore. Having said that, another option is to scale back the monitoring and use an audio-only device for basic peace of mind to be able to hear what is going on in your baby or toddler’s room. An inexpensive device that is easy to set up, has a great range, and can be used outdoors, is the BT Audio Baby Monitor 400.
If you live in a bigger home and you still find it difficult to hear your child but they are in their toddler years, start leaving their (or your) bedroom door open or slightly ajar. This will work as a natural monitor, allowing you to hear if your child is calling for you or needs your help.
Other Ways to Signal Parents
If your child knows how to crawl, walk, talk, listen, and climb then they can think for themselves. This means that if they need their mum or dad, they will likely leave their cot/bed/playroom and make their way to you by themselves.
Even if your child cannot speak yet, they will likely cry or crawls toward you. As a baby they are helpless, but as a toddler, they are able to turn to their parents for protection. At this point, a baby monitor is not a necessity.
Improves Sleep
What a lot of parents fail to acknowledge is that a lot of the time when you hear a child cry, it is not an emergency. It may simply be a way of them getting attention or trying to speak.
As well as this, it is normal for babies to gurgle or make noise when sleeping, just like how adults talk, snore, or make other noises in their sleep.
But still, when parents hear any sound through the baby monitor, they feel the urge to disrupt their own sleep to tend to their baby, when in fact, their baby is just fine. If this is happening, it is time to say goodbye to the monitor.
This will greatly improve your sleep as you are not having to constantly anticipate your child making a sound. If they need you and are in the latter stages of their toddler years, you will definitely know it, and won’t necessarily need a baby monitor for confirmation.
Final Thoughts
When it comes to getting rid of your baby monitor, it is solely up to you, however, it is still important to understand the issues that can arise as a result of holding on too long and not being able to let go and retire the baby monitor for good.
Eventually, you should let go of your baby monitor and allow your child to live independently without constant monitoring. The irony is that when you first buy and set up a wireless baby monitor you feel a huge weight has been lifted off your shoulders, but at the same time, the day you stop using a baby monitor, is also a feeling of relief that you no longer need to rely on it!