From my experience, here’s what I learned about sleeping with a baby monitor on. Check out my tips and advice about sleeping with a baby monitor.
As parents, we all know about baby monitors, but there’s no handbook for how to use one most effectively. The first few years of parenthood are filled with excitement and anxiety. And one of the most stressful times for me as a first-time parent was when my baby went to bed.
We used a baby monitor, but I wasn’t sure if I should keep it on all night or if it was dangerous for my child.
I did my research and found the answers to all of my questions and more. Here is everything you need to know about keeping a baby monitor on overnight.
This article will cover:
- What is the benefit of using a baby monitor at night?
- Can you sleep with your baby monitor on overnight?
- Do you leave the baby monitor on all night?
- Pros and cons of sleeping with a baby monitor on
- At what age should I turn my baby monitor off at night?
- The best ways to use a baby monitor at night
- Takeaway
If you’re seeking for the best baby monitor and hoping to find real reviews from real parents. You should check out this list I created of the top baby monitors.
🤗 Transparency Statement: This page may contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase through these links, I may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Rest assured, I only promote products I trust. Thanks for your support!
What is the benefit of using a baby monitor at night?
The main benefit of a baby monitor is the ability to let you know when your baby is awake. They are especially useful for heavy sleepers and in larger homes.
If you have a toddler, a nighttime monitor can help you ensure nothing but sleep is happening in your child’s room. Kids at this age sometimes decide to crawl out of their cribs to do anything besides rest, and the device can let you know when that happens.
Using a monitor at night is a great way to have peace of mind and easily check if your child is awake. However, it should never be used instead of safe sleeping practices.
Can you sleep with your baby monitor on all night?
There’s nothing inherently dangerous about keeping your baby monitor on all night as long as you follow the instructions and guidelines for the gadget.
But, there are some considerations to make regarding how this can affect you and your baby’s quality of sleep. Keep reading to learn about how this may disrupt your rest, some benefits to sleeping with it on, and more.
Do you leave the baby monitor on all night?
There are benefits of sleeping with your baby monitor on. I’ve researched the opinions of sleep professionals, pediatricians, and parents about this topic. Here, I’ll describe the most popular views about whether you should keep it on all night.
Consider these opinions, but remember that it’s ultimately up to you. If you feel safer sleeping with your monitor on or off, then do what works for your family.
Pros and cons of sleeping with a baby monitor on
Here are some thoughts about the benefits and negative effects of leaving a monitor on overnight.
To sum up, here are the pros and cons of keeping a baby monitor on overnight:
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Helps with nighttime anxiety | Disrupts your baby’s sleep cycles |
| Great for heavy sleepers | Can impact your quality of sleep |
| Doubles as home security |
1- Helps with nighttime anxiety
In my opinion, this is one of the most important reasons to leave it on. While you should never rely on a baby monitor to keep your child safe, it can help you feel more prepared. Keeping the device on overnight alleviated a lot of the anxiety I felt when putting my kiddos to bed in another room. Try it out – you might notice a difference too.
2- Great for heavy sleepers
If you’re a heavy sleeper like I am, then you might not always wake up from your baby’s cries or calls in the night. The good thing about keeping the baby cam on all night is that you can turn up the volume as loud as necessary to wake up!
3- Doubles as home security
Many of my friends are using baby monitors or baby cams not just for watching their tot but also for home security. It’s great to feel the added sense of protection you have from a monitor that stays on all night and lets you know if anything happens in your home.
4- Disrupting normal sleeping behaviors
After 4 months old, babies and young children go through light and deep sleep cycles, similar to adults.
During the lighter cycles, your baby or toddler makes sounds or rolls around. If you hear these sounds on the monitor, you might want to go soothe your baby, but that actually interrupts the cycle.
By turning off your baby monitor at night, you make it easier to only pick up on the true wake-ups. That way, you’re not disrupting your child’s normal sleep cycles.
5- Poor quality of sleep for you
As you’re going to sleep, it’s easy to roll over and look at your baby on the video monitor or hold up the audio monitor to your ear.
Just like how rushing in at every sound can disrupt your baby’s sleep, it can also be damaging for your quality of sleep. If you feel inclined to check the device all night, you’re not getting the rest you need!
Later on in this article, I’ll explain some tips for alleviating that anxiety and getting a better snooze while ensuring your baby is still safely sleeping.
At what age should I turn my baby monitor off at night?
Some professionals suggest you start turning it off at night around 6 months old. Around this time, babies begin to sleep through the night and no longer need to be fed throughout. However, plenty of parents like me still use a baby monitor at night for their toddlers and young children.
Monitors are used for all ages, depending on the parents’ preference. In short, there is no right answer for the age to stop using one at night.
To learn more, check out this article about what age is ideal to stop using a baby monitor.
Best ways to use a baby monitor at night
If you decide to sleep with your baby monitor on, here are 5 recommendations for using it most efficiently. These will also help alleviate some of the anxiety that might come at night.
1- Audio-Only
An inexpensive option for all-night-long security is a monitor that only shares audio rather than a video monitor. These are ideal because you can easily wake up with the sound of a cry through the monitor, but you don’t need to obsessively look at the screen. Sometimes it’s helpful to lose the more advanced gadgets and bring it back to the basics!
2- Keep the monitor away from your bed
I was having trouble going to bed because I kept checking my baby cam. Instead of placing it right next to my head while falling asleep, I tried putting the monitor on a desk on the other side of the room. It really helped me be less prone to obsessive midnight checks and repeated checking before bed, but I could still hear my kiddos when they cried.
3- Keep the volume on low
Similarly to keeping it farther away from the bed, another idea for healthily using a baby monitor is to keep the volume low. This is especially useful for older babies and children who have a longer sleep cycle rather than babies who are still waking every few hours for feeding. You’ll only hear the louder sounds your child makes when they truly wake up.
4- Learn how to differentiate
Your parental instincts are superior for determining if your baby is actually awake or just needs to settle themselves back to sleep. Try and notice the difference between the coos and murmurs of a baby that will fall back asleep versus a cry for mom and dad to come soothe.
5- Use safe sleeping practices
The number one most important thing you can do if you decide to sleep with a monitor is always using safe sleeping practices. Baby monitors won’t protect your child if you don’t use safe practices when putting your infant or toddler in bed.
Takeaway
Like all parenting decisions, whether you leave the baby monitor on overnight will depend on your personal preference and family needs.
There are several reasons to keep your monitor on all night, including alleviating nighttime anxiety, waking you from a heavy sleep, and even additional home security. However, leaving the monitor on all night may disrupt not just your sleep but your baby’s sleep too.
Whatever you decide, always ensure you put your baby, toddler, or young child in a crib or bed with safe sleeping practices, and physically check on them as well.
Consider all of the benefits and negative effects of sleeping with a monitor on. You can also experiment – try keeping it on one night and off the next, then decide which works best for your family.
P.S. If you’re seeking for the best baby monitor and hoping to find real reviews from real parents. You should check out this list I created of the top baby monitors.
To get the best insights and tips to find the best baby monitor, I read more than 300 reviews online and ask my friends or others parents. From all their insights and my own experience, I’ve built this list of the best baby monitors.