Parenting Forums

Posted: 04 December 2007 at 8:14am | IP Logged

Hi All

I have another daft question... when is it considered safe to no longer use a baby monitor. ( I have the angel one not that, that makes much difference.)

I ask because my dp's brother died of SIDS, when i had my first son i don't know when i stopped but it wasn't so much in my mind then, but i do find still now if lo (my 2nd kiddo) sleeps in i still find i check on him but i find i have to physically check on him..... i can't rely on the monitor and even with the monitor i don't always here him in the night, depending on my final sleeping position if i can get comfy (deaf in left ear).

As most of you know i'm moving house on the 22nd december and the boys will be sharing a room at the request of my eldest......... and i'm in 2 minds as to whether to re-attatch the monitor or not.

Also any tips on children of, 6 (sorry 6 and a half) and 19mths sharing a room for bed times and getting them to sleep not play would also be very greatfully recieved.

Sorry i didn't mean this to go so long but it has!! Argh!! Sorry.

Posted: 04 December 2007 at 8:31am | IP Logged

ahhhhhhhh see im sneaky...and a nosey mum lol.

I had two monitors, not cos im posh or anything...but the first monitor we had for isla..somebody on the street had the same monitor and we kept picking up their babies...which was freaky hearing a winnie the pooh mobile over the monitor when islas mobile wasnt winnie the pooh..so went out and got another one lol.

So had a monitor in islas room....and then tasja started having lots of friends to play..what she didnt know was there was a monitor plugged in under her bunk bed..so switched on the unit downstairs so i could keep a sneaky 'ear' out on the lot of them...she was 4 at the time lol.

Both monitors died a death a while ago, and i just left it...think isla was just over 2 when i got rid of them.....as for the sharing rooms thing...havent got a clue chick

Posted: 04 December 2007 at 9:30am | IP Logged

I still have a monitor for Rachel, she is 2 and 2 months. I would be afraid she would wake in the middle of the night and call for me and I wouldn't wake up. I think it's great because when she is sick I can keep an ear out for her. I am not sure I will ever give up the monitor, it's a great sence of security for me anyway.

As for sharing..........I am not sure on that one, I do think there might be too much of an age gap, I'm just not sure.

Posted: 04 December 2007 at 11:03am | IP Logged

I still use Cameron's monitor - but that's because he has asthma, and you can't hear a thing in our house if you are in the livingroom with the door shut. His bedroom is at the opposite end and side of the house. I put it off when I go to bed, as he is in the room next to us.

I used to put the girls' monitor on in the landing between the two rooms, so I could hear if they got up or were unwell. Sorry, I can't really remember what ages they were when I stopped using it!

My girls only started sharing a room when they were 7 and 9, and are much closer in age to your two, so no advice there I'm afraid! It is quite an age gap, though I'd put the wee one down first and let him get to sleep, then your eldest after that?

xxx

Posted: 04 December 2007 at 11:08am | IP Logged

i never had a baby monitor with either of my 2 and they are different sexes so they do not share aroom.

there is 5 and a half years between my dh and his brother and they always shared a room

Posted: 04 December 2007 at 12:18pm | IP Logged

I had the same angel monitor with both of mine but rarely used it.  I used to plug it in when Harry had his friends over to play so i could hear them but i dont need too now after i moved, because these walls are paper thin and you can hear everything.

If you feel safer using it then continue with it, it wont do any harm.

I dont think you have a too big an age gap to share at all, my boys are nearly 6 and 2.5ys and mine share. I put Louis to bed first and then harry goes 45mins-1hr later.  To give them chance to go off.  I have had to take the bulb out of their light so they cant put the light on and play.  And Louis does wake Harry up early to play but they are in their own little routine now. 

It will proberbly take a couple of weeks for them to establish thier own little routine but both mine love sharing and are playing much nicer and fighting much less now.

Posted: 04 December 2007 at 1:30pm | IP Logged

Thanks for the advice, they've had seperate rooms so far and can still have seperate rooms when i move if they want to, but my eldest has said he want too and is adimant.... they go upstairs at the moment together get ready (group story if lo isn't already nodding off) and then lo goes to bed and me and my big boy go to my room and read together then he goes to bed......(normally school books and then a story book)....

I'm planning on continuing this for the forseable future, if they do share a room it'll give us a spare room where if big one is having a rough night due to lo then he can sleep in there or i can, and it gives my step-daughter to be a place to sleep when she stops over.

I do like the idea of keeping it to know what they talk about but with my boy and his friends it's likely to send me to sleep! Power rangers, yu go io ohs ?!?, pokemon and match attack footie cards!! What exciting lives they live....zzzzz

Posted: 04 December 2007 at 2:28pm | IP Logged

I still use a monitor for Lily and she'll be 3 in March but purely because the girls rooms are at the opposite end of the house from ours.

When we moved to our present house nearly 2 years ago the girls had seperate rooms for a couple of months then Ellis (my eldest) decided she wanted to share with Lily

They still share but Ellis is now wanting her own space back so we are in the process of decorating the spare room across from Lily's for her.

All I do is get the girls ready for bed together then take Lily hlf n hour before Ellis and get her settled. Read with Ellis for a bit then take her through - it works well and they are pretty good at not playing up (most of the time lolol!)

I think its going to be quite tough on them both being apart rooms wise and I have no doubt they'll be some midnight room sneaking going on sometimes