As a future mom-to-be, I have a variety of questions running through my mind on a daily basis. I think about everything from how do you know the baby is kicking to when do babies start eating solid foods to how often does Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) happen. I have to admit that SIDS scares me.
I don’t know if SIDS is so scary because no one seems to know why it happens or if it is because you can have a perfectly healthy baby suddenly pass away without warning. The statistics are somewhat staggering. In Canada, approximately 1 in 2,000 babies dies with a diagnosis of SIDS every year. This means that 3 babies die every week in Canada as a result of SIDs.
Future Mommy-to-Be Solutions: Snuza Go!
Although I have always planned on using a baby monitor, what if that is not enough? I heard about this new product on the market called Snuza. Snuza creates portable baby monitors that clip onto the front of a baby’s diaper that sounds an alarm if the baby does not move after 15 seconds. What a great idea!
Some of the key features of the Snuza are:
- No wires, cords, cables or sensor pads that could potentially harm your baby;
- Made with hypoallergenic, medical grade plastics and there are no sending or receiving radiofrequency signals;
- Batteries are replaceable;
- Only weighs 1 oz which makes it the lightest monitor on the market;
- Recommended for ages 0-12 months.
Snuza has two models available for purchase: Snuza Hero and Sunza Go!. Here is a little bit of general information on each model:
Snuza Hero
The Snuza Hero clips onto the baby’s diaper to help ensure that normal movement is maintained. The Hero model detects even the slightest abdominal movement and will alert you if your baby’s movements are very weak or there are less than 8 movements per minute. If there is no abdominal movement detected for 15 seconds, the Hero will gently begin to vibrate. The goal is that the vibration rouse’s the baby and the Hero can return to monitoring mode. If 3 vibration/rouse incidents occur, the Rouse Warning will alert you. If no further movement is detected after another 5 seconds, an alarm will sound to alert you. This is the higher end model and the Snuza Hero is sold for a MSRP of $119.99.
Snuza Go!
The Snuza Go! works the same as the Snuza Hero in the sense that it clips to the front of the baby’s diaper to detect abdominal movement. As opposed to the Hero model, the Go! will alert you via an audible alarm after 15, 18 or 20 seconds of no movement. There is also an movement rate indicator that will warn you during weak or infrequent movement. This model is sold for a MSRP of $94.99.
The model I am trying out is the Snuza Go!. It’s a cute little unit, probably only about 2 inches long and maybe an inch wide. It also comes with a great little case to help protect the sensor when you are not using it. Since I do not have a baby to use it on at the moment, I did the only noble thing I could and tried it on the sleeping cat (which was surprisingly rather effective to see the basics of how it works). I have to say the Go! is a cool little device.
When you use the device on an actual baby, you simply clip the unit onto the middle of the front of the diaper. The orange rubber end is the sensor and that should be facing up to the baby’s navel. You should make sure the full length of the clip is secured to the baby’s diaper. If the diaper does not fit correctly, the unit may lose contact.
When you hit the small orange button on the side to turn it on, it beeps so you know the battery is working and the unit is on. There are two indicator lights above the logo: one is for the battery level and one is a check mark which tells you the movements are being detected. The check mark indicator flashes different colours so it is easy to tell if the movements are weak (orange) or strong/normal (green). If the movement rate falls below 8 movements per minute, the Movement Indicator Light will flash orange and Movement-rate Warning sounds (a dual-tone beep every second) will sound. As the movement rate increases the warning sounds will stop.
If there is no movement detected for the selected period of time (15, 18, 20 seconds), the warning lights will turn red and the full audible alarm sounds. The alarm is quite loud which is reassuring. However, I am not sure if I were to be in a separate room with a door closed if I would hear it without the use of a secondary baby monitor.
Another issue I am slightly concerned about is that it is battery operated. The battery is a 3-volt battery (CR14250), which I have never seen before so I am not sure how easily it can be purchased. I also do not know how long the average battery lasts which is concerning. I wouldn’t want to just rely on this one baby monitor and have the battery die half-way through the night without enough warning that the battery level is running low. I also found that trying to open the battery compartment was a little bit difficult, but this may become easier with use and practice.
Otherwise I think that the product is going to be a great thing to have as a part of my Mommy’s arsenal. I think that I will still use a traditional monitor as back-up, but I think this monitor would be great in a bassinet or if you and the baby are out having a sleep over somewhere. The price seems slightly high for the size of the unit, but if it works even half as well as it promises, then it will be well worth the cost. Before using this product, I also recommend taking the time to read the manual, there are some great tips in there for proper use.
Have you tried this product? What did you think?
