Baby Monitor - Take It or Leave It?

I didn't use a baby monitor, except if I was out in the backyard and I had a baby sleeping in the house. When my kids were infants, once they moved out of my room, they were in the room next door in a small house. If they cried, we heard them. I didn't need to listen to them, I needed to listen for them, and a monitor wasn't needed.

I don't use it at night, only for naps when I am elsewhere in the house. I wake easily too and try to wait for 5 min of fuss before I go in and they almost always settle. If I ran in, I;d be disruptiing them

We never used a baby monitor. I just didn't want to put that kind of money into what I thought was completely unnecessary. So, if you don't want to use it, go ahead and chuck it. At 8 months, if it takes you 5 or even 10 minutes once in a while, it won't hurt her. And if you're a light sleeper, you'll probably hear her right away anyway.

Once my kids were old enough to really fuss if they needed me, I turned off the monitor at night. Our rooms are close together and I can always hear them. I DO, however, use the monitor during the day...during naps, so I can be downstairs and know what's going on upstairs. It also works as they get older as a one way "intercom"...for example, I'm upstairs, and I speak into the monitor, "B, could you please bring a pack of wipes up for me please?". Works like a charm! =0)

if rooms are close and doors open it should be okay. I turned mine off with my first and it worked out better for us. I know for me, I was afraid I would sleep thought it too, but you have a mommy radar now, so you should wake up.

How far away is her room from yours? You could always turn the volume really low, so that a loud cry from her would be faint, but you could still hear it without hearing every little sound. Or, find a monitor that lights up according to how loud she is being. (the light changing would wake me up... I'm a light sleeper too....)

I would find it more useful during the day...when she is napping and you are working elsewhere in the house...that way you could go ahead and do the things you needed or wanted to do and not have to worry about her fussing without your knowing.
I worried myself, when we brought our first little one home ( before the days of baby monitors!!) because I can sleep through ANYTHING...so we moved her into a travel crib right next to our bed...after 3 nights of waking up everytime she sighed or moved her hand on the sheets, I was ready to put her in her own crib!!! I think that our Mothering Instinct just kicks in and we hear those sweet little baby noises!!!

There are some baby monitors that have two types of "on" buttons. One setting transmits continually, so you hear the breathing, the shifting positions, everything. The second setting transmits only voice. So you'll hear a cry, or a call to you. Nothing at all transmits when her voice is quiet, so you don't hear sighs. It sounds like it's not even turned on! Keep the volume the way you like it to be normally, so that when she calls out, you'll hear it. Sony and Philips makes them, perhaps other brands too.

Turn the volume down low and put it further away from your bed.

I guess it depends on how big your house is and if she is on the same floor as you. I have never had a baby monitor and feel like in MY household they would be kind of ridiculous. If she is in her own room, on the same floor, then I say that you probably don't need a monitor.
L.

A monitor is a tool not a necessity.
We had one because it came with all of the freebies a friend gave us.

I used it when I was out in the laundry room or outside in the garden or taking out the trash, but our house it tiny and we can hear everything going on.

So you decide. I think it is better for you to be able to sleep. Especially if you are light sleeper. You would probably wake upon your own.

My son's pediatrician told me to remove our monitor. Our house at the time was small and his bedroom was only 5 feet from our bedroom door. I couild hear him find w/o the monitor and was able to get some rest. The house finally calmed down when I removed the monitor. It was a blessing.

I'm pregnant now and plan but am in a different house with split bedrooms. So, needless to say we will be using the monitor. I feel for you. I too am a very light sleeper and know that I will not get any sleep with that dang thing!

Leave it. Unless your house is giant and you wouldnt hear the baby without it...
We had a baby monitor for our first, and never really set it up for our second. We realized in a 1300 sq ft house it was sort of silly... :)

Get some sleep!

Amazingly, we never had monitors with our daughters. Our first slept just across the hall from us when she was little, but then we moved and the younger one slept at the other end of the house from us -- probably from about 5 or 6 months. We never had trouble hearing her when she really needed us.

I guess it depends on how far her room is from yours, do you sleep with your bedroom doors open or closed and where does the 3 year old sleep? In the same room with the baby? IF the 3 year old shared the room with the infant, I most certainly would sleep with the monitor on...on loud. Why? Because I would never ever trust a toddler to be left alone with my baby, even when they are siblings. I've had first hand experience with my husband leaving our toddler alone with our infant for as long as it took for him to use the bathroom and our first born attacked the baby. In just a matter of minutes, my infant's face was scratched. Yes, she drew blood with skin still under her nails. It was horrible so if the two of your children sleep in the same room, leave the monitor on. If they are in separate rooms, still, you need to be cautious. Can you hear when your toddler wakes up and God forbid, went into the baby's room? Would you hear anything?? You could always turn the monitor to very low so it doesn't disturb you much, but I guess it's your call in the end.

I learned to cue in only on my baby's noises and the monitor on low (not so loud I could hear her breathe) served us well for many months.

Same here. My POS monitor made CONSTANT static noises. I just leave it very low, or off completely, but nearby for checking when I feel like it. I did get one with a video monitor, which will stay on if plugged in, so I just left the sound off and would look at it periodically.

I never used a monitor - I could not stand the sound of it. My baby's rooms were either across the hall (in first house) or right next door in 2nd house. I could hear if they NEEDED me and I did NOT hear every little itch and twitch and so I slept much better. My kids are now completely on the other side of the house and I love it.

Good luck!
L.