Guide Review: Angelcare Deluxe Movement and Sound Monitor

The Angelcare Deluxe Movement and Sound Monitor is one of the best monitors on the market. Not only does it work well as a normal sound monitor, but the movement detection feature worked so well I refused to even consider using another monitor. It is on the pricy side, but is well worth it.

The Angelcare Sound and Movement Monitor is exactly what new parents can use to help ease their newfound fears. Not only does it provide high quality sound, but it also provides peace of mind (and peaceful sleep) for parents nervous about SIDS.

When I brought my oldest home from the hospital I developed an almost irrational fear of SIDS. I was constantly checking to make sure he was breathing, sleeping next to the crib in an old recliner. After a few nights of that, I bought this monitor. For the first time in days I was able to sleep with some calm, even if it was only for few hours between feedings.

The monitor can work as a simple sound monitor, or a sound and movement monitor. This particular one (Angelcare also has a cheaper version without the LCD display and a more expensive monitor that has sound, movement, and video) has an LCD screen which displays the sound level, options, and room temperature. The parent units also have a belt clip built in, which makes it easy to carry around the house with you.

The sensor pad fits under the mattress. If the bottom of your baby’s crib is not flat (ours was not, it had bars) you can use a flat piece of wood or masonite which worked just fine for us. Angelcare does make a hard mat to be used just for this purpose, but save the money and use a piece of wood.

The sensor is sensitive enough to detect the slightest movements. It can and does detect a newborn’s breathing. The sensitivity level can be changed to become more or less sensitive depending on your preference. There is also an option that allows you to turn on a “tic” feature. This option has the monitor giving off a quiet tic when it senses movement.

If no movement is detected after ten seconds one beep sounds. After ten more seconds of no movement the alarm goes off on both the base and parent units. This is why it’s important to turn the base off after you take the baby out of the crib. If you don’t, the alarm will sound, and you have to run back to the base to turn it off.

The down side to the high sensitivity is that it can sense a fan or any wind that blows on the crib. This can keep the monitor from accurately sensing baby’s breathing. But if you keep vents and fans from blowing directly on the crib you will be fine. The only other downside would be if your baby is a roller. My youngest son was. He would roll or inch to the edges of the crib as he grew older. This is where the sensitivity change came in handy. We heightened the sensitivity and it worked for the most part. After he was six months old, we got tired of fiddling with it and just turned the movement detection off.

I have loved this monitor so much I routinely give it as a baby shower gift to friends and relatives when I can afford to. It proved itself beyond a reasonable doubt when my cousin’s child stopped breathing one night. The alarm sounded and they rushed into the room. Their baby girl was not breathing, nor would she wake up. Her mother quickly gave her CPR and was able to get the baby to breathe again. The baby was fine and is now a three-year-old rascal, and is anxiously waiting for her new baby sister to arrive. And I will continue to give this monitor as a gift to everyone I can.