Snuza Hero MD

As we were getting close to being discharged from the maternity hospital, it was time to sort out a breathing monitor for the newborn. Borrowing one from the hospital wasn't an option. After a quick look at the market I found that Jablotron offers the same pad one knows from hospitals. That has a few downsides — the main one being that you're tied to one specific spot. I also mustn't forget about the lifespan of the pad — the second-hand market for children's items is large and breathing monitors are part of it. The last thing you want is for the pad to decide to stop working... Jablotron does offer a new one in exchange for returning the old one, which is a pretty good benefit. But we went a slightly different route — a portable breathing monitor, the Snuza Hero MD.

It runs on a battery you simply replace when the time comes. You can keep an eye on your little one anywhere — in the pram, in a bouncer,... wherever — which is great! The price is comparable to a pad-based breathing monitor. A great feature is the "wake" function that kicks in when the baby hasn't breathed for 15 seconds — the monitor vibrates and tries to rouse the baby.

In the time we've been using it we've only encountered one false positive. When you have a lively baby who loves kicking their legs, no matter how carefully you position it the sensor sometimes shifts and stops measuring. This happened to us mostly at the beginning when the umbilical cord stump was in the way.