The recent recall in the US of 1.7 million baby monitors highlights the need to make sure that they are always fitted and used correctly in order to make sure that children are safe. In this article I'm going to highlight some of the potential risks, and offer advice on how to make sure your baby monitor is fitted suitably.
The voluntary recall in the US of 1.7 million baby monitors is in response to two tragic deaths which have occurred as a result of babies managing to get the electric cord connecting the unit in the nursery to the mains power socket around their neck. Clearly any electric cord, cable or even blind cord represents a real danger and it is important that these are as far away from your child's cot as possible.
Of course it isn't always possible to have the cable well away from the cot because the monitor often needs to be reasonably close for you to be able to see and hear your child clearly.
The advice is that any baby monitor and any part of the monitor unit, including the electrical cable, is at least three feet away from the cot. Any good quality monitor will easily be able to pick up audio and video of your child from this distance, although some of the cheaper models on sale can struggle a little even at this distance.
This is where buying a good quality monitor is important, because you will be able to fit it well away from your child's cot, and still be able to rely on it for a good quality audio and video feed.
Digital baby monitors, especially those using DECT technology tend to be the best at delivering high quality audio without the static hiss and background noise common with analogue monitors.
If there is absolutely no way you can avoid having the cord close to the cot, make sure that it isn't loose at all. At the very least use plenty of plastic cable ties to keep the cord fixed firmly to the top rail of the cot, and allows no gap large enough even for a finger. This really isn't ideal, but at a pinch it would at least have saved the lives of the two US babies.
If you can't have your baby monitor further than three feet from the cot, and you can't tie the cable tightly with cable ties, then consider a batter operated monitor. Obviously the more features the monitor has, such as audio, video, temperature, talk back, night light, lullaby and remote control, the heavier it will be on batteries. If possible use rechargeable batteries and charge the monitor up during the day. At least with a battery operated monitor there are no wires to worry about.
Not of course that that completely eliminates the risks. The monitor unit itself could potentially be a hazard if it is not fixed firmly in place. If it is attached to the top of the cot, or to a nearby surface, there is a danger that if your baby can reach it they may inadvertently pull it down on top of them.
Even just plenty of vigorous bouncing could dislodge a monitor, and if it comes crashing down onto their soft head it could be very nasty indeed. Always make sure that the monitor is out of reach, and fixed or positioned in such a way that it can't possibly fall on your baby.
On the subject of cords and electric cables, a word of warning about sockets. Obviously it is vital that if you are plugging your baby monitor in to the electric wall socket your child cannot possibly reach this. If they were to pull on the cable and even slightly dislodge it their little fingers could possibly slip behind it and touch the exposed plug.
But something that is all too easy to overlook is the possibility of an unused electric socket close to the cot. It's not unheard of for a cot to be placed in the nursery before the baby arrives, and for the parents to completely forget that there is an electric socket on the wall behind the cot.
Small fingers can easily find these, and actually push into the open socket. In such cases it is best to either move the cot well away from the socket, or if this is simply not possible, fit electric socket protectors to any unused open socket in the area.
The voluntary recall in the US of 1.7 million baby monitors is in response to two tragic deaths which have occurred as a result of babies managing to get the electric cord connecting the unit in the nursery to the mains power socket around their neck. Clearly any electric cord, cable or even blind cord represents a real danger and it is important that these are as far away from your child's cot as possible.
Of course it isn't always possible to have the cable well away from the cot because the monitor often needs to be reasonably close for you to be able to see and hear your child clearly.
The advice is that any baby monitor and any part of the monitor unit, including the electrical cable, is at least three feet away from the cot. Any good quality monitor will easily be able to pick up audio and video of your child from this distance, although some of the cheaper models on sale can struggle a little even at this distance.
This is where buying a good quality monitor is important, because you will be able to fit it well away from your child's cot, and still be able to rely on it for a good quality audio and video feed.
Digital baby monitors, especially those using DECT technology tend to be the best at delivering high quality audio without the static hiss and background noise common with analogue monitors.
If there is absolutely no way you can avoid having the cord close to the cot, make sure that it isn't loose at all. At the very least use plenty of plastic cable ties to keep the cord fixed firmly to the top rail of the cot, and allows no gap large enough even for a finger. This really isn't ideal, but at a pinch it would at least have saved the lives of the two US babies.
If you can't have your baby monitor further than three feet from the cot, and you can't tie the cable tightly with cable ties, then consider a batter operated monitor. Obviously the more features the monitor has, such as audio, video, temperature, talk back, night light, lullaby and remote control, the heavier it will be on batteries. If possible use rechargeable batteries and charge the monitor up during the day. At least with a battery operated monitor there are no wires to worry about.
Not of course that that completely eliminates the risks. The monitor unit itself could potentially be a hazard if it is not fixed firmly in place. If it is attached to the top of the cot, or to a nearby surface, there is a danger that if your baby can reach it they may inadvertently pull it down on top of them.
Even just plenty of vigorous bouncing could dislodge a monitor, and if it comes crashing down onto their soft head it could be very nasty indeed. Always make sure that the monitor is out of reach, and fixed or positioned in such a way that it can't possibly fall on your baby.
On the subject of cords and electric cables, a word of warning about sockets. Obviously it is vital that if you are plugging your baby monitor in to the electric wall socket your child cannot possibly reach this. If they were to pull on the cable and even slightly dislodge it their little fingers could possibly slip behind it and touch the exposed plug.
But something that is all too easy to overlook is the possibility of an unused electric socket close to the cot. It's not unheard of for a cot to be placed in the nursery before the baby arrives, and for the parents to completely forget that there is an electric socket on the wall behind the cot.
Small fingers can easily find these, and actually push into the open socket. In such cases it is best to either move the cot well away from the socket, or if this is simply not possible, fit electric socket protectors to any unused open socket in the area.