Babymoov Expert Care monitor review

Babymoov’s range of monitors sells itself on the brand’s ‘Digital Green Technology’. Babies and children today are exposed to more wireless digital devices and electromagnetic waves than any generation before them and the debate rages, as to what - if any - effect this may have on their long-term health. Babymoov highlights the fact that babies absorb 60% more electromagnetic waves than adults, so they suggest it is especially important to protect them at this tender age.

Babymoov’s monitors have been shown to emit 33 times less electromagnetic waves than standard digital monitors – the lowest emission levels on the market, so if this is a concern for you, their products are well worth checking out. The Babymoov Premium Care Monitor is the brand’s best-selling monitor and at the mid to high end of their range. More expensive models have video monitoring; cheaper ones have fewer functions – such as night-lights and temperature alerts.

This one has visual, sound and vibration alerts that you can set as you wish, a 1400m range, five sensitivity and volume settings, a parent talk back function, a nightlight with five levels of brightness and a temperature monitor, with alerts when the room gets too hot or cold. It can also be paired with an extra transmitter, if you have more than one child to listen out for.

I was really excited about this baby monitor. It looks great and I felt - whatever the truth of the research into electromagnetic waves and their effect on our health – that I was making a responsible choice for my baby.

By the time I had spent what felt like eons digesting the instructions and trying to figure out if I had it working properly, my enthusiasm had waned somewhat.

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In terms of functionality, my main concern was that it doesn’t seem to be very sensitive. Even on the highest sensitivity setting, I only heard my baby when he started to cry, I didn’t hear the first snuffles of him waking up or any coughs or splutters. Perhaps because it does not transmit continuously?

On balance however, it does have all the functions I need - as well as some additional nice-to-haves, like temperature alerts and a night light with different brightness levels – and does the job perfectly well. Do we really need to hear a pin drop on our baby’s bedroom or just be alerted when he actually needs our attention?

What is the sound quality like?

I didn’t find the sound especially clear. I could hear when my baby was crying but I couldn’t use it to catch him when he first starts to rouse and I definitely missed the early snuffles of him waking up or other sounds in his room, like music or his brother sneaking in.

Is the monitor hack-free?

I believe that part of the way this system is made safer is that it doesn’t transmit constantly; so you don’t hear some of the more subtle noises your baby makes.

If you’re a more paranoid mum or just want to catch your baby the minute he stirs, this could be frustrating. The BT monitor we had previously was much more sensitive and had a clearer sound quality but otherwise, functionally there is little obvious difference.

Available to buy at Baby Monitors Direct, Tesco, Direct 2 Mum and other retailers

How was it with background noise?

It didn’t pick up the lullabies playing in our baby’s room or noise from cars on the road nearby but that did make me wonder if it was really picking up all his sounds too.

How easy was it to operate?

It took me a good hour to digest all the instructions and test them out, which seems excessive for a product that doesn’t have that many functions. Because of the very simple design, the controls are all via the ON/OFF button and touch screen, and then a series of indicator signals. It doesn’t help that the English language instructions in the instruction booklet are a very poor translation – there were times when I really struggled to understand what I was being asked to do and what I should expect to be seeing on the monitor.

What do you think of voice activation feature?

As mentioned previously, the brand avoids continuous transmitting and I think that’s a good thing. However, I’m not sure it picks up all the sound it could do – I do wonder if I would hear our baby having a good cough for example. For us – using the monitor with our second baby – we are a bit more relaxed than first time round and don’t worry too much about hearing every sound he makes but this monitor would have made me feel nervous with our first.

Is it easy to clean?

Yes – it doesn’t take much cleaning and is easy to dust and wipe down.

Is it easy to move about the house and transport?

It is easy to transport, as the units are small and don’t have endless cables. On the downside the short cables are a bit restrictive, as you have to have the transmitting unit within a metre of your sleeping child and you may not have a power socket that close to his cot (as we didn’t).

What do you think of the design?

I really like the modern fuss-free design. Though the level of minimalism probably does compromise functionality to some degree.

If you like this baby monitor, you may also want to check out the Babymoov Simply Care monitor or the BT Video Monitor 7500 Lightshow

What do you think of the low battery indicator?

Much like your mobile phone or many other digital devices, this monitor has a battery level icon, so you can see how much battery you have left – it also has a low battery alert. The receiver unit does need regular charging but you just need to get into the habit of keeping it in the charging dock.

MadeForMums Verdict

Once you have got your head around how this monitor works, this stylish looking system does the job and gives you peace of mind that whatever the truth of the research about the negative effects of electromagnetic waves, you aren’t making your child a guinea pig. If you do have concerns about exposing your child to waves, this is a great brand and monitor for you but if sensitivity to your baby’s every snuffle is more of a priority, you may wish to look at some other options.

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