Snuza Hero SE Review

Expected Reliability

In our testing, the Snuza did not have any false alarms, and online research indicates few reports of reliability concerns.

In our research, false alarms were minimal with children under six months of age. Incidents increase once babies start moving and rolling, as the sensor can be displaced from the abdomen, causing false alarms.

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A one-piece sleeper with the sensor in direct contact with the abdomen can reduce false alarms, but it makes the monitor harder to turn on or off, covers the indicator lights, and mutes the alarm sound. The Hero has an audible “tick” with every movement, designed to provide peace of mind for parents (if you can't see the indicator light).

Set Up

This monitor comes ready for use with the battery installed, though many remark that the batteries were dead in their new monitors.

The monitor has no setup required and works simply by turning it on and attaching it to your baby's diaper, making it the easiest option (by far) to set up.

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Ease of Use

Thanks to the vibration-stimulus feature, it has a slightly more complex interface. While it isn't hard to attach to your baby's diaper, it can be hard to do with a sleeping baby. We had to make it part of our routine to clip it on before the baby fell asleep.

The Hero is small enough to fit in the diaper bag and comes with a hard case to protect the sensor. You can use it in any stationary location where it is safe for the baby to nap, with no modifications necessary, making it an excellent choice for parents who travel or for babies who spend a significant amount of time away from home.

Monitoring Capabilities

The Snuza only monitors movement that indicates breathing. It does not offer position monitoring or other features like sound or video.

Alerts

The Hero has a vibration stimulus feature that emits a gentle vibration when 15 seconds of inactivity are detected. The vibration is designed to stimulate little ones out of deeper sleep and encourage movement/breathing without fully awakening them or causing crying from a loud in-nursery alarm.

If the monitor detects movement following the vibration, the alarm will not sound. If three vibration stimulus incidents occur, a “rouse warning” (one beep every 2 seconds) will sound to alert the parent. The rouse warning only works in its preset programmed mode, but you can turn it off. Because the alert only happens at the monitor, we recommend parents also use a sound or video monitor, so they can hear it in their room.

Electromagnetic Field (EMF)

In our tests, the Hero didn't emit any EMF (Volts/meter) over the ambient room EMF.

This EMF makes it a preferable wearable monitor to much of the other wearable competition, some of which have excessive EMF readings (in our opinion).

Should You Buy the Snuza?

If you just want a straightforward way to be alerted should your little one stop moving in a way indicative of breathing, the Snuza is your guy. This diaper clip-on is easy to use, has an early-warning vibration to help rouse deep-sleeping babies before the alarm goes off, and is more budget-friendly than more complicated options. It is perfect for travel as it requires no setup and no special mattress. The downside is that it only alerts in the nursery, and there is no camera, so you'll likely want to pair it with a video camera. But the upside is that it lets you buy the best video monitor without being boxed into only video options that also include movement monitoring.

What Other Movement Monitor Should You Consider?

If your budget is tighter and you also want a video camera, we think the Babysense True Sleep Movement is the perfect solution. It is a mattress sensor pad monitor that doesn't require a wearable, has a remote-controlled camera with a 350-degree field of view, sound activation, screen activation on the parent unit, and no WiFi or internet is required. It monitors movement indicative of breathing, which is all the information most parents need for peace of mind and better sleep.

Manufacturer Video