The Best Movement Monitors

The Best Movement Monitors

Full results from testing 6 top products are in our Product Comparison Table and Analysis & Test Results sections.

Wearable: Sock | Parent Unit: Smart Device

The Owlet Dream Duo 2 Smart is a vital-tracking video monitor with a wearable sock that tracks heart rate and blood oxygen saturation, among other sleep-related metrics. This monitor has a medical-grade sensor to track vitals that can send alerts to a base station and smartphone when the baby's level falls outside the set thresholds. We love the parent room alerts and the WiFi connectivity of the monitor, but it also uses Bluetooth to connect the sock to the base. In our tests, this monitor was easy to set up, easy to use, and had a user-friendly interface that was fun to play with. Our tester reports, “If you love gadgets and knowing everything, this is a cool monitor.” We think parents who gain peace of mind by having as much information as possible will like this monitor, and that it can lead to better sleep for some caregivers.

This monitor is expensive, with one of the highest monitor prices we've ever seen. However, it offers video and sound as well as vital tracking, so you get a lot for your money. It isn't the best choice for travel as the WiFi connection will not work on public WiFi like that found at hotels. This is where a dedicated monitor without a connection like the Snuza Hero SE could come in handy as a straightforward diaper clip. Also, this monitor is not a medical device and should not be used with babies for medical purposes. We worry parents could get confused and not use the monitor correctly, or it could cause undue anxiety, having too much information that might not be 100% correct. Our main concern, however, is about the volume of the alerts. In our tests, the alerts were only 55 dBa, and we worry that this is not loud enough for deep sleeping or overly tired parents. Overall, we like the Owelt and think parents who find comfort in knowing more will like its design and functionality.

Read more: Owlet Dream Duo Smart review

Wearable: Diaper Clip | Parent Unit: None

The Snuza Hero SE is a straightforward wearable that monitors movement that indicates breathing by clipping to a diaper edge. This monitor has an in-nursery alarm that goes off after a vibration stimulation is used to rouse little ones from a deep sleep where movement might stop. In our tests, the volume of this alert was 56 dBa when the alarm started. First, it would vibrate, and if no movement occurred after 15 seconds, the alarm would go off. We like the simple design, the easy-to-use interface, and the quick setup. Our tester said, “This monitor is so easy to use and clip onto the diaper, even a grandparent could use it with confidence.”

This wearable is relatively bulky and could be uncomfortable or difficult to place if wearing certain types of clothing. The similar style Levana Oma is somewhat smaller and could be less bulky or easier to place. The Snuza also only alerts inside the nursery. While this is the fastest way to stimulate your baby, it could go unheard by parents. However, this can be mitigated with the addition of a sound monitor or video monitor, or if you have your little one sleep in a bedside bassinet in your room. Monitors like the Owlet Dream Duo 2 alert in the parents' room via a base station with sound and light, and send a push notification to a connected smart device, such as a smartphone. We love the Snuza and think it is a great choice for those who want to monitor movement without all the confusing bells and whistles or for those who travel frequently and need an on-the-go option.

Read more: Snuza Hero SE review

Wearable: Diaper Clip | Parent Unit: None

The Levana Oma is another clip monitor with a smaller profile than the Snuza Hero SE. It is a single-goal monitor offering an in-nursery alarm after a vibration designed to startle little ones into movement before the audible alarm goes off. In our tests, the monitor had an audible alert of 46 dBa after 15 seconds of vibration. This is quieter than the Snuza, but it is right on the baby, so loud enough for the baby to hear. This monitor is easy to use, travel-friendly, and cheaper than competitors. Our tester states, “This option is so easy to take on travel and works well when vacationing or staying in the same room with baby away from home.”

The Levana Oma has a quieter in-nursery alarm that parents are unlikely to hear in other parts of the house away from the baby. Pairing with a sound monitor can help resolve this issue, or using a monitor with communication to a parent device like the Owlet Dream Duo 2 is also an option. This clip also has a shorter lifespan than the all-in-one monitors with video and sound (including the Nanit Pro Complete), and it only does one thing, which means you might need another monitor if you want sound or video. Overall, the Levana is a no-muss, no-fuss movement monitor that does all you need it to do if your goal is monitoring movement indicative of breathing.

Read more: Levana Oma review

Product Comparison Table

Displaying 1 - 6 (scroll right to see all products)

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	#1 Compare: Owlet Dream Duo 2 Smart	#2 Compare: Snuza Hero SE	#3 Compare: Levana Oma	#4 Compare: Nanit Pro Complete	#5 Compare: Sense-U Baby v3	#6 Compare: Babysense 7
Awards	Best Overall Movement Monitor	Best For Simplicity	Best Movement on a Budget
Price	$400 List Check Amazon (on sale!)	$120 List Check Price at Amazon	$100 List Check Amazon (on sale!)	$380 List Check Amazon (on sale!)	$200 List Check Amazon (on sale!)	$130 List Check Amazon (on sale!)
Overall Score	82	78	72	72	70	60
Star Rating	1 2 3 4 5	1 2 3 4 5	1 2 3 4 5	1 2 3 4 5	1 2 3 4 5	1 2 3 4 5
Bottom Line	An expensive all-in-one monitor that offers it all, but the sock alerts are so quiet they may not rouse deep sleepers	Reliable clip-style wearable with a unique vibration stimulus and portable design	Portable simplicity and vibration rousing make it an interesting option that is often on sale	A smart monitor that does it all for a premium price but requires good Wifi, a personal device, and a possible subscription	A button wearable that is a WiFi connection and pairs with your smart device and base station, but only pairs with one phone	Straightforward option with two sensor pads but no parent device or adjustable sensor sensitivity
Pros	Medical-grade sensor, easy setup, longer battery life	Portable, simple, vibration stimulus, no EMF	Portable, wearable, fewer false alarms, vibration rousing feature	Easy wearable, multiple functions, decent reliability	Alert color-coded base station, decent reliability, WiFi connectivity, parent unit alerts, positioning information	Alarm and lights, 2 sensor pads, no cords
Cons	Bluetooth and WiFi required, quiet vital alerts, harder to apply sock, very expensive	No parent unit, harder to attach, shorter battery life	Loud nursery-only alarm, hard to attach to sleeping baby, only monitors one thing	Expensive, flimsy plug connection to camera, subscription required for all features, false alarms -requires smartphone "	Range issues, some false alarms, requires a smartphone, only pairs to one phone	Nursery alarm, no parent unit, no sensitivity adjustment
Rating Categories	Owlet Dream Duo 2 Smart	Snuza Hero SE	Levana Oma	Nanit Pro Complete	Sense-U Baby v3	Babysense 7
Expected Reliability (25%)	7.8	8.1	7.6	7.8	6.8	7.7
Set-up (20%)	8.5	9.3	9.2	6.2	7.3	6.4
Ease of Use (20%)	8.2	8.4	8.0	6.5	7.4	6.0
Monitoring Capability (20%)	8.5	5.8	5.8	8.0	5.8	5.5
Alerts (15%)	7.8	7.2	4.8	7.4	8.0	3.6
Specifications	Owlet Dream Duo 2 Smart	Snuza Hero SE	Levana Oma	Nanit Pro Complete	Sense-U Baby v3	Babysense 7
Monitoring Type	Pulse Rate, Oxygen Level, Wakings, Sleep State, Sound, Motion, and Cry Detection	Movement	Movement	Movement, Sound, Video, Activity	Movement, Position, Activity	Movement
Recommended Age	1-18 mo	Not Listed	0-6mo	Breathing Monitor: 0-24 mo Swaddle: 6mo and under Breathing Band is size dependant and comes in 2 sizes - S (0 to 3mo) or L (3 - 24mo)	roll-over alarm is for babies up to 6 months	0-12mo
Sensor Type	Wearable	Wearable	Wearable	Wearable	Wearable	Sensor Pad
Baby Alert	No	Yes	Yes	No	No	Yes
Parent Unit	Smartphone, Base Station	No	No	Smartphone	Smartphone	No
EMF (at baby)	0.521 V/m	No increase above ambient	0.20 V/m	0.37 V/m	2.50 V/m	1.10 V/m
Adjustable Sensitivity	Yes	No	No	No	No	No
Wireless Mobility	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Warranty	1 Year	1 Year	1 Year	1 year Limited	1 Year	1 Year
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How We Tested

We purchase all of the movement style monitors in this review (as well as all baby gear we test). The products are tested side-by-side for ease of use, EMF, false alarms, and features. We used two different brand EMF meters during testing to ensure accurate readings for each product and across models.

Our testing of movement monitors for babies covers 5 rating metrics:

• Expected Reliability (25% of overall score weighting)
• Set up (20% weighting)
• Ease of Use (20% weighting)
• Monitoring Capabilities (20% weighting)
• Alerts (15% weighting)
• EMF (informational purposes only)

Since 2012, we've purchased and tested more than 25 movement monitors and over 100 monitors across multiple monitoring types. Our tests include multiple tests per metric to rate reliability and other functions.

Movement products are subjected to more than 27 individual tests to rank performance. The critical metric for movement monitors is the reliability score, which corresponds to 25% of the overall movement score. Our Reliability results combine real-life experience during testing and extensive research online to capture the experience of a vast swath of users. We record and rank reports related to reliability, false positives, and potential failures. We test and compare everything about the monitors, from the user interface and setup to the daily functioning and alerts or alarms offered by the monitors. This new round of monitors offers more than any other group we've tested in this category. With advances in technologies and changes in monitoring goals, it was a wild ride making comparisons and running tests with tiny testers.

Why Trust GearLab

Consideration for inclusion in our movement monitor review begins with our founder, , board-certified pediatrician Dr. Juliet Spurrier. Dr. Spurrier chooses products with safety and efficacy in mind. The in-house test team is led by Bob Wofford, father of 7, and our Senior Review Analyst. Wendy Schmitz, a Senior Review Editor, helps with the test analysis and ranking of products to determine award winners. Over time, we have tested 14 different monitors designed for movement monitoring. Our vast experience over the last seven years helps us provide the details you need to find the right monitor for your baby.

Analysis and Test Results

We purchased and tested each movement monitor in this review for expected reliability, setup, ease of use, alerts, and more.

What's the Best Value?

This category features several value products. Depending on your goals and needs, you can find a great movement monitor without breaking the bank. The best budget item in our review is the Levana Oma. This straightforward clip monitor is easy to use and offers better-than-expected reliability, according to our research. It has a reasonable price tag and feels durable enough to be used with subsequent children. It is easy to use and good for travel because there is no setup or WiFi required. If you want video, sund, or other vital monitoring, the price jumps steeply. However, depending on your short- and long-term goals, these do-it-all monitors can be a good investment, and we would consider them a good value over several years of use. The Owlet will provide years of use as a video and sound monitor long after your little one outgrows the sock, while the Levana Oma's lifespan will be over before your child turns one.

Expected Reliability

Parents purchase monitors to gain peace of mind that they can sleep and still monitor their new baby should the little one need help in the middle of the night. Movement monitors should keep tabs on movement that indicates breathing is occurring as expected, thereby helping ease fears and concerns.

Expected Reliability Performance Ratings

Product	User Experience	In-house	Connectivity
Snuza Hero v2	8.0	9.0	9.0
Babysense 7	8.0	8.0	9.0
Nanit Pro	9.0	8.0	8.0
Owlet Dream Duo	7.0	9.0	9.0
Levana Oma	6.0	9.0	9.0
Sense-U Baby v3	7.0	8.0	6.0

If a monitor doesn't function as expected, then it is unlikely to help ease anxiety and won't increase your odds of getting a better night's sleep. While you might be worried the alarm won't go off when it should, false alarms are also a concern.

User Experience

False alarms can be a frightening experience (for parents and babies) and often leave more questions than answers. Their occurrence makes reliability a critical consideration, and it is the number one complaint of most parents when it goes wrong. Historically, in our experience, the sensor pads were the most reliable because there is no risk that the sensor will move or become dislodged. Products like the Babysense 7 reported fewer false alarms than wearable products when properly set up and for infants who have not begun to roll or move significantly during sleep.

Traditionally, analysis indicated that the primary cause of false alarms was the loss of contact between the wearable monitor and the baby's body, leading to a lack of movement sensing or vital-sign tracking. As your baby becomes mobile, there is a chance a wearable product will lose contact with the baby, especially for diaper-clip wearables like the Snuza Hero SE, Levana Oma, and socks like the Owlet. For this reason, the sensor pads were expected to result in fewer false alarms, as they cover a wide area of the mattress and are not dependent on a calm, stationary baby.

The BabySense 7 comes with two pads, potentially leading to even fewer false alarms, as it covers more of the area than the single pad used by some competitors. However, it seems that external factors can influence how well these sensor pads work, and things like an overhead fan or a vibrating air filter can cause the monitor to operate poorly.

In-House Testing and Analysis

Recently, in our research and analysis, we've seen an increase in reports indicating that wearable monitors are proving more reliable, with fewer false alarms. Users, by and large, report fewer false alarms or problems with the wearable options than they did in the past, and analysis suggests they might actually be more reliable than the sensor pads when used correctly. While any device can fail if it becomes detached from the baby or isn't used as directed, most wearables performed well and offered parents peace of mind by not alerting them when everything is fine. The button-style monitor, like the Sense-U, attaches to the clothing and seems less likely to dislodge or stop transmitting. The Nanit Pro Complete has a wrap that is also unlikely to be dislodged and is then “read” by the Nanit camera to monitor breathing. As long as the wearables stay connected, they seem to be the more reliable option. Wearables like the Owlet Dream Duo 2 also offer more nuanced details about your baby's sleep experience, which could lead to better results with greater accuracy. However, for some parents, that level of detail could increase anxiety rather than help.

Connectivity

Connectivity is the monitor's ability to communicate with the components it needs to alert parents when a problem arises. Some monitors, like the Owlet, include a sock and base station that must be close enough to stay connected via Bluetooth for the “prompt” alert to work. If the sock can't connect to the base station, no prompt will appear. Other options, like the wearable Sense-U, need to maintain connectivity to your smart device, and connectivity issues can cause failure. If you have concerns about connectivity via Bluetooth or WiFi, a simple clip-on wearable like the Levana Oma or the Snuza does not require electronic connectivity and only needs to have contact with your baby's body.

Overall Expected Reliability

Finding a reliable monitor is more challenging than you think. Ultimately, we think a product's reliability is heavily impacted by using the product according to the manufacturer's directions every single time. We encourage all parents to read and reread their instructions or contact customer service if reliability is problematic.

The highest-ranking option for expected reliability is the Snuza Hero SE. The Owlet Dream Duo 2, Babysense 7, and Nanit Pro Complete come in close behind.

Setup

Some of the competition offer a super simple setup that includes putting in a battery, turning it on, and attaching it to your baby. Other monitors require a ladder, a stud finder, camera placement, an app download, an account setup, and even a subscription. While any first-time setup is typically a one-time deal, it could be something you struggle with if you aren't comfortable with tools or if you hope to use your monitor away from home.

Setup Performance Ratings

Product	Install	Power up	Re-install
Levana Oma	9.0	9.0	10.0
Snuza Hero v2	10.0	8.0	10.0
Owlet Dream Duo	9.0	8.0	8.0
Sense-U Baby v3	8.0	6.0	8.0
Babysense 7	5.0	8.0	7.0
Nanit Pro	6.0	7.0	5.0

Install/Re-install

Each monitor is different and requires a different level of installation. The Nanit Pro requires a camera and a breathing band to work, and it needs to be at a certain location looking down to work properly. It is probably the most intensive installation process in the group. The Nanit Pro requires a camera to be mounted above the crib or on a stand (sold separately). They have wires to route, studs to find, and apps to download. You need to set up an account, and you may or may not need a subscription down the road. While they might come with almost everything you need for installation, it is much more work than plugging in and using a monitor. You must prep these before your little one is ready for bed.

The easiest to set up/install are the two diaper clips (Levana and Snuza) that require nothing more than ensuring the battery is in place, turning them on, and clipping them to the diaper or clothing (read your manual). Sock wearables like the Owlet somewhat split the difference as you don't need to set up the camera to monitor vitals; you do need to download an app, open an account, and then pair the base station to the sock and smart device.

Powering Up

Powering up includes whether the unit requires an app or a smart device, and which power source it uses: battery or wall plug. All of the WiFi monitors require a smart device and the download of an app. The clip-style options like the Snuza and the Levana do not require a parent unit or an app. This makes them super easy to set up and use quickly, assuming the battery is good. We'd recommend keeping a spare battery on hand for those inevitable dead batteries since neither can be recharged. The lowest-scoring product for powering up is the Sense-U, as it requires an app, a disposable battery for the sensor, and a wall plug for the base unit.

Overall Setup

Overall setup could be a critical metric or a one-off no-brainer depending on the monitor, its needs, and your comfort level with technology and app-paired devices. The Snuza Hero and the Levana Oma Sense are the easiest to set up and use, as there is nothing to do but insert the battery, clip it to a diaper, and turn it on. It can be done easily over and over with no issues or concerns about power, internet, smart devices, or battery charging. As previously mentioned, keep some spare batteries on hand to avoid a nighttime headache. Otherwise, you are good to go. The lowest setup score was earned by the Nanit. The Nanit has a lot of parts and pieces, and it works best with a dialed-in setup of the camera at certain angles. Once it is up, we suspect parents won't want to repeat the process. It also requires a wearable band, a portable stand, a wall outlet for the camera, WiFi, and a smart device with a paired app. If you only plan to do it once, it isn't terrible, but if you travel frequently, it could be a deal-breaker.

Ease of Use

Parents should consider how challenging a monitor is to use. Factors such as functionality, buttons, settings, smartphone interface, and battery changes all come into play for this metric.

Ease of Use Performance Ratings

Product	Interface	Portability	Connectivity
Snuza Hero v2	7.6	9.5	9.0
Levana Oma	6.7	9.5	9.0
Owlet Dream Duo	8.6	7.6	8.0
Sense-U Baby v3	8.6	7.6	5.0
Babysense 7	5.7	5.7	7.0
Nanit Pro	7.6	4.8	6.0

Our testing included reviewing the user interface compared to the competition, how portable the unit is, how it connects, and the reliability of the connection to a parent unit if one is available (including smartphones).

Interface

A straightforward or intuitive user interface can make more complicated gadgets easier to use. However, nothing trumps a simple monitor with only a few buttons that only does one thing. If easy-to-use is your main goal, then the Snuza Hero SE and the Levana Oma are the best choices. Most of the competition here requires downloading an app and connecting a smart device to a monitor, camera, or wearable of some type.

Some apps can be intuitive with familiar icons and obvious menus, while others have mysterious icons that don't mean what you think and confusing menus that require too many clicks to get where you want to go. We prefer interfaces where the most popularly used features and functions are on a central dashboard, and details and settings are no more than 1-2 clicks from the central dashboard. Finding the details you need when sleep-deprived in the middle of the night should not be an involved process. Simplicity is key.

The Snuza Hero SE and the Levana Oma are extremely portable, do not require extra parts or a smartphone, and have only a few buttons. They are easy to attach to little ones and easy to operate with only a few minutes of manual review. If you want the quickest, easiest, most portable options, you can't go wrong with the clip-on monitor. For app-driven options, the Owlet Dream Duo 2 and Sense-U have the easiest layouts to navigate and menus to understand.

Portability

Portability includes evaluating which options are the easiest to take on the road with you when you travel or for trips to grandma's house. In short, the wearable options are far easier to take when traveling due to their smaller size and the way they function. Next up would be the sock-style monitors set up with the base station and smartphone, but without their cameras. The sensor pad-style monitors require a specific mattress and a hard surface beneath. They also involve a fairly intensive setup. This means that when you reach your destination, there is a chance you'll need to modify the crib offered to you, and it may not be suitable for working with your monitor at all. The diaper clips are the best travel choice as they do not require WiFi, mounting, or a special mattress.

Connectivity

Connectivity in this metric is a connection between the nursery unit and the parent device. The clip-on options do not require connectivity, making them very travel and set-up-friendly. The Sense-U v3 needs to connect with your smartphone, and depending on where you are, this could be a tenuous connection. The Nanit Pro requires WiFi and should work wherever you have internet connectivity. We believe, though your experience could vary, that the Owlet cannot be used with public WiFi like that in a hotel for security purposes. You might be able to use the sock with the base station using Bluetooth only. They also require a split WiFi router because you need 2.4 GHz to make the initial connection. It could be the best option for travel, both for portability and for connectivity, that the Snuza Hero and the Levana Oma are the easiest to use and could be paired with an easy-to-use sound monitor.

Overall Ease of Use

Ease of use is somewhat subjective and dependent on your monitoring goals and your comfort level with technology. If you want the easiest option with the least amount of prior experience or manual reading, the Snuza Hero SE or Levana Oma takes the cake. If you want more functionality but still like an intuitive option, the *Owlet Dream Duo 2 is a great choice with less setup and confusion than something like the Nanit Pro or BabySense 7, which requires a special mattress type and crib surface. The Nanit is the hardest to use thanks to a complicated setup, an involved app (though intuitive), and how prohibitively difficult it would be to travel with.

Monitoring Capabilities

In the days of yore, okay, maybe not that long ago, movement monitors typically didn't do much else. Now, there are more monitors that do a significant amount more.

Monitoring Performance Ratings

Product	Features	Requirements	Adjustability
Owlet Dream Duo	9.0	8.0	8.0
Nanit Pro	8.0	7.0	9.0
Levana Oma	5.0	9.0	4.0
Snuza Hero v2	5.0	9.0	4.0
Babysense 7	5.0	8.0	4.0
Sense-U Baby v3	6.0	4.0	7.0

Features

While each monitor is different, and basic options are still available, some now offer sound, video, temperature sensors, vital trackers, sleep trackers, and more.

The Snuza Hero and the Levana Oma are wearable monitors that do nothing else except monitor a baby for movement indicative of breathing. To be clear, they do not track breathing; rather, they attempt to monitor movement that is indicative of breathing. These options alert inside the nursery, right at the clip, and they do not relay any information outside the nursery or to a parent device or smartphone. The Sense-U steps it up a bit and is a button that transmits movement indicative of breathing and other information to an app on your smart device. The Sense-U can report sleep position and some sleep tracking data.

Alternatively, the Owlet and Nanit Pro all include a camera for video and sound capabilities. The Owlet performs better than the Nanit, as the video for the Nanit isn't as impressive, and the setup is intensive. Both can also report on room temperature and humidity.

Requirements

Requirements are an assessment of what is required to make the monitor work. Does it require a special wearable? WiFi? Smart device? Camera? The Snuza and the Levana do not require anything but a diaper to clip to, making them the lowest level of requirements to work, but they monitor the least amount of things.

Adjustability

Most of the options do not offer sensitivity to what is being monitored, thresholds for vitals, or volumes for alerts. The Nanit is the most adjustable, with sensitivity adjustments for sound, motion, temperature, and humidity. The Owlet comes in a close second for this sub-metric with vital threshold adjustability before prompts are sent.

Overall Monitoring Capability

If you want something that can be turned on, clipped in place, and ready to go, it is hard to top the Snuza or Levana. Nothing gets easier than this. However, you will be forgoing other desirable monitoring experiences that can help bring peace of mind for better sleeping. Top performers for monitoring capabilities are the Owlet Dream Duo 2 and the Nanit Pro.

Alerts

A movement monitor is only as good as its ability to alert you or your baby that there is a problem. If the alert or alarm associated with no movement is insufficient to rouse your baby or you, then it isn't useful in the way we think parents want.

Alerts Performance Ratings

Product	Persistence	Adjustabilitiy
Sense-U Baby v3	8.0	8.0
Owlet Dream Duo	9.0	7.0
Snuza Hero v2	9.0	6.0
Nanit Pro	5.0	9.0
Levana Oma	9.0	2.0
Babysense 7	6.0	2.0

In the past, most of the monitors had an in-nursery alarm with the idea that it would rouse the baby and they would begin to breathe, with the idea of the parent being alerted as secondary. The problem is that false alarms can result in unnecessary and potentially traumatizing and startling awakenings for no reason. This could affect sleep hygiene for babies and caregivers over time, with no real benefit. In our current round of monitors, many of them only alert on the parent device/smartphone, which might be better for false alarms, but could go unnoticed by a sleep-exhausted parent who sleeps through the alarm or alert.

To complicate matters, it is difficult to get all of the monitors to alert if you have a breathing baby, and some refused to be tricked by our lifelike doll stand-in. As a result, our alert testing and scoring are based on the kind of alerts the monitor offers, how that alert or alarm is relayed, and what, if any, adjustability it has in the monitor or the volume and occurrence of the alarm. These scores should not be confused with alarm volume and whether or not the alert or alarm will rouse you from a deep sleep. Whether or not an alarm will wake you is both a product of the alarm volume and your ability to sleep through it. If you know you are a deep sleeper who could sleep through an alarm clock with ease, this is important to consider when making a buying decision.

Adjustability and Alarm Volume

Depending on your house size, where the nursery is, and if the monitor is covered, an in-nursery alarm (like those on the Snuza Hero and the Levana Oma Sense) could be hard to hear. Because of this, we highly recommend that monitors without parent units be combined with a sound or video monitor if you hope to hear what is happening in the nursery. This solution could be a good choice for lighter sleepers, as many video and sound monitors have maximum volumes near 100 dBa.

Alternatively, monitors that do not alert inside the nursery and rely on rousing a snoozing parent in the primary bedroom must be loud enough to wake them. In our tests, the Owlet Drem Duo 2 is fairly quiet at 55 dBa, but we worry that the volume level is loud enough to wake deep sleepers. These “prompts” (as both companies call them) are supposed to alert when the baby's vitals go outside preset thresholds and require caregiver attention. In our opinion, it is a misstep that neither can be adjusted louder for deep sleepers.

Electromagnetic Fields (EMF)

The jury is still out on the effects of EMF on the human body and the sensitive developing systems of babies. Nevertheless, we believe there is enough evidence to indicate potential harm, so we think parents should consider the EMF (Volts/meter) emitted by all products in use near their little ones. We believe that a “better safe than sorry” approach is smart and that parents should make thoughtful and informed choices when selecting products that emit EMF. Every home has an ambient EMF level, and each new product brought into the home can increase the EMF emissions. However, putting an EMF-emitting device directly on your baby is entirely different in our minds. It is a nonessential practice, and we think parents should weigh the pros and cons before doing so. This concern is why we test each product to determine how much EMF it generates.

The highest level of EMF on average is the Sense-u Baby with readings of 2.5 V/m. The remainder didn't register an EMF level above the average ambient room reading during testing. The lowest EMF average was from the Levana Oma Sense at 0.20 V/m.

For some perspective, we also tested the EMF on a smartphone in various configurations of Bluetooth and WiFi, with active and non-active calling, and some wearable fitness monitors. This testing provides comparable information on how the wearable monitors' EMF compares to items we use or wear daily. We believe parents can better relate to this data, given the rising concerns about radiation from cell phones and cancer. A smartphone with WiFi on and making a call measured 17 V/m at a one-inch distance. At 1 inch away from the meter, the Fitbit has an average reading of 3 V/m.

Even though conclusive data about how much EMF is dangerous is lacking (and will likely remain so for ethical reasons), we don't recommend high EMF emitting products for the first six months (when movement monitors are useful), especially as there are excellent alternatives that do not have this issue. Babies are more susceptible to EMF than adults because they are still developing and have thinner skulls. Given this information, we are concerned that some baby monitoring products have significantly higher EMF than the adult products we hear about.

How to Pick the Best Movement Monitor

Finding the right monitor for your needs might include a movement monitor that helps track movement and indicates regular breathing. This should not be confused with motion monitors for security that track the gross motor movements of objects entering the frame. While you might not need this kind of monitor, if you think you do, you have a few things to consider.

Wearable?

The first consideration is probably determining if you want a straightforward wearable or a more involved system that has more setup. The wearables in this group are largely portable and simple, with alarms that happen in the nursery. These can be great for travel or pairing with a video or sound monitor. These monitors are often easy to use, easy to set up, and work well with few false alarms. Alternatively, non-wearable options have a longer first-time setup but have minimal things to do over time, do not require a baby to wear anything, and often combine other features like a parent unit, video, or sound features.

Video or Sound?

If you are looking for a one-and-done solution, several modern-day competitors offer that. With some options offering sound and alerts to a parent unit and one of our favorites offering the full meal deal with video, there is something for everyone and every monitoring goal.

Conclusion

Some parents find that this type of monitor provides peace of mind they would not otherwise have. However, movement monitors are not medical devices; you shouldn't rely on them to prevent SIDS or monitor any medical condition or issue. If using a movement monitor can help increase your odds of a good night's sleep, you might consider making it a part of your nursery and monitoring routine. There is likely something for everyone in our broad lineup. Whether you want a video combination or just a simple wearable, we've tested them all. Sweet dreams!

No matter what kind of monitoring decisions you make, nothing replaces safe and smart sleeping practices to reduce the risk of SIDs. Babies must always sleep on their back, in their own space, on a firm surface, using only a tight-fitting sheet for bedding (no blankets, lovies, stuffed animals, pillows, bumpers, etc.). Providing a safe and comfortable sleep space for your little one is more crucial than choosing any monitoring device. This safe space should have good airflow with a fan or air filter nearby to increase circulation. There should be no smoking, and the room should be a comfortable temperature for an adult in lightweight clothing (no overheating the space or keeping it too cool).