Best Baby Breathing Monitor (2023)

If you’re in a hurry and just want to find out what the best baby breathing monitor is, I’d recommend the Babysense 7.

It’s not uncommon for new parents to spend a lot of time worrying about their little bundle of joy. This is particularly true at night when your mind races and you wonder if baby is ok. For that reason, a lot of parents look to baby breathing monitors to provide peace of mind, and hopefully help them get a little much needed rest.

In this article, I am breaking down the best baby breathing monitors, and in the end, I’ll choose the winner.

Here are the baby breathing monitors I will be reviewing:

• Angelcare Movement and Sound Monitor
• Babysense 7
• Snuza Go!
• Sense-U Baby
• MonBaby Breathing and Rollover Baby Monitor
• NANNY Baby Movement European Monitor
• Levana Oma Sense Portable Baby Breathing Monitor

Types Of Baby Breathing Monitors

The two main types of baby breathing monitors are mat monitors and wearable monitors. Each type has its own advantages and disadvantages, so you will want to take a look to see which one is right for you.

Mat Monitors

Mat monitors are placed on a hard surface under your baby’s mattress. These baby breathing monitors have very sensitive sensors that are able to detect very small movements.

Mat monitors are considered the most reliable breathing monitors. They also tend to produce far less false alarms than wearable monitors.

The biggest drawback with mat monitors is that they are not very portable. So, if you travel with your baby, you will probably end up leaving your mat monitor behind. One reason they are tough to travel with is that you need to place the sensors on a hard surface. Generally, this means purchasing or finding a piece of wood or a board to put on top of your crib springs. These breathing monitors also tend to require a bit of work to install, compared to wearable monitors that simply clip on.

Wearable Monitors

Wearable monitors clip onto baby’s diaper, clothing, or sleepwear. So, it’s easy to take them with you whenever you and baby go on a trip.

In addition to monitoring breathing patterns, a lot of wearable monitors can track temperature and other types of movements. Some will even let you know if baby rolls from back to stomach.

The biggest drawback with wearable monitors is that they tend to produce a lot of false alarms, particularly once baby starts moving and rolling around. Often times, the wearable device becomes loose or falls off when baby moves. As a result, it stops detecting movement and the alarm goes off. While this isn’t the worst thing in the world, a false alarm will probably get your heart rate racing if it wakes you up in the middle of the night.

Benefits Of Baby Breathing Monitors

The biggest benefit that these devices deliver is peace of mind. I can tell you that in the early days, particularly with our first child, we worried about everything. There were a lot of nights that I would lean in close to my son to try and listen for breathing to make sure everything was ok. A breathing monitor would probably have helped me to relax a little. Some of these baby breathing monitors even measure baby’s heart rate and oxygen levels in addition to breathing patterns.

That said, there are no breathing monitors that have been proven to prevent sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). So, while they might help, it’s still important to follow the AAP’s recommendations for safe sleep.

My Top Baby Breathing Monitor Reviews

Personally, I prefer mat monitors with sensor pads since they are generally considered to be more reliable. That said, there is a strong case to be made for wearable monitors, since they are easy to travel with, and track more than just baby’s breathing. I have included both mat breathing monitors and wearable breathing monitors below, so that you can pick the one that is right for you.

Angelcare Movement And Sound Monitor

This is a pretty impressive mat monitor that deserves serious consideration.

This baby monitor is able to sense each and every one of your baby’s movements. If there is no movement detected after 20 seconds, an alarm will sound.

It comes with a full color digital display which is easy to read, and it’s capable of monitoring your baby’s movement, sounds, and room temperature. While you might be purchasing this device to monitor breathing and movement, it’s a nice bonus to have temperature and audio included as well.

The parent unit is portable and rechargeable. So, you can move around the house with confidence.

It has a nursery light that provides a gentle glow. So, you are able to find your way around whenever your walk into your baby’s room.

The open field range is up to 820 feet, but the indoor range is more like 262 – 328 feet. This is pretty good compared to most other breathing monitors. It also has an out of range indicator to let you know when you’re out of range.

This one gets good marks for reliability and for not producing too many false alarms. While these aren’t the end of the world, they can be a little stressful and anxiety producing. So, it’s nice if they can be avoided.

The biggest drawback is that set up takes some time, and some parents reported that the directions are a little complicated. You need to put a board (or something hard) on top of the crib springs. Then, slide the sensor pad on top of the board, under the crib mattress. You can purchase a board for this purpose or find one around the house.

Babysense 7

The Babysense 7 is an impressive mat monitor. In fact, I think it’s the best baby breathing monitor for most parents.

This one sounds an alarm if no movement is detected for 20 seconds or if the rate of movements slows to less that 10 micro movements per minute.

It comes with two sensor pads to ensure that the entire crib is covered. If there were only one sensor pad, it could set off an alarm when baby rolled too far away. This one also comes with enhanced sensitivity features to cut down on false alarms even further.

Parents report that installation is super easy and only takes a few minutes. As a new parent, you have a lot to worry about. So, being able to get this installed quickly and easily is one less thing to consider. You do need to place the sensors on a piece of wood or hard surface so that they work properly. Some parents purchase boards for this purpose, and others find them around the house.

The biggest drawback with this one is that the blue light that indicates that the baby monitor is turned on is too bright. Some parents have resorted to covering it or drawing over it with permanent marker to dampen the light.

Snuza Go!

The Snuza Go! is a really nice wearable breathing monitor. In fact, if you prefer to go with a wearable monitor, this is the one that I would recommend.

This device clips onto your baby’s diaper, and then tracks them while they sleep. This design makes it really easy to take with you any time you travel.

An audible alarm can be set to go off after 15, 18, or 20 seconds with no movement depending on your preference. There is also a movement rate indicator to warn you if movements are weak or infrequent. You will receive an alert if baby’s abdominal movements fall to less than 8 movements per minute.

The biggest issue with this one is that you will receive lots of false alarms. Any time the device falls off or the diaper becomes too loose, it will fail to detect movement and an alarm will go off. This happens with greater frequency once your baby starts moving and rolling around.

False alarms have a tendency to make your heart race the first few times when you wake up and worry that your baby isn’t breathing. After a while, you will probably get used to it, and just go check on your little one and re-secure the device, but it will disrupt your sleep. Still, they are not the worst thing in the world as long as the device  works properly when there is actual danger.

Sense-U Baby

This one is a wearable monitor that connects with your smartphone.

This baby monitor provides you with notifications if baby is not breathing, or if breathing is too weak or too fast. It will also let you know when your baby rolls from back to stomach. This is quite useful since it’s safest for infants to sleep on their back.

The Sense-U Baby also tracks the ambient temperature and humidity level around baby. This extra bit of information can be nice, and help prevent your little one from overheating or getting too cold.

This device works by clipping onto your baby’s sleepwear. Its design makes it very easy to take with you if you travel.

Since this connects to your smartphone via Bluetooth, the range is limited to about 50 feet. A lot of parents use this when they are in the same room as their baby.

The biggest drawback is that there are a lot of false alarms. That’s true of all wearable monitors since they will fall off or become loose from time to time. In addition, some parents report that this one sends way too many weak breathing alerts.

MonBaby Breathing And Rollover Baby Monitor

This is another breathing monitor that connects to your smartphone.

For both iPhones and Android phones, this will connect via Bluetooth. So, it works best when the smartphone and sensor are in the same room. If you have an Android phone, you can also use the free MonBridge app to extend it’s range.

This one provides alerts when baby stops breathing, rolls from back to stomach, falls, or if there is some other unusual activity.

The design makes this one easy to take with you whenever you and baby travel.

The biggest issue is that, like other wearable movement monitors, there are a lot of false alarms. Parents note in particular that the fall alert seems to go off way too frequently.

Parents also noted that the battery life is not great.

NANNY Baby Movement European Monitor

This is an official medical device used in hospitals in Europe, so you know your baby is in safe hands.

The Nanny Baby Movement Monitor is easy to set up—simply slip the sensor mat under your baby’s mattress and turn the baby monitor on. The sensor will continuously monitor your baby’s movement and trigger auditory and visual alarms if it doesn’t detect movement for 20 seconds.

The auditory alarm is loud and should wake even the deepest of sleepers. This means you won’t have to worry about sleeping through any medical emergencies your baby may have if you’re sleeping in a different room.

This baby monitor is ideal for newborns and sick babies—you can quite literally sleep easy knowing that you’ll be woken with a loud alarm if your baby stops breathing for any reason. It’s also great if you’re working outside or in a different room while your baby sleeps during the day.

The mat is extremely sensitive and can register vibrations from nearby fans as a movement. For this reason, we recommend switching off any ceiling or floor fans in your baby’s room when you have the monitor switched on.

For an extra layer of safety, the monitor is battery-operated, which reduces the risk of electrical malfunctioning or hazards around your baby.

You can choose from three different animal designs (lion, cat, or sheep), which all make a subtle yet adorable addition to any room.

Levana Oma Sense Portable Baby Breathing Monitor

The Levana Oma Sense Portable Baby Breathing Monitor is a device that your baby wears. It’s a tiny baby monitor that you clip onto your baby’s clothing as they sleep.

The baby monitor’s small size makes it super portable, meaning you can take it on vacation or to other people’s houses with no fuss. It doesn’t have any annoying cords and is entirely battery-operated.

Despite its size, it still packs a major punch when it comes to monitoring your child’s breathing and movement. Using a number of sensors and algorithms, the device analyzes your baby’s breathing movements every 80 milliseconds.

If it doesn’t detect movement for 15 seconds, it will trigger an alarm, vibrations, and LED lights. This first round of alarms is designed to wake your baby up. The vibrations are a particularly useful addition for this since the unit is attached directly to your child’s clothing.

If your baby doesn’t wake up within five seconds, the monitor will sound a louder emergency alarm to alert parents or babysitters. Without the use of apps, separate devices, or wireless connections, you’ll have peace of mind that nothing will affect the reliability of the monitor.

This monitor is ideal for newborns, premature babies, or kids with sleep apnea. A great feature is the one-handed operation, which means you can attach, adjust, and remove it easily.

The monitor comes in a sleek white and orange design that’s both unobtrusive and stylish. It’s incredibly lightweight, meaning it won’t disturb your baby while they sleep. While it’s supposed to work until your little one is six months old, if your babe is an early roller, it may not work correctly once they begin lying on their side.

Final Thoughts: Bringing Home The Best Breathing Monitor

When looking at breathing monitors, you first want to choose between a mat monitor and a wearable. Personally, I prefer mat monitors in large part because they produce less false alarms. I think that the Babysense 7 is the best baby breathing monitor for most parents. It works very well, and its two sensor pads ensure that they entire crib mattress is covered. That said, if a wearable monitor is more appealing to you, I would recommend the Snuza Go! Baby Monitor. Both of these choices that can help you to track your baby and should leave you with much more peace of mind.