Baby monitors – Protecting your sleeping beauties through the night
From breastfeeding to organic weaning; mums and dads are keen to do what’s best for their babies, even if it is sometimes more of a challenge than you anticipated. One thing that parents are no stranger to is worry. First, second, third, fourth – you could have hundreds of babies (…maybe not!) but each one brings fresh anxieties as well as a whole lot of love.
As with anything, there are various opinions about where babies should sleep – in a cot in their parents’ room, in their own bedroom or nursery? Should they start with you and then move into the nursery? At what age should they take this quantum leap? Whatever you decide, baby monitors are probably one of the first gadgets you’ll get.
The first baby monitor was developed by the Zenith radio company in 1937 in response to the high profile kidnapping of 20 month old Charles Lindbergh. Named the ‘Radio Nurse’, it allowed parents and nannies to hear what was happening in their children’s rooms. It was designed by sculptor Isamu Noguchi and had two components: a transmitter called the ‘Guardian Ear’ which picked up noises, and the receiver or ‘Radio Nurse’, which received them and played to parents.
It was a brilliant idea and one still used, around the world, today. Despite this, considerable technological improvements were still required to get monitors into the mainstream. Reports of the earliest Bakelite model suggest that it was prone to interference and even woke people up by sporadically receiving radio broadcasts!
Today, baby monitors are seriously hi-tech; they are often video monitors that also allow parents to speak to their baby remotely and some can be connected to work with smartphones or tablets. How’s that for an investment – monitor your baby now and monitor the escape routes during their teenage years!
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