Brian and I have an ongoing discussion about using the baby monitor. And by "discussion" I mean we have this conversation over and over:
Me: Ugh. Will woke me up crying in the middle of the night. He went back to sleep after a few minutes and didn't need anything, but it throws off my sleep when he does that.
Brian: Why don't you just turn off the baby monitor?
Me: Because then I couldn't hear the kids.
I see his point. I complain that I wake up if I hear the kids, but won't turn off the monitor because then I wouldn't hear the kids. Here's the thing though-- what if they need something? Our house is laid out such that you can only hear the kids from our bedroom if they're really WAILING. Like screaming. And while I would *probably* wake up if one of them got that worked up, monitor or no, I worry that I wouldn't. And because I worry that I wouldn't wake up, if I left the monitor off I would spend all night half awake, listening for them.
Also, they're both still in cribs! If, for instance, Kalena throws up, we have to GO GET HER. She can't come in and tell us. I would feel UNBELIEVABLY bad if she threw up in the middle of the night and didn't get cleaned up for hours because we didn't have a monitor on. So in my head, using a monitor as long as we have a child in a crib seems like the only way to go. (By the way, it would be totally different if I could easily hear them from my room.) Brian just defers to me because a) I'm the one getting up with them, and b) he doesn't EVER hear them, even with the monitor on, so it's not like leaving it on disturbs him. So. Thoughts?
i plan to use my baby monitor until my little dude is out of the crib. probably. he is 8 months right now. i'm only 15 feet from his room, but it just gives me comfort in case i DON'T hear him, you know? if he's sick, etc. that might be a night i keep it on full volume ... other nights maybe half? haha.
ReplyDeleteif you were on the other side of the house, i wouldn't feel bad at all for keeping it on until the kids are able to come get you if they need something.
We still have both monitors and the kids are in beds (ages 2 and 4). Their rooms are upstairs on the opposite side of the house from ours (downstairs). I can't imagine not having the monitors! I have no plans to get rid of them any time soon.
ReplyDeleteWhy don't you just tell Will to stop crying in the middle of the night if he doesn't need anything? Problem solved.
ReplyDeleteI like couch's problem solving!
ReplyDeleteI leave the monitor on the lowest setting away from my head, that way true crying will wake me up, while normal night noises will not but wailing is not required. However, sounds like Will was true crying anyway, so that doesn't solve your problem. I think "time" might do the trick :) Like, 5 years or so.
I don't use moniters but I can hear my kids if they get above a fussy cry so I have no idea what I'd do. I hope you figure something out though!
ReplyDeleteMy room is right across for both kids rooms, so I can hear just about everything. No monitors for me.
ReplyDeleteThat said, last night 2, yes 2, kids threw up in their beds and never woke me up. Awesome.