Babysense 7 Review

BabySense is a Hisense Ltd company. Hisense, founded in Isreal in 1991, is an award-winning medical device company that was the first to sell no-touch motion sensor technology in 1992. Hisense has subsidiaries and distributors in 35 countries, and BabySense monitors are used in hospitals and homes worldwide.

Performance Comparison

Reliability

The Babysense 7 is a sensor pad or "non-contact" movement monitor with two sensor pads. Two pads can cover the space of a standard crib, which can potentially result in fewer false alarms than monitors with only one pad. This is especially true once babies start to move as they can roll or creep too far away for a single sensor to monitor them adequately. However, false alarms can still happen due to interference from anything in Baby's room that can cause vibrations like heaters, mobiles, air filters, or noisemakers. As a result, parents should avoid placing these kinds of items near the crib.

The Babysense 7 appears to be somewhat less reliable than the wearable style monitor but similar to other mattress pad sensors. While it lacks a sensitivity adjustment to help weed out ambient vibrations that could result in poor functioning, the use of two sensor pads theoretically increases the unit's accuracy no matter where the baby is located on the mattress. If better reliability is your jam, you might want to look at some of the wearable options, as they tend to perform better.

Ease of Use

This monitor is fairly straightforward with a simple plug-and-play design that doesn't have awkward or confusing buttons or menus to mess with. It is far easier to set up and use than other sensor pad monitors and is arguably easier in the long run than a wearable because there is nothing to attach to a squirming baby. The only thing parents need to remember is to turn the monitor off before taking the baby from the bed and turning it on after you put the baby down to sleep. But, this process is true of any movement style monitor.

Set Up

Set up of the Babysense 7 requires placing the sensor pads under the mattress and assuring the cords are safely out of the baby's reach to prevent a strangulation hazard. This monitor requires a rigid surface under the mattress, and the company suggests a minimum of 3/8 inch plywood and a simple solution if your crib doesn't come with a hard surface. The Angelcare company sells a wooden board for their monitors that should work equally well for the BabySense if you aren't handy or don't own a saw. The BabySense comes with two sensor pads to be placed under the mattress and a nursery unit that clips onto the side of the crib. The unit runs on 4AA batteries, so there is nothing to plug in or pose a safety risk for strangulation. The Nursery unit has an on/off button, and the unit faces outward so parents can see the alarm lights should they go off.

Portability

The Babysense 7 is easier to transport than other mattress pad options as it doesn't need to be plugged in and has minimal wires. This monitor operates on 4 AA batteries that last 6-8 months under normal use, so you don't need electricity or a bulky charging station. While it has multiple parts, each part is on the small side and lightweight enough for easy transport. However, the BabySense needs a rigid surface under the mattress, often unavailable in hotels or travel cribs, so while it is easy to stow, it may not work with every sleeping surface you encounter on travel.

Electromagnetic Field (EMF)

During our tests for EMF, the Babysense 7 didn't register any EMF (Volts/meter) over the ambient room reading. These EMF results are impressive for anyone concerned about their baby's exposure to EMF. The results are on par with the other pad monitor and far lower than the top result with EMF exceeding the readable range (>6 V/m) of our test instrument. In our opinion, parents should choose the monitor that meets their needs with the least amount of EMF to help protect their baby's delicate systems.

Should You Buy the Babysense 7?

If you are looking for a mattress pad sensor-style movement monitor, this is our monitor of choice. While it doesn't have the sound monitor ability of some of the competition nor the video capabilities, it is still our favorite. This monitor is easy to set up, perfect to pair with a sound option and has two sensor pads for better coverage and reliability.

What Other Movement Monitor Should You Consider?

If you want something more portable or compatible with a larger variety of mattress types, a wearable monitor might be a better fit. The Snuza Go and the Snuza Hero are simple products that attach to the baby's diaper and make an in-nursery alarm when they sense movement hasn't occurred in a set period of time. The Hero first vibrates to stimulate your baby into movement before the alarm sounds, while the Go just has an audible alarm.

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