I posted this four years ago, about how long is “normal” to use a child monitor for your kids.

https://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/how-long-do-you-use-a-baby-monitor/

Found out last night the family still use a video monitor on their eight and five year old boys. Still “normal”, do you think? I’ll be honest, I thought it was a bit weird four years ago…

Well not that long for us but this was possibly due to the fact it broke within a year of child 2. I will say that I’d quite often go down and check they were breathing till about 3yrs old – and I still just go down before I nod off once or twice a week. Bonkers I spose.

I will add that they are definitely gonna have to stop monitoring them soon or they’ll be hearing things no parent should 😉

Stopped at about 2 1/2 for our first, and 1 for the second.
You’re definitely less worried about the later ones!

And yes, 8 & 5 is just bloody weird.

We still have one for our 3 year old, but more than half the time forget to turn it on. Our child is loud enough these days the whole house knows if there is an issue.

How long do you use a baby monitor

Not sure exactly, perhaps an hour or two. It immediately became apparent that we would have no problems whatsoever hearing him from any part of the house without the monitor.

Waste of time. Unless you’re loaded and have a huge house.

Child 1 was listened to intently until about 2.
Child 2 was listened to until child 1 was old enough to get up and tell us 2 was awake.
Child 3 everyone ignored and battery had failed in the monitor by then anyway.

Still have it (kids are 5 & 3) but mostly as a nightlight in their room, monitor unit lives on its charging base downstairs with the sound off. Pre lockdown I’d sometimes be in the garage when wife was out so with the monitor I’d hear them getting up they needed something. Or sometimes I have loud music in headphones so a visual indicator they might need attention is handy.

I wish ’til how old do we use a baby monitor’ was our issue! Our 5 and 2 year olds still share a bed with us, my wife thinks it’s normal. None of my friends had their kids in the same room after 6 months. It has its benefits as in not having to get up in the night if one wakes but now it’s taking the pee.

Mind your own business and accept that parents should do whatever makes them feel comfortable?

About 2 years old, but I can see how you might use it longer depending on your house set up and the individual kids.

In a country that’s just seen a 20% rise in the number of babies harmed or killed, I’m struggling to care if folk use baby monitors for an 8 year old.

Having foster kids, social services say that we shouldn’t use one at all at any age. Can’t remember why. Maybe you shouldn’t rely on them too much. Couldn’t find anything on Google about it.

None of my friends had their kids in the same room after 6 months

Three months each. To the night. Then I was the baby monitor. Pavlov did not stop at dogs and bells. They come with their own alarm system.

We only ever used one if we were down stairs, but no longer than a year old. This was 20 years ago – not sure we even bothered when my daughter arrived.

Don’t get me started on Cameras etc.

No 1 until he was 18 months (now 3). By then we forgot to charge it more often than not.
No 2 is 6 months old and already not using it.
Both in their own rooms by 3 months old and sleeping through (crosses everything!)
Do have cheap IP camera in each room which will get repurposed for home security once not needed for childwatch.

Mind your own business and accept that parents should do whatever makes them feel comfortable?

It would, of course, be entirely inappropriate of me to do a Fred West joke here, but the level of sanctimony makes it hard to resist.

Comments haven’t changed since previous thread. Video monitors on kids that age though? That’s weird, I agree. I thought my wife was paranoid for checking ours before she goes to be every night.

Our 5 and 2 year olds still share a bed with us, my wife thinks it’s normal.

Oh sack that, couldn’t do cosleeping. Victorians kept their kids in drawers to avoid that!

In a country that’s just seen a 20% rise in the number of babies harmed or killed, I’m struggling to care if folk use baby monitors for an 8 year old.

Right, and of those deaths how many would have been prevented by a baby monitor held by the parents? I’d take a rough guess at eff all.

It would, of course, be entirely inappropriate of me to do a Fred West joke here, but the level of sanctimony makes it hard to resist.

Meh, Fred’s a bit pedestrian on here these days, try Josef Fritzl.

My wifes old boss used to monitor his teenage kids doing their homework with them..

It would, of course, be entirely inappropriate of me to do a Fred West joke here, but the level of sanctimony makes it hard to resist.

Don’ forget to send your straw man a Christmas card.

Don’ forget to send your straw man a Christmas card.

Ok, I won’.

Are we talking a baby monitor to monitor every noise or movement or as one poster placed up there, a means of checking on them (IP camera) every now and again to make sure they’re not still playing at 22:00 or when you hear a thump in the middle of the night, you can turn it on and check without getting out of bed?

not sure

Either way we had one of those (two way, so we could talk to them if needed) noise activated microphone things which were used until about 12 months or so. Didn’t think much of it really, it just meant you could hear them wake up and cry from the other end of the house.

I also used it when my wife was out and I wanted to do something in the workshed after their bedtime, in case they woke up and discovered everyone out, occasional use for a couple of years.

Are we talking a baby monitor to monitor every noise or movement or as one poster placed up there, a means of checking on them (IP camera) every now and again to make sure they’re not still playing at 22:00 or when you hear a thump in the middle of the night, you can turn it on and check without getting out of bed?

Well, we had an online catchup with them at the weekend, and the monitor was on the coffee table (they turned it around to show us the boys sleeping) – hard to say without being there, but the impression you get is that the monitor is on and being watched every evening. These are good kids, and a lovely family, the biggest danger is that one of them might wake up and do some extracurricular reading, or something – the house is quite big, but the bedrooms are (I think) directly over the sitting room, so you’d know without the monitor if they fell out of bed, wanted anything or were holding noisy parties.

Like I say, they’re lovely people, but this just seems a bit odd to me – and as suggested earlier, one suspects they may inadvertently monitor something they really won’t want to be monitoring in the not-too-distant future…

Still using it to monitor them.

Three months each. To the night. Then I was the baby monitor. Pavlov did not stop at dogs and bells.

Apparently my wife has deafness brought on through sleep.

Never used them with my kids. Daughter has never used them with her 3 either. Never felt the need.

and I still just go down before I nod off once or twice a week. Bonkers I spose.

I’m just hoping your kids aren’t in their 20s and living down the other end of town.

Probably about 18 months ish for first one but maybe 3.5 for the next as she was quite poorly a lot of the time and you could pick up that she was struggling before it escalated to meltdown.

The other huge variable is your house and how easy it is to hear what’s going on.

The other huge variable is your house and how easy it is to hear what’s going on.

We were camping this weekend, enjoying the warm dusk as their 9 and 6 year old sons slept in a caravan in plain sight four, maybe five yards away.

You don’t need one. Used an audio one for a few months with child 1, not child 2.

Still using it to monitor them.

Are they holding out until they can catch them masturbating?

Our 5 and 2 year olds still share a bed with us, my wife thinks it’s normal. None of my friends had their kids in the same room after 6 months. It has its benefits as in not having to get up in the night if one wakes but now it’s taking the pee.

Every kid is different. My son stayed with us most nights, or one of us stayed with him, until he was seven. My daughter sometimes just comes and gets in bed with us. Wake up to find a four year old clamped to your face, leg, armpit etc. I don’t mind it at all. They’re not young and cuddly for long. Couple more years and they’ll hate me so I’m getting cuddles in whilst I can.

We got bought baby monitors with video by the in-laws. Never used them as we live in a two bed house with a semi open plan downstairs.

Are they holding out until they can catch them masturbating?

It’s not, I don’t think, the aim, but I fear it will be the terrible outcome. 🙁

You don’tI didnt need one. Used an audio one for a few months with child 1, not child 2.

Quite glad of mine at 3 years old sat at the bottom of my parents garden with her on the 4th floor – she’s the sort of kid who would be climbing the antique fireplace in my parents house as she’s bored at night and doesn’t want to sleep. Nice to not have to sit there all night trying to get her to sleep.

Tbh same at home when she sleeps at the front of the house at the end of the upstairs corridor ….and we spend most of our time.out the extension at the back where I don’t care how loud your child can scream you won’t hear them if their windows shut.

All kids are different though.

8 is probably excessive unless there are hidden difficulties but I’m sure they have their reasons so I won’t judge.