With one of my little tots in a big girl bed and the other one almost out of her cot, we have no need for a baby monitor anymore. However, I do remember being joined at the hip (literally) with the clever wireless invention when my kids were tiny.
Sensational stories about cot death and sleep apnea in infants cajoled me into buying an Angelcare Baby Monitor, which uses an under-the-mattress sensor pad to detect movement (or lack of breathing). My mum, who didn’t have such convenient contraptions in ‘her day’, thought my obsession with the blinking blue lit thing excessive. She was (as all mothers are of course) right.
Despite my mother’s misgivings, the Angelcare worked well and I can’t say we had any hiccups, though the sensor pad was a bit of a mission to cart around when we went out.
Enter the Snuza mobile baby movement monitor
One of the busiest hubs at the Baba Indaba this year was the Snuza stand. When I went over to investigate I understood why. Snuza make mobile baby movement monitors – a must-have for newbie parents.
What makes Snuza monitors different from other baby monitors?
They’re truly mobile. Unlike other brands which rely on clunky sensor pads, Snuza mobile baby movement monitors clip easily onto your baby’s diaper and travel with you to ensure that your tot is monitored wherever you go – no cords, wires or external power required. I like that!
There are two models in the Snuza range: the Snuza Halo and the Snuza Go!
Both models boast very similar features: they’re compact, have ergonomic funky casing and sound an alarm if no movement is detected after 20 seconds. As an added benefit the Snuza Halo will vibrate to rouse a baby should no movement be detected after a period of time. The other difference lies in the price. The Snuza Halo retails for R795 and the Snuza Go! goes for about R599.
So why choose a Snuza over other baby monitor brands?
I can’t profess that Snuza monitors are hands down the best as I haven’t experienced them personally. Here’s what I do like about them, though:
- They’re completely mobile
- They’re small and easy to use
- They’re not exhorbitantly expensive
- They’ve received rave reviews
- They’re great to look at
- They won a top design award at the annual South African Bureau of Standards (SABS) Design Excellence Awards last year.
- They’re made in South Africa by South Africans
Snuza director Roger Gallagher tells me “Snuza was conceived (!) and designed in Cape Town by Greg Gallagher, who is an electronic engineer, and is assembled in Cape Town from components imported from several countries as well as locally supplied.” Apparently 99% of Snuza’s production is exported to over 40 countries.
For a comparison between the Snuza Halo, the Snuza Go! and other baby movement monitors click here.
For more product info, how the Snuza mobile monitors work and where you can buy them countrywide hop on over to the Snuza website.
