Guest Blog: Baby Monitors

This is another guest post from my friend Corey. This time he's asking and wondering about baby monitors. We're probably in the minority over here but believe it or not, we never had monitors for our kids. With H, he was in our room for so long by the time he was in his room I think we welcomed not hearing every little noise and with E, we did actually borrow a monitor for about six months but not for night time. Instead it was for being outside so I could hear her inside when we'd be outside during naps.

Anyway, here's Corey's story. What do you think?

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To me, Simplicity in the Suburbs means sleeping in peace and quiet and long into the a.m. Not having to worry if K and C are sleeping on their right side, or left side or back or head or while standing.

Unfortunately/fortunately (depends on which side of the fence you are on), each night for the past 4 years and 12 days I have been reminded that we have kids sleeping under the same roof as my wife and I. You ask how? How can I tell if my child has dust growing in 1 or 2 nostrils? Or how can I tell if they are sleeping or not? Or how can I tell if they have rolled to the right or left side? Well, because the baby monitor is turned up enough that you could hear a pin drop in the
basement even though we are up two floors from there! Heck, I can hear myself snoring through the monitor! I wonder, how did I survive and thrive? Or better yet, how did my parents survive? Baby monitors (father torturer's-depending on your side) weren't around and I would
argue we were better cared for without them! So great, I can make sure my kids sleep well, but I don't as I listen to them fart, sneeze, cough, burp, sleep and then repeat this again? How does that make sense? So I have well rested kids ready to tackle the world with parents that complain about not enough sleep. My wonderful wife wouldn't say she didn't get great sleep because of the monitor, but I will. Though the funny thing is I rarely get up in the middle of the night with the kids.

So at what age does the torture box get tossed to the landfill, or better yet the garage sale? I think my wife would have waited till the kids were at college. Great, we can hear them making out with their boyfriend/girlfriend in high school! I finally put my foot down when K turned 3. However, our 21 month old C has one and next month he will start sharing a room with K. So am I the jerk that doesn't care about my children's well being when I say no to the monitor making the move down the hallway? See, our third will be born by September 21 via C-section and we live in a 3 bedroom house. I can see the purpose of the monitor to prevent SIDS etc. But after 6 months it seems to me like our sleep should make the priority list again! Maybe I am crazy, but I bet many dad's would agree. Any mom's agree?

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You can read Corey's first guest blog here.

Also, don't forget to enter to win a shirt in honor of E's 20 month birthday!