At face value, a baby monitor is an efficient, flexible, and powerful way to enable you to practically be in two places at once. You can keep the monitor with you as you do chores or grab a meal or try to relax in your own bed while your baby is sleeping in theirs. You don’t have to be glued to them in order to watch over them. However, with all of these blessings, comes a cost. And in today’s article, we’re going to talk about that cost and how overnight baby nurse services like ours can help (among other things!)
Let us know in the comments about your experiences, good or bad, with baby monitors and how you overcame them, or struggled with them.
What Is Baby Monitor Anxiety?
Baby monitor anxiety is the heightened worry or stress that comes from constantly watching, listening to, or checking a baby monitor. Instead of helping parents relax, the monitor can lead to over-vigilance, interrupted sleep, and persistent fear that something might go wrong.
This anxiety often shows up at night, when parents are exhausted and alone with their thoughts. Even normal baby sounds, brief pauses in breathing, or small movements can feel alarming when viewed through a screen in a dark room.
Gentle Ways to Reduce Baby Monitor Anxiety
- Adjust How You Use the Monitor
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- Technology got us into this mess and it can help get us out. If your monitor supports it, try turning off non-essential alerts, turning down the brightness, reducing the volume slightly, or place the monitor nearby, but not in direct line of sight to reduce distraction.
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- Trust Normal Baby Sounds
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- Babies are still learning how to sleep, so they are a little rough around the edges. They constantly make little sounds, grunts, or even brief cries all while being sound asleep. Try to practice not jumping up and going on high alert for every little sound and know that if they need your help for their hunger or comfort, they will let you know at the top of their little lungs!
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- Set Mental Boundaries
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- Remind yourself that you do not need to watch every second. Safe sleep practices and a healthy baby mean it is okay to rest when your baby rests.
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- Talk About It
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- It’s perfectly normal and even expected to some degree for new parents to second guess and worry about every little decision they make around their newborns. Talking with someone, even just a friend or family member or one of our professional overnight nurses can help put things into perspective.
Support Makes All the Difference
If baby monitor anxiety is affecting your sleep or peace of mind, you are not alone. Support from experienced overnight baby nurses and night nannies can make a meaningful difference, helping parents rest, recover, and feel more confident during the night.
Sometimes the best way to turn down the monitor anxiety is to know that someone trusted is already listening.
Our overnight nurses can be an essential part of helping you reduce and even overcome your monitor anxiety, or similar baby-related anxiety issues. We can help you feel more calm and relaxed and assured that your baby is being cared for while you can take some “time off” for yourself in order to either catch up on some much-deserved sleep or enjoy some self-care time. Either way, we are happy to be there for you and your baby.
Before You Go
We hope that this blog about baby monitor anxiety was helpful to you. If your little one is still fussy after feeds, struggling to settle, or having trouble sleeping, we’re here to support you.
From sleep consulting to in-home 24/7 sleep training and overnight newborn care or in-home newborn care services, we offer personalized guidance to help your little one (and you!) get the rest you need.
Have questions? Let’s Chat — we’d love to help your family rest easier.
Katie B.
Expertise You Need:
- Certified Master Pediatric Sleep Consultant
- Certified Advanced Newborn Care Specialist (2016-2022)
- Board Certified Holistic Healthcare Practitioner
- 16 years professional childcare experience
- Certified Postpartum Doula (2015-2022)
- Travel & ROTA Nanny
Katie has over 16 years experience working with children of all ages. As a Pediatric Sleep Consultant and Newborn Care Specialist, she has professionally supported families and babies worldwide over the last 10 years. Her mission is to help the entire family unit get better sleep, utilizing a holistic approach that supports the baby or child’s natural biologic drive to sleep. She has personally served hundreds of families, holds 20,000+ hours exclusively caring for infants & babies and has 69+ 5-⭐️ Google reviews.
