Babyworld Product ReviewsBoardbug
Number of reviews: 3 Overall score:  Digital Baby & Child Monitor Available from www.boardbug.com, price £79.99 must have for mums of active toddlersTest length: 1 monthParent Panel review by susan - review date 4 January 2006 The boardbug is a simple device basically like a watch, but can be taken out of the strap and popped into a bag or pocket. You wear one unit and your toddler wears another. It comes with full instructions but basically it has two modes (toddler and baby) and in toddler mode you can set the range, so if you know that your toddler is safe (ie in a large room), you can set mid range or far. If you want your toddler within 5 metres of you, say in a crowded shop, you can set the range to near. You can easily and quickly change the range to adapt to the circumstances simply by pressing a few buttons on your unit. There is also a panic mode on both units, so that if you need to call or alert your toddler you can use your panic mode and his/her unit will beep and lights flash so they will know that you want them to return to you. They also have a panic button on their unit, however as my little boy is only 2 he did find the button hard to press, so this may be more useful for an older toddler. There is a tamper mode which can be set so that if the child unit is taken off (the strap is unclipped) an alarm will sound on the parent unit so you know that the child is without their unit. The parent unit not only has an alarm which is a high pitched beep, but it also vibrates, so if it is on your wrist or in your pocket, it is easily felt even if you are in a noisy environment and wouldn't hear the beep itself. My little boy loved wearing his watch out and about and was quite happy to have it on, although if your child won't wear it, it can be easily clipped to an item of clothing or an inside pocket. The second mode on the unit is baby mode, and again it is simple to switch from one mode to another simply by pressing a few buttons. This is intended to replace the need for a monitor and has a temperature sensor and a sound sensor, therefore alerting you if the room is too hot/cold or if the baby is making noise. Either of these can be turned off, so in the summer if you know it is going to be hot, you can disable it to prevent the alarm disturbing you. The only difference between this and a plug in monitor is that you can't actually hear the baby and for those who like to press their ear to the monitor to check that the baby is breathing this may result in a few trips upstairs to listen in! If, like me, you are not too bothered about hearing every little sound or murmur, you find you still get a reassuring but slightly more restful evening. The alarms can be put on snooze, so if you can see your toddler when out of range, or know that your baby is dreaming loudly, you can snooze the alarm and it will only go off again if the toddler does not return to within the range or the noise from your baby continues. Finally the parent unit has a watch function, so you can do away with wearing your own watch and still keep your eye on the time. Although not the most stylish item in the world, it is quite modern and didn't look too out of place when worn on the wrist. The unit is more bulky than a standard ladies watch, but not so bulky that it was uncomfortable to wear. This would have been ideal for me even before I had the baby as my little boy is constantly escaping wherever we are and I only have to turn my back and he is off. Any door he sees, he wants to go through and in places where you can't always see your child, such as large play areas or even in a friend's house it is ideal to know that your child is within range. There have been instances in other homes where he will go out of the front door, even my own if left unlocked for a minute, and where he has wandered out of play areas. It is more difficult to keep an eye on a toddler if you have a small baby but with the unit I was alerted when my toddler left the specified range, which then gave me the chance to see where he was and get him if necessary. I found this ideal if the baby fell asleep in the buggy and had to be left in another room, or in my mums, where she keeps doors closed to make sure her cats can't get into certain rooms, so I would not be able to hear the baby cry when he woke up. I simply set the unit to baby mode and left the other unit in with the baby. We were not then straining to hear if he was crying as we were simply alerted when he woke up and cried. Although we didn't try it, you can also add bugs to the parent unit so if you have two toddlers you can use a unit for each of them. From what I remember about my son learning to walk, I think this is a fantastic idea as it is likely that they will both be running off in opposite directions at the same time! The bugs can be easily turned off so if you drop your child off at preschool and realise that he/she is still wearing their unit you can switch it off from your unit so your alarm wont be going off all the time. They can also be switched back on from your unit so you have full control and can still use the watch function even if not with your child without the alarm going off. If everything goes to plan, I will have 3 children under 3 in ten weeks time and this product will be a godsend to me. At £79.99 for the unit I think that it is good value for money as I have previously looked at toddler monitors which have been up to £50 and then baby monitors which you can pay around £50 or more for with temperature indicators. If you already have a monitor it may seem a little expensive, however as you always have this with you it can be used for naptimes anywhere for your baby. I would reccomend this to any mother who takes her toddler anywhere they can get away from you as it saves that sickening feeling of panic when you realise they have gone out of your sight. I will definitely be getting an additional bug for my other son once he is walking off the reins.
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