Nanit Pro: More than your average Baby Monitor

As any new parent can tell you, especially a first-time parent, that as exhausting as the experience of the initial few months may be, it is also a time of self-discovery where you are uncovering how it is possible to love so entirely and hopelessly; a creature that does nothing but eat sleep poop repeat, while also draining the life out of you. 

 

An experience I had with each of my children was that every time I found them sleeping soundly, especially during the early months of infancy, I would always place a finger beneath their nose to check their breathing. Interestingly, since my own experience I’ve noticed every mother doing this at some point in their early parenting journey. 

 

Many a times, monitoring the child’s breathing isn’t simply because of how soundly they sleep, it is also born from a deep concern regarding SIDS and how it is the number one leading cause of death in newborn children. And as of 2022, there is little to no explanation as to why and when, or to whom it would occur, only theories pertaining to inhalation of CO2 as a possible cause if the baby rolls over on their tummy. 

 

Of course, factors like this are deeply concerning for all parents, but even more so with parents whose children have health conditions. My best friend and her husband, both chronically asthmatic, gave birth to their second child who arrived with a slighter weaker set of lungs than the average child. Their first born was completely healthy and breezed through the initial months, but because of the second one doing a stint in NICU before being allowed home, the parents were obviously much more anxious and constantly on edge monitoring the baby. 

 

 They already had a good baby monitor but as with most of the ones available on the market, it only showed Audio and Video. And because of the baby’s health fragility, coupled with a case of incase sniffles, one of the parents would keep hovering over the child constantly monitoring him in person. It was taking a toll on both of them, plus whosoever volunteered to babysit. 

 

My sister, a pediatric nurse, recommended them the Nanit Pro Camera, which went beyond the role of a regular baby monitor and if paired with special sleepwear, it could also track the baby’s sleep pattern as well as breathing. Given how both parents were so exhausted with a toddler and a delicate infant, this was something they immediately decided to invest in. 

 

A week after they had made the purchase, I went to meet the new parents and could visibly tell the difference in both their mood and the absence of their puffy eyes. Both of them had managed to get some sleep finally. I asked them how they finally managed it and the mother couldn’t be happier with how the Nanit Pro had been such a convenience. 

 

HD Audio and Video: 

The Nanit Pro Monitor came with the ability to be paired with multiple cameras in the bedroom and gave unfettered 1080p HD quality video and audio to the parents. This feed could be accessed from anywhere once they paired it up with their cell phones. It even had a split screen feature where you could observe the baby sleeping from two separate angles simultaneously. Thanks to its infrared feature, the video quality was sharp even during low light conditions in the bedroom. The camera also came with a wall mount and the installation process was simple and easy. 

 

Sensor Free Breathing Monitoring: 

 

This was the USP that prompted my friend and her husband into purchasing the Nanit Pro in the first place. In order to use this movement and breathing monitoring feature, they also had to purchase sleepwear and swaddles that came with a a pattern that the Nanit pro would lock onto. It made the whole package slightly more in price but given the health concerns of the baby coupled with the exhaustion of the parents, it was worth the investment. The Nanit Pro locks onto the pattern of the child’s apparel and sheets and then keeps tracks of the baby’s breathing pattern all throughout the night. You can also access this breathing pattern on your smart phone along with a regular audio stream coming from the monitor as well. For my friend, this was a far more convenient option than strapping an independent health monitor on the baby. The parents had continuous audio of the breathing pattern, in addition to the device logging in the data right down to the number of breaths per minute plus the most important feature, an alarm that would go off if the device detects the baby has stopped breathing or the breathing has become dangerously arrhythmic.  

 

Multiple User Login: 

 

The Nanit Pro access can be given to multiple users while their information stays encrypted and safe. This makes it a good option even for remote baby sitters such as incase either of the parents are at work and the other one has to step in to shower or engage in some other word where they cannot keep monitor the audio stream, the access can be shared with another caregiver or a grandparent remotely to ensure they can keep an eye on the baby’s movements and breathing patterns. 

 

Sleep Analytics: 

 

All of the baby’s sleep patterns are logged and recorded into the monitor. It’s extremely useful during pediatric visits, and to stay updated on feeding patterns or monitor sleep health post medication etc. The app offers one year of access to the sleeping pattern insights totally free of cost and then if required, personalized analytics plan as well. 

 

I found that the price point of the product was a bit steep but given the features it was offering my friend and her partner had absolutely no post purchase dissonance and I guess if the product users are satisfied, then that’s a win for the design team.