False alarm

A false alarm occurs when the monitor triggers an alarm, but the baby is breathing normally. This occurs when the movement of the child's body is not transferred to the sensor pad.

This situation may occur in babies up to three months of age, who still have a very low weight and do not move when sleeping. In such a case, do not put the sensor pad under the mattress, but just below the sheet. This will ensure good transfer of the baby’s movements. When the baby starts moving during sleep, put the pad back under the mattress.

Poor contact may also occur if the child has to sleep with a raised head on the advice of a doctor. Support the bed base (not just the mattress) or the rear legs of the cot. This ensures good contact of the mattress with the sensor pad.

The third possibility is that the mattress is squeezed between the walls of the cot and is "floating" slightly. A gap thus forms between the sensor pad that lies on the base of the bed and the mattress. Movements are thus not transferred.

When the breathing monitor detects that the child is not breathing, it will trigger the alarm. If a baby only has sleep apnea or an ALTE event, the loud sound will often wake him/her up and "remind" them to take a breath. When you arrive at the cot, the baby is breathing and everything seems to be all right. It may therefore seem like a false alarm at first glance, but it was a real alarm.