Are baby monitors safe from radiation? Or rather, can radio waves from baby monitoring devices harm my bay? These are questions that every parent asks when looking to buy a baby monitor. Our answer to these questions is a simple, NO. Taken alone, baby monitors are relatively safe to use on babies, from newborns to toddlers.
When you become a parent, your responsibilities shift to taking care of a very vulnerable young one. In every little way, you will want to give this baby the best care from the moment they are born. This includes making a choice on which napkins to use, what medication to give them, and most importantly, deciding whether or not the baby shares the space in your bedroom or not.
If you decide not to share your bedroom with your little one, the need to invest in a baby monitor comes knocking. These devices play a big role in helping you take care of your babies. As you carry out your daily activities, you can easily keep a watchful eye on your little one in their room.
Furthermore, baby monitors with cutting-edge technology come with more advanced features like sleep monitors to track your baby’s sleep habits. Other than that, these devices can monitor the temperature and humidity levels in the baby’s room for you.
With so many benefits that make baby care and monitoring much simpler for you, one thing that poses a threat to baby monitors is electromagnetic radiation (EMF). As a parent, you have to decide whether to live without a monitor or take stringent measures to protect your baby from this radiation.
Are Baby Monitors Safe Radiation?
First, you might want to know whether baby monitors emit radiation. The answer is yes. All wireless baby monitors available on the market today emit radiation. The radiation emission happens when the monitors are on and even when they are on standby. Typically, the exposure level is largely dependent on the strength of the signal and how close the monitor is to the baby.
Generally, the radiofrequency radiation that baby monitors use to transmit video and audio signals from the baby’s room to the parent unit is too low to expose the baby to any harm. Besides, regulations and standards have been set in place to dictate the maximum allowable levels of electromagnetic radiation that baby monitors should emit.
Tips to Protect Your Child From Baby Monitors Radiation
With the revolving world of the digital era, baby monitors are an inevitable tool in our homes. However much you want to be right beside your baby every second, duty calls will not allow you. That’s where baby monitors come in to help you multitask keeping an eye on your little one as you work on other errands. To do so without exposing them to dangerous radiation levels consider the following tips:
1. Consider Low-Frequency Monitor
When shopping for a baby monitor, go for one that emits the least band frequencies from 35 to 50 MHz. Such monitors are mostly analog models that rely on radio waves to transmit signals.
Another important thing to note with the analog or audio-only baby monitors is that their signal quality is reduced with low frequency. This means you may not enjoy high-quality audio and video feeds as it is from smart baby monitors.
Fortunately, there are advanced digital baby monitors that give you the option to switch from high-frequency video to low-frequency audio depending on your needs. This helps you limit the amount of radiation emitted by switching to high-frequency video when needed.
2. Install the Monitor Further From the Baby
For added safety, you should mount the baby monitor about 6 feet or 1.8 meters away from the baby as the EMF strength decreases relative to distance. This ideal situation provides a clear view of the baby and still ensures that the monitor is not too close to harm them.
Besides, most baby monitors have remote zoom, pan, and tilt functionalities that give you a full birds-eye view. This makes the monitors effective even mounted further from the baby’s crib.
3. Buy a Baby Monitor from a Trusted Brand
Like any other security device, there are so many baby monitor brands available out there. We recommend that you opt for a reputable brand that complies with all the safety standards and regulations. A safe baby monitor comes in handy to help you create a healthy and secure environment for your bundle of joy.
Health Effects of EMF Exposure to Babies
Electromagnetic fields (EMFs) generated by various monitors often have negligible effects on the baby and parent/caregiver. However, with prolonged exposure, the EMF can cause serious health effects such as:
1. Cancer
While the risk of EMF exposure causing cancer in children is really low, some researchers continue to point to extreme exposure to this radiation as a cause of cancer. Other than that, there is also some evidence that shows EMF exposure increases the risk of bipolar disorder.
2. Poor Brain Development
Prolonged exposure to EMF in a baby can alter brain development and prevent it from developing in a normal manner. This is particularly the case if you decide to keep the base station of the baby monitor too close to the baby.
However, you don’t have to worry about these dangers by adhering to the above-listed precautions and settling for radiation-safe monitors. You take your parenting experience a notch higher without compromising the safety and comfort of your little one.
Radiation-Safe Baby Monitors to Consider
There is no single monitor that is 100% safe from radiation. The only option to keep off the emission is bay traditionally watch over your kid; having to stay next to them. This is quite unpractical due to the busy schedule of any parent.
The good thing is that there are a couple of monitors you can use without exposing your baby to dangerous levels of emissions. These monitors are classified as low-emission baby monitors; they include:
1. Analog Baby Monitors
These monitors emit the least levels of radiation. Analog monitors rely on a 49 MHz frequency band to transmit audio feeds only. Check out our curated guide on the best audio-only baby monitors to pick the most suitable model for your needs.
2. Digital Baby monitors
If you’re looking for monitors offering more than sound output, then digital baby monitors are an alternative option. Their frequency ranges from 1.89 GHz to 2.4 GHz, which supports the transmission of both video and audio feeds. An excellent example of such a monitor is the VTech VM19 baby monitor.
See Also:
Best Non-WiFi Video Baby Monitors
Conclusion
Hopefully, we have provided some insights into the question of whether baby monitors are safe from radiation. To protect your baby from any electromagnetic field exposure, ensure that the station of your wireless baby monitor is installed at a distance of at least 6 feet from the baby. Also, consider purchasing low-emission baby monitors that are suited to your monitoring needs.