Snuza Trio Plus Review and Snuza Hero Giveaway!

Secret confession time! Every now and then Ian would sleep slightly longer than normal; then the paranoid me would take over and I would tiptoe up to him and watch his breathing. I would hold my breath in terror until I could positively ascertain that he was inhaling and exhaling normally. Of course, Ian being Mr- Light-Sleeper would somehow “sense” my presence and stir awake. And I would silently blame myself for worrying in the first place. But how can one not worry when there are so many stories circulating on the internet about baby deaths associated with sleep? This is usually known as SIDS or Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, and the lack of answers on why they happen is extremely frightening.

So when the folks at Tadgets contacted me last month to review the Snuza Trio Plus - their award winning mobile baby movement monitor enhanced with video and audio features, I accepted immediately! And indeed, the offer came at the perfect timing for us. After 7 months of co-sleeping with Ian, Hubby and I decided that it was time to start transitioning Ian into his playpen. I, of course welcomed the decision with open arms. After 7 months of sharing my sleeping space with him, I was very much looking forward to reclaiming what was previously mine. *grin* However, I needed comfort that I would be able to keep an eye/ear on him at all times, and the Snuza Trio Plus was able to provide us that reassurance.

The Snuza Trio Plus.

The best feature of the Snuza Trio Plus is of course, the Snuza Hero breathing monitor. It is a separate system from the audio/video system, thus can be used independently. I love it because it provides me peace of mind at the time when I need it most – when I am in deep sleep! I simply clip on the Snuza Hero to Ian’s diaper before putting him to sleep in the playpen (and relishing my newfound space on the bed). The Snuza Hero detects Ian’s movements and this nifty thing (it’s barely the size of my palm!) warns me whenever Ian’s movements become weak or slow. If it doesn’t detect any movement for 15 seconds, it will gently vibrate to try and prod the baby into breathing. If there is still no movement at 20 seconds (5 seconds after), a piercing alarm will sound rendering me awake and alert to assess the situation (and intervene if required).

See how small this brilliant thing is?

Interesting concept – but does it really work? And what makes it different from other baby monitors in the market? What about false alarms? Well yours truly took the liberty to google the answers for you and share my experience too! 

When clipped on the diaper, the Snuza Hero fits snugly to the baby and is in constant contact with the baby stomach. It is much better than under-mattress monitors in the market because the Snuza Hero directly monitors the tummy area and is better at picking up movements, hence reducing the chances of a false alarm (and interrupting mummy’s beauty sleep). It is cordless so I can use it on-the-go anywhere! I even tried clipping it on Ian and cradled him to sleep. Surprisingly, although it was rubbing against my energetic movements coaxing Ian to sleep, it did not fall off. (To ensure a snug fit, try folding the top part of the diaper before clipping it on.) After two weeks of using it, the Snuza Hero has never once given me a false alarm (or even an alarm for that matter). Curious on whether it was working properly, I turned it on and left it on the table to test the vibration and alarm features. Boy oh boy – the alarm was LOUD! 

Ian using the Snuza Hero breathing monitor.

Thank you Snuza Hero, for keeping Ian safe at night.

For fellow engineers (and curious mothers) out there who love drooling over specs and features, check out the picture below for the full specifications of the Snuza Hero:

Next, I was very impressed with the Snuza Trio Plus’ video and audio capabilities. The 3.5” LCD screen runs on either battery life or electric power – so I have the mobility of taking the monitor everywhere around the house; from baking in the kitchen even to tending my plants in the garden! The camera needs electric power though – but the unit comes with a long electrical cord and I am blessed with tons of power sockets around the house therefore this is not such a big issue for me. I love the fact that I can remotely control the camera to pan and tilt left, right, up and down; so when I use it to monitor Ian in his play area, I can let Ian roll anywhere he wants as I know I am always able to see him on screen. Ian is at a stage where he is curious about everything and rolling is his main mode of ground transportation, hence it is pretty pointless to confine him to just one area. The tilt button works just like a joystick – I was actually able to work the buttons to “follow” Ian from one end of my living hall to the other! The camera also has an automatic night vision, so although the quality of the image was slightly reduced; I could still clearly see Ian sleeping upstairs in the bedroom on the monitor without having to turn on a night light. You can also set the system to voice operation mode, so when the camera detects a sound above your preferred preset level, the monitor will light up to alert you.

This is the quality of the feed in the dark. Can you imagine the quality of the feed in daylight? *impressed*

I was also amazed at the crystal clear audio feed. I left Aiden and Ian in the living hall while I was working on my laptop in the dining hall, and I could clearly hear Aiden talking to Ian (and Ian coo-ing back) via the monitor. There is also a cool talk-back function that you can use to remotely soothe your baby with your voice – if that works for your baby. That function wasn’t very useful for me as Ian insisted on sensing a presence to calm down. But I managed to exploit that function to suit my use, which was to talk to Aiden when playing with his brother. “Aiden, stop cuddling your brother!” is my favourite phrase nowadays – can you feel the brotherly love? Poor Ian is constantly getting hugs and kisses of affection from his big brother. I am definitely going to miss this phase when the boys grow up! 

Oh yes, there is even a room temperature display and a timer to remind you of your baby’s feeding time. *amazed smile* Wait, wait – before you run to the first available shop to get the Snuza Trio Plus for your baby, there is a giveaway at the end of this post! 

Overall, I wish I had discovered the Snuza range much sooner. I surfed their website (link here), and I was absolutely floored with the range of baby monitors they offer to suit your needs and your budget. 

Now for the exciting part… Tadgets has agreed to giveaway the award winning Snuza Hero breathing monitor to two of my lucky readers! How to win? Simple – tell me why you deserve the Snuza Hero in the comment box below. To remain impartial, I will use Random.org to choose the winning entry (so claiming that you’re my long lost friend won’t probably work here). *grin* 

If you are not one of the chosen readers, fret not! Tadgets is the exclusive distributor for Snuza Baby Monitors in Singapore, Malaysia and Brunei. To purchase Snuza Baby Monitors in Singapore, Malaysia and Brunei, please visit Tadgets www.tadgets.com. Snuza Baby Monitors are safe for babies and are manufactured according to FCC, CE and ROHS standards.

Disclosure: I received a free product for review purposes. I did not receive any monetary compensation. The opinions are my own, based on my personal experience with the product. This giveaway is sponsored by Tadgets. Lizzieasamummy is not responsible for prize shipment or fulfillment.