Why your baby monitor's temperature reading can be wrong
Your monitor says 21 degrees. But is that the temperature your babe is actually feeling? Often, not quite, and it's got nothing to do with the sensor being faulty.
Where your monitor measures
Most baby monitors read the temperature wherever the camera is mounted, which is usually up high on a wall or shelf. That's rarely where your babe sleeps.
Heat rises: the cot-level difference
Warm air rises. So the air near the ceiling or up on a shelf can sit a degree or two warmer than the air down at cot level. The reading isn't wrong, it's just not the reading that matters for your babe.
Sensor heat from the camera itself
Electronics give off heat. A temperature sensor sitting inside a camera can be nudged by the warmth of the device around it, which is another reason the number can drift from reality.
How to get a reading that reflects your babe
Measure low, near the cot, with something that sits where your babe sleeps. Orbie is an environment monitor built to do exactly that, it reads at cot level and moves with your babe so the number reflects their actual environment. It works alongside your baby monitor, not instead of it.
We get asked about accuracy a lot. The full answer, along with how the sensor avoids warming itself, is in the Orbie FAQs.
This article is general information, not medical advice. If you're ever worried about your little babe, trust your gut and reach out to your GP, child health nurse, or Pregnancy, Birth and Baby on 1800 882 436.
Sources
A sensor mounted up on a camera reads the air up there, not the air where your babe sleeps.
Zero guesswork, every night
Orbie reads your babe's environment and the app tells you exactly what to dress them in.