Using an Apnea Monitor: How to Care for Your Baby

An apnea monitor sounds an alarm to let you know when your baby has pauses in breathing (called apnea) or a slower heart rate (called bradycardia). The monitor keeps a record of apnea and bradycardia episodes. Your baby's health care provider can look at this record to help understand how your baby is doing.

Apnea monitors sometimes have false alarms. This means that the alarm goes off, but the baby did not really have apnea or bradycardia. It may happen if the apnea monitor is not set up or working correctly or if the baby is only moving their chest a little bit to breathe (shallow breathing). Even if false alarms happen often, never ignore an alarm.

Follow the manufacturer's instructions for setting up the monitor. Use the apnea monitor when your baby is asleep or out of your sight, and keep wires under clothing and away from your baby's neck. It is OK to take your baby off the monitor when you and your baby are together and both awake. 

Follow these tips when using the monitor: 

• Be sure you can always hear the apnea monitor:

  • Check that you can hear the alarm above music, the TV, the dishwasher, and other household noise.

  • If you need to do an activity that would make it hard to hear the alarm (like vacuuming or taking a shower), be sure someone else can listen for alarms.

  • If you use a regular baby monitor, it can help you hear the apnea monitor. But keep it far enough away from the apnea monitor to prevent electronic interference.

• If the alarm goes off, check your baby right away:

  • If your baby's chest is moving and their skin color is normal, it may have been a "false alarm." Check that the sensors are attached to the skin, all connections are together, and the battery is working.

  • If you think your baby is not breathing or looks pale or bluish, do the gentle stimulation techniques taught to you by your care team. Never shake your baby.

  • When you know your baby is OK, write down the date and time, which alarm went off (heart, breathing, or both), symptoms your baby had, and what you did to help your baby.

  • If your baby does not improve with gentle stimulation, begin CPR and call 911.

• Go to all follow-up visits so your baby's health care provider can check the recordings of apnea and bradycardia and see how your baby is doing.

• Everyone who cares for your baby should learn infant CPR and how to use the apnea monitor. To find local CPR classes, contact:

  • your local hospital

  • the American Heart Association (800) 242-8721 or heart.org

  • the American Red Cross (800) RED-CROSS or redcross.org

• You have any questions about the monitor, gentle stimulation techniques, or infant CPR.

• The alarm goes off more than usual.

Your baby:

• has episodes of apnea or bradycardia that are hard to stop with gentle stimulation techniques

• seems ill even after an apnea or bradycardia episode is over

Your baby is:

• blue or gray

• not breathing

• unconscious

If your baby does not get better with gentle stimulation, start CPR and call 911 immediately.

Who has episodes of apnea? Apnea can happen in premature babies (those who were born early), but it also happens in babies who were born on time. Some medical conditions (such as problems with the heart or nervous system) can make it more likely that a baby will have apnea. 

How does an apnea monitor work? Wires connect patches on the baby's chest (the sensors) to a monitoring unit. The sensors on the chest measure chest movement (breathing) and heart rate. If your baby's chest stops moving for a certain amount of time or their heart rate slows, an alarm goes off.