I knew from the get-go that I would be one of those mamas who wanted a motion sensor for the crib. So, I registered for a HiSense BabySense V CU-100/2 Baby Safe Infant Movement Monitor at Babies R Us ($129.99). I didn't think anybody would pick it up since so many folks said it was unecessary, but there it was at my baby shower thanks to my beautiful sister-in-law!
We really liked the monitor when we were using it in our bassinet. It was really simple to hook up one of the motion sensor boards to the monitor and pop it under the bassinet mattress and it worked perfectly. I even scared the hell out of my husband a couple of times when I forgot to turn off the monitor during middle of the night feedings. It was great, though, to have that extra assurance that the monitor was working.
When we moved the baby to the crib, however, we had to stop using the HiSense. We did everything the instructions said to do--we attached the second sensor board and placed a wooden board over the crib springs to provide a solid platform for them--but the pads never registered movement unless Andrew was full-on kicking! We had constant false alarms and it was really unnerving.
We tried the troubleshooting tips in the product manual and nothing helped us out. Acually, one of the tips was "buy a different mattress," so we didn't try that one out (I mean, seriously?!) So we had to go ahead and retire our beloved HiSense monitor. Maybe it was a good thing that we let go of that crutch. But, I'm still a bit upset that our $129 monitor didn't live up to its full potential!
I'm going to have to give the HiSense a 2.5 out of 5 stars, then. If you happen to have the sensor and it works for you in your crib, though, please send your magical tips my way! I wouldn't mind getting my sensor to work again and upping its review to a 5 out of 5. :)