Guides · Baby monitors · Comparison
Nanny BM-03 vs Angelcare AC25-1: what are UK parents comparing?
What does the CONI factsheet say both units are?
The Movement Monitors Factsheet for Coordinators (reviewed November 2025) groups Nanny BM-02 / BM-03 and Angelcare AC25-1 under the same heading: a large sensor pad placed in the cot, usually on the base under the mattress, connected to a monitor. Both are listed among movement monitors that are classed as medical devices. The usual alarm delay on that page is 20 seconds with no detected movement.
The Lullaby Trust says it does not test or research individual products and cannot advise or recommend specific monitors. The rows below are what those documents and the makers publish — not a MayTally ranking.
There is no research evidence in the factsheet that movement monitors prevent SIDS. A medical-device mark is a conformity classification. It is not a finding that a named model prevents a death.
How do the published specs differ?
Swipe sideways for the full table
| Published fact | Nanny BM-03 (and BM-02 where the factsheet groups them) | Angelcare AC25-1 |
|---|---|---|
| Type in the CONI factsheet | Mattress-pad breathing monitor; sensor pad under the mattress plus an alarm / control unit | Mattress-type monitor with video and sound; wireless movement sensor pad |
| Alarm if no movement | Long pauses (apnoea) and a decrease in breathing movements; visual and sound warning | Alarm on the parent unit after 20 seconds if the pad detects no movement |
| Extra rate alarm (maker) | BM-03 specification: warning if breathing rate is under 8 breaths a minute | Not stated as a breaths-per-minute threshold on the AC25-1 product page |
| Weight band | CONI factsheet (BM-02 and BM-03 together): 2 kg to 15 kg. Maker's BM-03 page: from 1 kg | No baby-weight band on the CONI AC25-1 paragraph or the UK product page checked |
| Power / link | Battery-operated control unit (maker: 2 × AA); auto function test at start-up | Parent unit plus nursery unit; no Wi-Fi stated; range up to 150 metres line of sight |
| What else is on the box | Night light and room-temperature indication on BM-03; no camera | 4.3-inch LCD, infrared night vision, two-way talk, nightlight, lullabies, four pad sensitivity levels, room-temperature display |
| Medical-device wording | Maker: Class IIb medical device | CONI factsheet and Angelcare UK: medically certified AC25-1 |
| Re-loan / pad life (CONI notes) | Domestic pad treated as single-use per baby on loan; alarm unit can be re-used with a new pad; pad life also given as 2 years / hours of use | CONI text treats Angelcare as not for re-loan to another family; older wired Angelcare pads are a different product line |
What about premature babies under 2 kg?
The CONI factsheet prints 2 kg to 15 kg across Nanny BM-02 and BM-03. Jablotron's BM-03 pages say the current unit is for babies from 1 kg, and some UK retailers repeat that 1 kg figure as the difference from the BM-02 (from 2 kg). Those are buying specifications. They are not a neonatal team saying a named home monitor is the right tool for a particular preterm baby.
If the baby is still under the hospital's discharge plan, ask that team which device — if any — they want used at home. The Trust's public page still says a monitor never replaces in-person supervision.
Why do shops still list AC401 next to AC25-1?
The 2025 factsheet names AC25-1 as Angelcare's new medically certified mattress unit with video and sound. Older Angelcare movement models used a wired sensor pad. Angelcare's own product safety notice lists AC401 (and several other series) among units sold with wired pads before a 2013/2014 cord-cover notice. The company now says it manufactures cordless movement monitors.
- Match the model code on the box to the factsheet name if you are trying to buy the medical video unit coordinators are briefed on.
- A deal-price AC401 listing is not the AC25-1 paragraph in the 2025 factsheet.
- Wired-pad notices are about cords. They are not a comparison score against Nanny.
Does either monitor replace safer sleep?
No. The Trust's position for every movement monitor is the same: no evidence they prevent SIDS; stay in the same room for the first six months; keep the control unit out of reach; do not rely on the pad in a car, pram, or shared sleep space. Medical-device marking is something coordinators are told to look for. It is not a substitute for a clear, flat sleep space.
In shortIn short: both named units are mattress-type medical movement monitors with a usual 20-second alarm. Nanny is a pad-and-beeper with a printed weight band; AC25-1 adds a screen and a wireless pad. Read the model code. This page does not name a better box.
Questions parents ask
- Is the Nanny BM-03 the same as the BM-02 in the factsheet?
- The CONI factsheet discusses BM-02 and BM-03 together as Nanny mattress monitors from 2 kg to 15 kg. The maker presents BM-03 as the later unit, with a 1 kg lower weight, placement detection, and a temperature indicator. If you are matching a loan unit, read the code on the control box.
- Does a Class IIb or 'medically certified' mark mean one unit is better?
- It means the maker is selling the product as a medical device under UK/EU device rules. The Lullaby Trust still says it does not test brands and that monitors have not been shown to prevent SIDS. The mark is not a winner's rosette.
- Can a CONI team re-loan an Angelcare AC25-1?
- The coordinator factsheet says the Angelcare monitor is treated as single-use and not re-loaned. Nanny's alarm unit can be issued again with a new domestic pad. Local stock policy still sits with the CONI area, not with a shop listing.
- Which one should a family on CONI be given?
- The factsheet says the choice of monitor is decided at local level and bought by the local team, not via the Trust. Ask the coordinator what is in stock and how they wean it. This page does not pick a unit.
Sources
Official pages first. If this page and the official page disagree, the official page wins.
- The Lullaby Trust — Movement Monitors Factsheet for Coordinators (November 2025) — checked 10 September 2026
- The Lullaby Trust — Baby monitors — checked 10 September 2026
- Nanny — BM-03 Baby Breathing Monitor — checked 10 September 2026
- Angelcare UK — AC25-1 Baby Movement Monitor with Video & Sound — checked 10 September 2026
- Angelcare — Product safety notice (wired sensor pads, including AC401) — checked 10 September 2026
This is information, not a guarantee of any payment, and not medical, legal or product-safety advice for your home. Prices and rules change; figures carry the date they were checked. Recall status comes from official records only — a product we cannot find is not a safety all-clear. Tell us if we got a fact wrong.