I bought this monitor from boots for £29.99 when i was 5months pregnant. It said its best used from 21weeks onwards so i began using it straight away. Things like position, baby's weight and mothers weight can affect it working but i seemed to fit into all the categories where its ment to work the best. However i heard nothing untill around 28 weeks. Even then it was very faint. I also got quite scared as one minute i could hear the heart beat and the next minute i couldnt but the book said not to take the machine to seriously as when the baby moves the heart beat can be lost. I found that you had to strap it quite tight to be able to hear anything which was quite uncomfy so i didnt listen for very long.

I decided to use my ipod earphones which made it much clearer so i guess the earphones that come with it are quite cheap and very quite. There is a volume control on the side and slots for 2 head phones so you and your partner can both listen. It also comes with a good sized belt that is elasticated so is easy to fit any bump size. It also comes with an aux cable so you can record sounds onto the computer to save or send to your family and friends. I also liked to plug my pc speakers into the monitor so me and my family could listen together. It doesnt harm your baby in any way and is completely safe for home use. It takes 1 x 9v battery which is not included.

Overall i did enjoy listening to my baby's heart beat, hiccups and kicks. I would recommend this item, just remember its not as reliable as the one the doctors use so if you dont hear anything, it most likely just the machine and not your baby.