When I used it, the babies didn't really interact with it much, but the toddlers would autonomously walk (or crawl) to the monitor when they wanted something, fuss at it, and an adult would respond. I found that it was advantageous to handle it with two rooms - the toddlers and all their toys and books were in the living room and the cribs, rocker and monitor were in the nursery. When the kids got bored, they were more likely to satisfy that boredom with a closer object than by asking to be rocked. When they really needed adult help - if they were tired or hungry or their social had really dropped, then they would summon an adult.