Having just moved up the ranks to parenthood, there’s an awful lot to learn. What they say is true: you don’t know what you don’t know. My wife and I are both only children, so it’s safe to say that we were lacking experience as we embarked on this journey. At least she used to babysit neighborhood children, while most of my baby knowledge came from the movie “Three Men and a Baby”. Fortunately for me, she’s very intelligent, does tiresome research, and doesn’t believe in procrastination. On the other hand, I’ve been winging it since we found out she was pregnant. What can I say, we compliment each other. Boy I hope she reads this! Anyway, much of her research was centered around SIDS: Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. While steps can be taken to prevent it, there are no guarantees. Probably the best defense against SIDS is a good baby monitor. Through the aforementioned research, one name in baby monitors kept coming up as highly recommended: Owlet.
In our case, when our hospital stay wrapped up, we were very anxious to get home and begin our new family life. It is a little nerve wracking though to be so alone. At the hospital, there is an endless stream of nurses who come in to check on your baby both day and night. At home, the parents are the last line of defense. As soon as we got home, we immediately set up our Owlet monitor to help ease our concerns. What the Owlet is, exactly, is a sock that the child wears that syncs with a base station. We positioned the base station on my wife’s nightstand. The sock measures the heart rate and oxygen level of the baby in real time. If there is cause for concern, the base station lights change color, and an alarm sounds. The Owlet uses pulse oximetry to monitor, which is the same technology used in hospitals around the world. The sock is made of 100% natural cotton and contains no wires to rub against the child’s skin. There are three sized socks to choose from as the infant grows, and the largest sock will fit most children up to one year, and some up to 18 months. Since we live in a “smart” world, Owlet has an app for monitoring your child anytime, and from anywhere. The app can be found in the App Store or Google Play. I like the app because you can see specifically what her heart rate is and what the oxygen level is with actual numbers on a scale. For a visual person it’s helpful, and kind of interesting.
So, you’re probably wondering by now what Owlet costs. It isn’t cheap, but you probably weren’t thinking it would be. Owlet retails for $249.99. The only place I’ve found to purchase it is directly from Owlet at www.OwletCare.com. While Owlet doesn’t let just anyone sell their Smart Sock, keeping control does have its advantages. The price may be a little steep, but Owlet offers financing if needed. With a 45-day money back guarantee, it’s definitely a product worth trying.
Owlet claims that “83% of Owlet parents report having better sleep while using the Smart Sock on their baby.” I can’t vouch for that, because I’ve been sleeping pretty well, though I’m not sure if that’s because my daughter is wearing the monitor or if I’m just exhausted. Either way, if you “Give a Hoot About Your Baby”, you’ll want to give the Owlet a good, hard look.