I am a first time mom. A mom who had never really been around children for an extended period of time in any of my 37 years. When my daughter came into my life like a bolt of lighting, I had no idea what I was in for. I knew being a mom was hard, and I read all the articles about the newborn stage. But holy cow! There was nothing I could have done to prepare myself for this bundle of love and all that comes with it.
I am a worrier. I just always have been. Especially when I have no idea what to expect. For those first few nights with my new baby, I would literally sit and watch her all night to make sure she was still breathing. I slept with the lights on, my glasses on, and sitting up so I could lean over and look at my baby in her co-sleeper bed to make sure everything was okay. With every little noise, grunt, movement, I was jerking awake to make sure she was okay.
I remember texting my girlfriends who all have kids and asked them how they got any sleep when worrying about their baby. They all said they remember those days.
Then I received something that changed my life. Literally. I can now sleep easy and not stress so much about what is happening with my little one. If I were to make a list of must-have baby items, I would easily say that this item is number one on the list for any new parent, or any parents with a new baby.
It is the Owlet baby monitor, and I can’t praise it enough. The Owlet is a monitor that tracks your baby’s heart rate and oxygen level. It comes in a sock, so you just put the sock on your baby, and gives you live information of what your baby’s current heart rate and oxygen levels are.
This monitor has helped me with so many stressful nights. At 3 weeks old, my baby got RSV and needed to be hospitalized to monitor her oxygen levels. It was so scary and stressful because she was so young. We spent the night there, but they said that she would be okay to go home but needed to be carefully watched because it can get bad quickly. Having the Owlet monitor on my baby to tell us what her oxygen levels were at was such a stress reliever. It was so nice to see what was happening with her levels since she was sick and I needed to know what was happening with her in case she needed to be admitted to the hospital again. For that reassurance, I am utterly grateful for the Owlet. Since then, we still love it and use it every night.
The Owlet has a base station that collects the information from the sock monitor and is designed to alert you if heart rate and oxygen fall outside of range. The part that I love is the Owlet app that tells you exactly what her oxygen levels are and what her heart rate is. Both the base station and your phone are designed to alert you. You can check her levels from your phone from anywhere. She can be asleep in her crib, and I can be in another room doing laundry, and just quickly check the levels for my own self reassurance.
The Owlet is the only monitor that uses pulse oximetry to record baby’s information. This is what they use in the hospital. I know first hand watching it from when my daughter was in the hospital for her RSV.
Another reason I love the Owlet is that they have done a lot of research to avoid false alarms. If your baby is moving, it let you know she is moving, but also pauses the monitoring so there is not a false alarm. We have been using it every night for about 6 weeks and have not had a false alarm as of yet. That is the last thing you want to deal with is a huge alarm in the middle of the night that you may think that your baby has stopped breathing, only to find out it was a false read.
If you have thought about a baby monitor, or done the research, you will see how widely it is loved. The Bump just recently named the Owlet the best baby tech product.
If you are thinking about it, I highly recommend, if you enjoy getting a more restful night with your new baby. Try it for yourself!
Check out the reviews on Amazon here.
*Owlet is not a medical device and is not designed to replace medical monitors.
This is a sponsored post for Owlet Care but all words and opinions are my own.
Robin Masshole Mommy says
March 28, 2016 at 2:49 amOh wow, where was that when my boys were babies? What an amazing monitor.
Lee says
March 28, 2016 at 7:17 amI don’t have children but now I know what to buy for my friends baby showers! Thanks for the information.
christina aliperti says
March 28, 2016 at 12:16 pmMy local news station just did a segment on this! I think it’s a great idea. My son will be 18 in a few weeks and I clearly remember those nights staying up just watching him because I was so scared. This would have really eased my mind.
Liz Mays says
March 28, 2016 at 4:07 pmI can see how this would be insanely helpful. I really like that you can keep track of these things anywhere you go.
Elizabeth O. says
March 28, 2016 at 4:36 pmI think we all go through this in the first weeks of having a newborn. I remember worrying as much as you when I had my kids. It’s good to know that you’ve found the perfect solution for it.
Nicole Escat says
March 28, 2016 at 9:00 pmThis is such a really great product. I can’t believe there’s a baby product invented like this. My cousin should have this because she always worries for her first baby.
victoria says
March 29, 2016 at 2:37 amThis is really a great monitor for the babies. I wish they have this when my kids was still a baby.
travel blogger says
March 29, 2016 at 5:11 amThis is awesome! I am a worrier too, and I don’t know how many times I have laid there looking at the monitor trying to see if I could see if my son’s chest was going up and down. This would be perfect for new Mommy’s.
Sheila says
January 18, 2018 at 7:40 pmDo you have to have internet access for thus to work or does it just pair with your phone?
Erin Kennedy says
January 18, 2018 at 9:57 pmYou can technically use it without the internet. It would just alarm on the main base if anything were to happen. The app shows you the heart rate and the alarm would also go off on your phone. Good luck!
Nikki says
March 29, 2016 at 7:42 amAwesome! Never heard or seen this before, but I wish I found it when my son was a baby.
Garf says
March 29, 2016 at 9:08 amThat is so cute and a very interesting baby monitor.
Rosey says
March 30, 2016 at 3:24 amSuch great ideas. I have four babies and I can attest that sleep is very welcome when they’re little. :)
Stephanie Pass says
March 30, 2016 at 8:36 amWhat an interesting product. I could see this really helping parents have peace of mind. I check my babies often at night as I sleep with my babies because I don’t want to get out of bed at feedings.
Melissa Bernardo says
March 30, 2016 at 8:48 amWow! I wish I had this when my
Boys were young! Thank you for sharing this!
CourtneyLynne says
March 30, 2016 at 1:59 pmOooo this is something totally new to me! Definitely wasn’t around when my princess was itty bitty!
Dhemz Apdian - Dias says
March 30, 2016 at 3:49 pmoh, how cute! That is really a fancy product for kids. Thanks for sharing!
Lisa Rios says
March 30, 2016 at 7:01 pmSuch a wonderful gadget to monitor the babies. I wish I had such options when I had my kids & I am sure this is going to be of great use to moms to make sure they are stress free.
adriana says
March 31, 2016 at 8:08 amI’ve heard so much about this product and it is truly amazing!
Anosa says
April 1, 2016 at 10:42 pmI do not yet have kids but I am loving this monitor, never knew there was a monitor like this before.
Dana says
May 3, 2016 at 5:12 amI don’t know how new mothers got any sleep before these monitors came to be. We use the Snuza Hero for our baby and it gives me so much piece of mind, and makes me feel comfortable getting some sleep myself.
Jess says
June 6, 2016 at 8:46 pmI’m sorry to rain on this parade as I love the concept of the owlet as I have spent much time awake checking to see if my baby was breathing, however there is a lot of research beginning to point toward the dangers of wireless signals on children especially. There is much more happening in Europe than the US to begin to protect young ones from wifi as they are much more suceptible to harm due to their softer skulls and vulnerable stage of rapid brain development. France has actually banned wifi In preschools. Wifi is being referred to as “the new tobacco”. http://www.radiationresearch.org/8-news/294-france-bans-wi-fi-from-schools-we-should-all-do-the-same
Anya Deepak says
October 9, 2016 at 8:45 pmAgree. I don’t even wear one on my hand, not letting a dynamic monitor with a base station anywhere near baby.
Betty nicks says
July 23, 2016 at 8:28 amWhat will you when baby is a teen, attach a monitor to her/ his belly button.
Relax , babies have survived new moms for years. New moms however have been known to do strange things like sit and watch babies sleep instead of sleeping themselves.
Baby will let you know with loud verbal cues( crying) when they need something.
Erin Kennedy says
July 26, 2016 at 12:23 pmThat is true, but for a new mom, it is all new and I still check on my baby and she is 6 months old. And, they don’t cry when they stop breathing. They just stop breathing. To each their own. It makes me and other mom’s feel better. No need to judge.
Mel says
October 29, 2017 at 7:59 amI want to get one my baby is 12 wks old thethe sock what goes on the foot wat size does it fit up to?
Erin Kennedy says
October 29, 2017 at 2:46 pmI believe it goes on the left foot. I am not sure what size it goes up to. It comes with three sizes and the largest is pretty large. I think we stopped at 6 months? We never made it to the largest size. Still one of the best things I used.
JR says
May 6, 2018 at 2:11 amIs it really safe though to put something electrical like that on your baby’s foot? Isn’t it sending EMFs of some sort out? People should really read about grounding and how EMFs are making us all sick.
Erin Kennedy says
May 25, 2018 at 11:44 amYou just have to do what you think is best. I was not getting any sleep and used the owlet until the SIDS rate went down at 6 months.
Paula says
September 24, 2018 at 8:59 pmMy granddaughter was born at 27 weeks and weighed 20 ounces. When she went home
3 1/2 months later, there were many sleepless night until her foot was big enough to fit in the smallest size. She is now nearly 5 months old, weighing 8 pounds and still wearing that smallest size monitor. She has had no events (Bradys) and mom has been able to get some peaceful sleep. It does come at s price, however. About $250 or more.