Owlet Smart Sock
When I was a new mama to my first baby, I would wake up constantly during my *limited* stretch of sleep to make sure she was breathing. I would turn on the bathroom light, crack the door open to my room and watch her little belly rise and fall for peace of mind. If I couldn’t see her stomach moving well enough I would lick my finger and hold it near her nose and mouth to feel her breath. Seems a tad overzealous right? It was! Hormones! Am I right ladies? Sadly, a lot of new mamas have a similar fear of SIDS like I did. I missed out on a lot of precious sleep, worrying if she was okay while I slept.
When I had my second baby, my mom and sister got the Owlet Smart Sock for him. It was a game changer! I felt like I could finally rest knowing he was being monitored while I slept. The smart sock velcroed around his foot and tracked his heart rate and oxygen levels. It hooks up to your smartphone and also comes with an alarm base that will sound if it detects a concerning irregularity.
It used to be $299, and right now it’s currently $224. I applaud them for making it affordable so that most households can purchase it if they want it. A friend of mine borrowed mine until her son was 9 months old. Then when I had my third baby and it was time for her to return it, she ended up buying her own and using it until her son was 18 months old. She told me, “I know it’s an investment, but honestly, I’d pay $3,000 for the comfort it brings us.”
One concern/pushback I’ve heard from friends considering using it is, “Well what if there’s a false alarm?” I have two responses to this question. First, there could be a few false alarms in the first few days of using it, mostly due to user error. Figuring out how to properly attach it to your newborn’s tiny foot and navigating the technology for the first time are usually the culprits. Second, I would rather be woken up by 100 false alarms (100 won’t happen) in order to be woken up when my baby needed assistance.
Also, from one mama who’s used it to another, I recommend adding a fitted sock to go over the owlet sock to keep it snuggly in place. We used it for my boys for the first six months. My husband and I both really appreciated the extra layer of protection watching over our babies as they slept.
Xo
Allie