Thank you Owlet for sponsoring this post and helping ensure the safety of my nephew.
Welcoming a rainbow baby—one born after loss—was pure joy for our family, but it also brought heightened anxiety. After experiencing the loss of a child and watching friends endure tragedies like sudden infant death syndrome and sleep accidents, bedtime can feel particularly tense. A video monitor and having my daughter in a bassinet in my room helped, but had I known about the Owlet smart sock baby monitor when our baby first came home, it would have been at the top of my wish list. When my nephew was admitted to the NICU shortly after birth, I contacted Owlet hoping their smart sock could provide reassurance once he returned home.
Everett’s Story:
Written by his momma: On April 13, 2016 we welcomed our third baby boy, Everett, at 37 weeks. Initially he seemed fine, but soon after birth he was moved to the NICU because of noisy breathing and unstable oxygen saturation levels. We were told he might need 48 hours of antibiotics for a possible infection, but his condition worsened.
He progressed from low-flow nasal oxygen to high flow, then to CPAP, and ultimately required intubation and mechanical ventilation. We spent 2.5 weeks watching him fight to breathe while connected to numerous machines. Everett was diagnosed with Respiratory Distress Syndrome and suffered a large pneumothorax in his right lung. Fluid and air accumulated in his chest cavity, and air became trapped in lung tissue. Both lungs were stiff and difficult to expand. He required chest tubes, a PICC line, a catheter, an umbilical line, and various procedures and tests.
I stayed with him in the hospital, watching monitors day and night—heart rate, respiratory rate, and oxygen levels. Each alarm tightened my chest, and most alerts were due to low oxygen. I would try to stimulate or reposition him to restore normal levels. After 2.5 weeks we were finally able to come home, and I was a nervous wreck, constantly worried that his oxygen might drop during the night without our knowledge.
This was when the Owlet smart sock baby monitor became part of our lives. At first I doubted its accuracy, but it quickly proved invaluable.
Setup was straightforward and completed before our first night home. His heart rate and oxygen readings matched the hospital values, and I spent the first couple of hours watching the app on my phone.
Everett is now seven weeks old and I still check his readings periodically through the night. I continue to have nightmares about his time on life support, so being able to monitor his heart rate and oxygen levels from my phone is priceless for my peace of mind. Knowing we will be alerted if something goes wrong allows me to rest more than I would otherwise. We are deeply grateful for this product and the reassurance it provides.
As a parent who has experienced loss, watching my nephew struggle in the NICU was one of the hardest things I’ve faced. While many infants recover and thrive after NICU stays, the fear that complications could return is real. Having the Owlet monitor in place when Everett returned home helped calm our family’s fears and gave his parents added confidence during that fragile transition.
Before Everett came home, I tested the Owlet smart sock on my one-year-old daughter. The monitor includes several sock sizes to grow with your child. The wireless Smart Sock fits snugly around the foot and monitors heart rate and oxygen levels during sleep using pulse oximetry—the same technology used in hospitals on adult fingertips.
Owlet offers an extra-large sock by request, which fit my daughter best. They also provide an option for an alternate-foot sock, useful because the snug fit needed for accurate readings can sometimes leave a light indentation on the foot.
Setup was very simple. The Owlet app walks you through each step, making configuration quick and user-friendly.
We used the monitor on my active one-year-old for one night before passing it on to my nephew. With a moving toddler it took the device some time to lock a reading, and the app will notify you when the child is “wiggling.” When baby is asleep, however, seeing stable heart rate and oxygen numbers provided real comfort.
I placed the base station beside my bed, which sits next to my daughter’s nursery. Although I hoped for better sleep, the first night was interrupted by base-station alerts about a disconnected sock. Owlet distinguishes alarm tones and colors for disconnections versus high or low readings, but repeated alerts still disturbed my rest. Everett sleeps in the same room as his parents with the base station only feet away, and we have not experienced this issue with him.
PROS:
• Easy setup
• Monitoring via smartphone and base station
• Multiple sock sizes with alternate-foot option
• Fast charging for the monitor
• Distinct alert tones and colors for disconnection versus critical readings
CONS:
• The sock must stay near the base station for consistent connectivity
• No built-in option for in-car monitoring when baby is away from home
• Current limitations for use with multiples (the device was not designed for twins; Owlet notes a twin-friendly version is planned. At present you can use two Owlet systems in one home but would need two base stations, two socks, and two mobile devices or alternate logins).
BUY IT:
Purchase the Owlet smart sock baby monitor online. Price as listed by the manufacturer was $249.
Disclosure: I received an Owlet monitor. All thoughts and opinions are my own.