Owlett baby monitor

[Ek3009]

Hi :)

I’m 27 weeks and just starting to look at all the little bits and bobs and came across the owlett baby monitor and just wondered if anyone else has one?

They are very pricey however they look amazing! They monitor your child’s heart rate and oxygen levels as they sleep and notify you if there are any changes.

I’m a born worrier so feel it would be a good thing for us and will help me sleep better but just want some opinions before I buy it as it’s quite a big investment.

Anyone used one and have any reviews?

[Zhampagne]

Maybe have a look at the statistics on the Lullaby Trust website and see how very tiny the risk of SIDS is for a full-term, healthy baby, as long as all of the safer sleep guidance is followed.

It's really normal as a new parent to worry but if you honestly feel that you need your baby's vital signs constantly monitored in order to be able to sleep then this is a really disruptive level of anxiety that shouldn't be normalised and that you don't have to live with, because there is help available

[LividLaughLovely]

Ignore those who say it’s abnormal to worry about your baby. Well, clearly I’m abnormal...

We had an Owlet but couldn’t get on with it on a tiny newborn foot. We preferred the Angelcare movement monitor. It’s a pad that goes under the mattress and beeps if they stop breathing.

Definitely helped me sleep 🤷‍♀️

[Zhampagne]

I'm genuinely sorry that you've been so anxious, @LividLaughLovely. Please don't tell others to ignore me.

[purplejungle]

We've got one. We really like it.

Occasionally it goes off to say it's not on properly which can be annoying in the middle of the night, but it's worth it for us for the reassurance it gives.

A couple of times it has gone off to say our baby's oxygen is too low, but when we have checked him he seems fine (no blue lips or sucking his chest in etc) and it quickly rises again. We spoke to a doctor about it who said they can be useful to tell you to check on baby, but that how baby seems is the most important thing because they're not always accurate.

[purplejungle]

Also, we weren't planning to get one but baby was unexpectedly in NICU after birth for 8 days, so we wanted the reassurance because his oxygen and heart rate had been constantly monitored in NICU.

[Lorddenning1]

I have mistook what this thread was going to be about, I thought it was going to be about baby owls 😳

[Ek3009]

Thankyou for the reviews I will definitely have a think about it and also look into angel care.

@Zhampagne Thankyou for your concern but as I said I’m just a born worrier. It doesn’t get in the way of my day to day life and definitely doesn’t require me seeking help. It’s been a long road for us to get to this point and a very much longed for baby. If I feel this will help me relax more then what’s the harm?

[Zhampagne]

I'm happy for you, OP, and I hope that you enjoy every moment with your baby. If you can comfortably afford £269+ then there is no harm at all but I think that it is unethical for companies to exploit the very natural worries of new parents by selling them a product which claims to reassure them, and in the worst case might give them a false sense of security not to follow safer sleep guidance. I say all this as the parent of a former SCBU baby, incidentally.

I can see that my opinion is in the minority on this thread, however, so I will wish you well.

[PuntoEBasta]

in the worst case might give them a false sense of security not to follow safer sleep guidance

This is my concern: I can see how easily parents might think that if their baby is on the monitor they can safely put them on their tummy or in their own room very early.

[LividLaughLovely]

@PuntoEBasta I’d argue that the parents who want to use these (if they’re anything like me) are the ones who can quote safe sleep guidance at you chapter and verse.

I can’t speak for OP but as someone who had to be persuaded Owlet plus Angelcare at the same time was overkill, I’d be more likely to play on the motorway than I would put baby on his front or in his own room before six months.

Preying on paranoia? Probably. But I’m grateful for any reassurance I can get that helps me sleep with both eyes closed.

(And again, can’t speak for OP but yes, there’s a huge backstory to my anxiety, but I don’t think that invalidates the purchase for anyone with vaguely similar concerns and cash to throw at alleviating them).

[PuntoEBasta]

@LividLaughLovely I’m sure that’s true. I don’t think I know anyone who has used Owlet but I can think of three families of my personal acquaintance who have used the Angelcare monitor as reassurance / justification to put baby in their own room before four months.

I’m really sorry that you have experienced anxiety. I know very well how debilitating it can be. My concern is that these monitors are a sign of a wider, specific women’s health issue where we are increasingly expecting mothers to live with intrusive levels of anxiety without offering them the tools to deal with it. Mental health support had already been cut to the bone before Covid rendered it almost non-existent for many. The horrible thing about anxiety is that once one threat has gone it latches on to another. I truly believe that women deserve better and I wish it were as profitable to sell CBT courses to help new parents to deal with their anxieties as it is to persuade them that they need NICU-standard technology in their home to be able to sleep.

[Maggie90]

Absolutely love the owlett and would highly recommend.

I’m also a worrier but the owlett has really helped me be less anxious. I love that you can check heart rates and SATS. You can even check vitals on the app when your out shopping Or away from home and baby is at home.

[Daisysandviolets]

I was looking at these as well as the snuzza which is a bit cheaper at about £80 as I am a very anxious person!

I think we're going to go for the snuzza and see how we get on with that before purchasing the owlet.

[KittyKat2020]

We have an owlet too! Yes pricey but totally worth the cost

[Frazzlerock]

I'm looking at the Owlet too, and also really like the idea of the Bluebell Smart baby monitor.

Having had 4 MMC over the past 4 years and finally getting somewhere with this little fighter, I feel that there is no harm in spending extra money for a little extra peace of mind. My DP is also naturally very anxious so I know this will help him too

[acquiescence]

My baby died as a toddler in his sleep and I am expecting another. I am being issued with a monitor called nanny care or similar by the lullaby trust, it is medical grade breathing/movement monitor. On a support group I am on many parents use the owlet and are generally happy with it. I’m still considering it, however my anxiety will increase when this baby is past the age when it will be useful.
The risk is incredibly low but it happens, and for those who it does happen to, will wish you did anything possible to have prevented it. If use of a monitor helps you rest and be a more relaxed parent then go for it.

[Frazzlerock]

The only thing I don't like is that neither the Owlet or the Bluebell have video monitoring. Though it looks like you can spend an extra £149 for the Owlet video camera...

[Frazzlerock]

@acquiescence what an awful experience, I am so sorry to read this. I can't even imagine. Your nerves must be through the roof.
I totally agree with you.

As if anxious parents who need this level of reassurance are going to take risks, even with these monitors. I know I'll still be nervous even with the highest level of tech tbh. But it is worth it for a slightly easier life!

[PuntoEBasta]

I’m so sorry for your loss, @acquiescence.

[Sheera1]

There is a brilliant new one called the Bluebell. It looks amazing but is a hefty £299.

I did read a review that said the owlet was not recommended as it gave of high levels of, I want to say EMF readings? Think whatever the monitor uses to link to the handset etc and some monitors give off quite high readings.

I went with angelcare for ds now 10 and am going to get the AC527 this time with the video monitor too. The sensor pad just gave me that extra peace of mind.

I would love the bluebell but it is so much and I think all the stuff you can do and track might become a bit of an obsession if I did.

[Sheera1]

Oh I got my AC527 for £150.

[Frazzlerock]

@Sheera1 yes another Bluebell dreamer I thought I was the only one who'd heard of it!
I'm still tempted to invest... but sad there is no video

[LividLaughLovely]

Oh god @acquiescence I’m so, so sorry. I know the internet words of strangers don’t mean anything but I really am.