Owlet Dream Duo Baby Monitor review: "As first time parents, it's given us huge reassurance."

Price on writing: £279 £380 | Buy now from Amazon

Our verdict

Overall, our tester Tamsin was very happy with how the Owlet Dream Duo baby monitor performed, saying that it really helped offer her and her husband extra reassurance as sleep-deprived, first time parents. However, it's not without its drawbacks. For one thing, we can't ignore the price. Even though it's currently 27% off at Amazon (£279 down from £380) even with £100 off, the Owlet Dream Duo still sits firmly in the premium range of baby monitors (which you can pick up for as little as £19) but it does offer a lot of features for this price. Tamsin found the reassurance of being able to monitor her baby's oxygen, heart rate and movement as he moved around his cot during the night really helpful. She also pointed out that the monitor's temperature gauge was the most accurate she had ever seen on a baby monitor, which was particularly handy during the summer months. However, for its price, Tamsin felt like it could offer slightly more, and would have liked to have had a separate parent unit included.

Bottom line: A very useful baby monitor if you want that maximum level of reassurance, particularly for nervous first-time parents... but it'll cost you!

How we tested the Owlet Dream Duo baby monitor

Parent-tester Tamsin tested the Owlet over a period of several weeks with her baby, aged seven months at the time. She used the monitor for all her son's naps and during his night time sleep.

-Parent-tester Tamsin

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Is the Owlet Dream Duo easy to set up and use first time?

Tamsin said, "We found the Owlet super easy to set up with the QR code which takes you straight to where you need to get it up and ready. The sock and monitor were quickly linked to the app, making it very easy for us to use first time."

This is a huge improvement on the original Owlet Dream Sock monitor which, during its testing for our review, required quite a few attempts to sync up with the tester's phone.

Tamsin added, "We'd previously used a baby monitor camera with a separate parent unit monitor rather than relying on an app for video playback, so that took some getting used to. However, due to the notification updates, this was fairly easy to get to grips with."

What is included with the Owlet Dream Duo?

• Dream Sight Camera + wall mounting kit

• 4 Fabric Socks (One for each foot in two sizes design to fit babies from 0-18 months old or weighing 2.5 - 13.6 kg)

• Dream Sock Sensor

• Wireless Charging Base Station

• Cord and Adaptor

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How does the Owlet Dream Sock feature work?

The Smart Sock works by using a medical sensor encased in a fabric, wrap-around sock which fits onto the baby's foot (against the skin so underneath any layers of clothing) with velcro fastenings. It then tracks the baby's pulse, oxygen saturation and movement via the sensor, sending the data to the base station, which then transmit it via a secure WiFi connection to the parent's Owlet Dream App. If the readings fall outside a safe range, the base station and the app alert the parents instantly.

-Parent-tester Tamsin

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How does the Owlet Dream Duo camera work?

Using 'Dream Sight' technology, the Dream Duo camera offers 2K HD video, night vision as well as cry, motion and sound detection, temperature and humidity monitoring. It connects to the Dream App via Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, giving parents live video access as well as health and sleep data.

"The camera is a great feature," explains Tamsin, "being able to keep an eye on our baby throughout the day during naps and when he sleeps at night is crucial for us."

What is the video quality like?

"It's great quality with a nice, wide view - pretty handy for us as our little one moves to all corners of his cot!"

How is the audio quality?

"It's good quality audio and able to pick up all small noises from our baby's room."

Is the WiFi connection secure for this monitor?

"The monitor does rely on WiFi and we were slightly worried about this at first," says Tamsin. "But Owlet do highlight that the camera comes with anti-hacking technology which we found reassuring."

What is the signal strength like?

"It reaches all the way to the end of our garden where my home office is, so I'd say it's pretty strong!"

Does the monitor feel sturdy?

"It's quite a small camera," says Tamsin, "so I wouldn't say it's the sturdiest. But it comes with a nice long cable so we've been able to place it on a high book shelf easily and I can't really see it falling off."

What are the standout features of the Owlet Dream Duo?

"Alongside the insights from the sock, it was really handy to have the room temperature registered," said Tamsin. "The monitors I've used before have completely overestimated the temperature in our baby's room, but the Owlet seemed to get it spot on. That has made knowing how to dress our baby for sleep much easier, especially as we go through different seasons."

How does the Owlet Dream Duo compare to other baby monitors?

In terms of pricing, the Owlet Dream Duo sits firmly at the top end of our baby‑monitor roundup. It justifies that premium price point by offering unusually deep monitoring - combining a sock (medically certified with a UKCA Certificate) that tracks pulse and oxygen saturation with HD video, room‑temperature/humidity data and sleep‑trend insights. Compared with other high‑end monitors such as the Nanit Pro (which offers breathing‑motion monitoring via a band and advanced sleep analytics), the CuboAI Plus (which focuses on video and AI safety alerts, rather than direct vitals) and the Maxi-Cosi See Pro (which is more budget‑friendly and includes a dedicated parent monitor screen), the Dream Duo stands out for the breadth of physiological data it tracks. It is, however, more expensive than all but the most premium version of Nanit (offering a similar level of monitoring with its additional breathing band).

-Parent-tester Tamsin

Would you recommend it to other parents?

"For first time parents with little ones who are just starting to practice independent sleeping, I would recommend this. It gave my husband and I peace of mind at a time when we were already sleep-deprived - so it did make our lives easier!"

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Does this monitor represent good value for money?

"In terms of the level of monitoring, yes, but for the price I would have expected a separate parent unit."

About the author

Jenny Wonnacott is a Content Editor at Mumsnet, specialising in writing, editing and optimising pregnancy and baby care content. As a parent of three school-aged children, Jenny is passionate about making Mumsnetters' lives easier through rigorous research of all items recommended in reviews, features and buyers' guides.

As part of the core Baby & Child editorial team at Mumsnet, Jenny has extensive experience with researching, testing and reviewing baby monitors from leading brand - from Leapfrog to VTech - as well as editing and updating our popular best baby monitor guide page.

About Mumsnet reviews

All Mumsnet baby and child product reviews are written by real parents after weeks of research and testing. We work hard to provide honest and independent advice you can trust. Sometimes, we earn revenue through affiliate (click-to-buy) links in our articles. However, we never allow this to influence our coverage.