MNHQ here: Owlet Baby Care and wearable tech for babies

[JustineBMumsnet]

Here at MNHQ we’re considering doing some work with Owlet (a brand that has developed a monitor that tracks a baby’s oxygen and heart rate using pulse oximetry. You can find out more by watching the below video).

Before going ahead we wanted to get your thoughts - is this the kind of thing you’d like to see on Mumsnet? And do you have any thoughts about this sort of 'wearable tech' for babies in general, and whether you think it's the sort of thing you'd like to see on Mumsnet? We’d love to hear what you have to say.

MNHQ

Not a fan for all the reasons previously posted.
I think it's unnecessary and would cause more anxiety in new parents.
'Wearable tech for babies' to me just sounds...wrong

I agree - this would be a really bad idea.

If you think about this as a concept, it's really scary. The simple fact is that this is a piece of medical equipment for use in hospitals. Most parents have no idea about pulse oximetry and wouldnt know what normal heart rates are for babies. Say a baby's pulse goes10 above or below what the instruction manual tell you is normal. Then what? Scared parents will be staying up all night watching their babies or a monitor.

Healthy normal babies will be sleeping wearing medical equipment they dont need. That's awful.

Please don’t as many pp have articulated better than I can this is a really bad idea.
It’s preying on anxious parents for financial gain. Mumnet this is not what you’re about. I understand that you’re a business and need revenue streams but this just goes against everything that the site promotes (or at least what I think you are about).
These devices are useful for a very small population group where medically indicated and the medicalisation of normal healthy childhood is just wrong.
Please don’t, I think the fact that you’re asking the question speaks volumes.

I would have used one with dd1, I was horrifically anxious. It wouldn’t have solved my anxiety, but it would have let me get some sleep, and maybe travel in the front of the car..

I thought we might be talking about something like this

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4527180/figure/F1/

(so, you can see what your baby is looking at which helps know what to talk to them about!)

But no, not vital stats monitoring. The Angel Care mattress things are bad enough - reassure some parents falsely while making others more anxious.

Are their products actually certified and tested as medical technology? Or are they claiming like many of these companies do that they don’t need to because it’s consumer tech for ‘entertainment’ and it doesn’t make any medical claims, while also telling parents this will give us vital important medical information about our babies?

I've two grown up children and I can imagine it would have increased my anxiety levels hugely. I'm now a grandma and would hate to think that my daughter and her partner thought they would need this device in order to ensure their babies safety.
Awful product, preying in parents fears and vulnerabilities.

This would just make me unnecessarily anxious. Totally unnecessary in otherwise healthy babies