As a new parent there are lots of important products that you will need to buy to keep your baby happy and healthy.
One of those products is a baby monitor. There are so many baby monitors available on the market, each one boasting a variety of technological features.
The Owlet smart sock is an innovative baby monitor that has proven to be very popular. Several versions of this product have been released, but we will be reviewing the Owlet smart sock 2.
We have gathered information about the product and listed the pros and cons to help you decide whether or not this product is right for you.
The owlet smart sock 2 is a baby monitor that tracks certain elements of your baby’s health, such as their heartbeat and their oxygen levels.
It is not a traditional baby monitor so it does not have video or audio. This might put some parents off, but it has some other excellent features.
The sock is lightweight, comfortable and breathable. It attaches to your baby’s foot and they shouldn’t have any issues with wearing it for a long period of time.
It uses the same non-invasive oximetry technology as smart watches to monitor heart rate and oxygen levels. The date is sent from the sock to a base station via bluetooth.
The base station and the sock need to be within 30 feet of each other for the bluetooth connection to work., but the connection is most reliable within 15 feet.
You will be alerted if your baby’s heart rate gets too high or low, or if their oxygen levels drop too low. The base station also has a constant light that glows green- this will turn red during an alert.
The base station can be connected to your Wifi so that you can receive alerts to your phone via the app.
Using the app allows you to receive more in-depth reporting of the data over time, which is especially useful if your baby has health issues as this information can be shared with their doctor.
You can access this information at any time from your phone, but it is stored on a cloud which means there is a possibility that it can be hacked.
The monitor itself is very unlikely to get hacked as it sends the data via bluetooth rather than wifi.
Three washable socks are included with the product but you can buy more socks separately if needed. They are made from cotton for a soft feel against the skin.
You can place the sock on the left or the right foot, and they are firmly attached but not too tight. The socks should fit most infants from newborn up to 18 months old.
The socks should be hand washed and left to air dry to prevent them from getting damaged.
The battery life lasts easily through the night and can be fully recharged within 3 hours when the sock is plugged into the base.
The biggest downside to this baby monitor is that there is no video or audio feed.
You won’t be able to tell whether your baby is crying from listening to the monitor, and there is no way to talk to your baby through the monitor.
It can be very useful to have a live stream of video in your baby’s room as you can keep an eye on- especially as they get a bit older and are more active.
The other downside to this baby monitor is that it has no night light, no lullaby function, and it does not monitor the temperature or humidity of the baby’s room.
Now that you understand what the baby monitor can do and how it works, it’s time to consider the pros and cons of this product.
Pros
Monitors heart rate
Monitors oxygen levels
Alerts you to issues with alarm and red color
Smart phone app available
Soft cotton material
Breathable and comfortable
Good battery life and quick to recharge
Bluetooth connection is unlikely to be hacked
Cons
No infra-red Night Vision
No Audio or video stream
No Two way communication
No lullaby function
No room temperature or humidity monitor
Not able to remote zoom, pan or tilt as no video
No night light function
No video recording and snapshot capability
Frequently Asked Questions
Is There An Iphone App For The Owlet Smart Sock 2?
There is a smartphone application for the Owlet smart sock 2 which you can download on both iphones and android phones. The app is free to use and does not require a monthly subscription.
Can You Pair More Than One Owlet Smart Sock To The base?
Only one smart sock can be paired with the base. This means that if you have twins sleeping in the same room you will need two smart socks and two separate bases to pair them to.
What causes the alarm to go off?
If your baby’s heart rate drops below 60 BPM or rises to over 220 BPM then the alarm will go off. It will also be set off if their oxygen level dips below 80%.
The alarm is loud and is coded red so you will know it is an emergency.
There is also a code yellow alarm which plays a gentle nursery rhyme to alert you that the sock is incorrectly placed and needs to be re-positioned in order to work properly.
Summary
Overall, the Owlet smart sock 2 is an excellent product that is very useful for parents.
It is a particularly good product for parents of children with health issues or concerns which require their heart rate and oxygen levels to be regularly monitored.
The technology is reliable but non-intrusive. The socks are comfortable and soft and washable. However, this product lacks some of the basic and desirable features of a baby monitor.
There is no audio, video, night light, lullaby function, and no temperature monitor. For this reason, we recommended using it alongside a video monitor for additional peace of mind rather than on its own.
When thinking about clothing, there is so much to consider, such as sizing, the materials used, the quality of the products, and also how ethical they are. There is also the topic of fast fashion and its effects on the environment.
