Owlet Baby Monitor Tracks Baby’s Vital Signs At Night, Alerts Parents If Baby’s Health Declines
A new wearable baby monitor product called Owlet hopes to prevent infant deaths by warning parents of potential health concerns before they can claim a newborn’s life. The baby monitor comes in the form of a cute booty that can be placed on the baby’s foot while sleeping. The monitor, according to the company, stays “up all night so you don’t have to be.” The monitor is designed to send a warning alert to parents if a baby’s vitals drop in the night.
Owlet is a baby vital sign monitor that comes in the form of a cute wearable booty. The booty is simply placed on the child’s foot when the baby goes down for a nap or to sleep at night. The product connects to an “alert” system on the parent’s phone and on a base station included with the product. The creators of the Owlet note that the product monitors both heart rate and oxygen levels and is based off of hospital technology.
“The Owlet empowers you with the same technology hospitals use, pulse oximetry. There’s a reason hospitals use pulse oximetry in place of other monitoring options. It’s safe, proven, and accurate.”
The creators say that the Owlet is designed to monitor your baby’s breathing while he sleeps so that you can get a good night’s rest without worry. If the baby stops breathing, an alert will be sent to your smartphone devices as well as to the base. The base will turn from green to red, indicating there is a problem and will begin to beep.
Numerous mothers are already claiming that the Owlet alerted them to a potential danger regarding their baby, and that they were able to act quickly because of the alert.
Michelle is one such user who claims that her daughter was born prematurely and was just four pounds when she brought her home. Michelle says that the Owlet alerted her one night to the fact her daughter was choking and she was able to immediately provide care to her newborn thanks to the Owlet’s alert.
According to Engadget, the Owlet baby monitor is not meant to replace regular doctor’s visits and is not considered a medical device. However, it is a “warning system” that can be used by parents and doctors to identify potential health risks. The inventors hope that the device can help prevent SIDS by alerting parents to the fact their child is not breathing; however, they aren’t allowed to make any medical claims until they receive FDA approval which they currently do not have. Therefore, you will notice that the Owlet claims to use hospital technology, but does not claim to be a medical device.
Chris Stroud, the VP of Owlet, told Engadget that there have been dozens of stories by Owlet users of the system alerting them to potentially hazardous situations in which they were able to intervene. The high-tech baby monitoring device is sold at a price of $249.99 and comes with three different size booties so that it can grow with your baby. The product is designed to work on babies up to 18-months-old.
#Owlet is a baby sock with built in heart rate and blood oxygen monitor. It’s an amazing product for parents. https://t.co/t60zB9jHdm
— David A. Cox (@PCClassesOnline) January 9, 2016
When interviewing the inventors, it was noted that there may be a future for other wearable childcare products, but for now, the makers of Owlet are focusing on getting their baby vital sign monitors in as many homes as possible.
What do you think about the baby vital sign monitor? If you had a baby in the home, would you purchase a product such as this to monitor the baby’s vital signs at night to allow for a less stressful sleep?
[Image via Shutterstock]
