Quick Verdict: The Owlet monitor tracks your baby's heart rate and oxygen levels during sleep, offering peace of mind for anxious parents, but frequent false alarms, connectivity issues, and a premium price tag mean it's not for everyone.
What Is the Owlet Baby Monitor?
Back in 2013, one of Owlet's founders reached out asking if I thought parents would be interested in a sock that monitors their baby's vital signs while sleeping. My answer? Absolutely.
The Owlet uses pulse oximetry (the same technology hospitals use with those finger clips) built into a soft sock that tracks your baby's heart rate and oxygen saturation. If levels fall outside preset zones, you get an alert on your phone.
Why I Would Have Used This
When my son was a baby, I was constantly checking to see if he was breathing. "Sleep when the baby sleeps"? Never happened – I was on permanent patrol duty.
We had one of those under-mattress monitors, but my kid was rarely in the crib. He'd be in the bassinet, swing, pack 'n play, or on my chest. The Owlet solves this because the sock travels with your baby, not just monitors one sleep surface.
I would spend nights thinking, "He's sleeping too soundly. He seems too quiet," which would spiral into panic-checking that sometimes woke him up. It was a perpetual dance of insanity, and this would have been a game changer for me.
How the Owlet Works
- Pulse oximetry technology: A small light shines through your baby's skin to measure blood flow and oxygen levels
- Wireless sock: Soft, washable, no adhesives
- Water-resistant design: Electronic components are sealed to protect your baby from electrical contact
- Real-time alerts: Notifies you via base station sound and smartphone app if vitals fall outside safe ranges
Important: This is not a medical device. If your baby was sent home on medical monitors, use those instead.
Dream Sock Features: What You're Getting
The Dream Sock has been clinically evaluated for SpO2 (oxygen saturation) accuracy across all skin tones under both motion and non-motion conditions.
Real-time health insights + alerts:
- Live pulse rate monitoring
- Continuous oxygen level tracking
- Historical sleep trends and patterns
- Wakings and sleep trend data to understand sleep quality
- Health trend tracking over time
- Low or high pulse rate alerts
- Low oxygen level notifications
Real Parent Experiences: The Good and the Bad
What Parents Love
Genuine peace of mind: Many parents find the medical-grade monitoring truly reassuring, especially during those early weeks when every sound (or lack of sound) triggers worry.
Helpful during illness: Parents report the data is invaluable for tracking oxygen levels during RSV or other respiratory illnesses, and for monitoring medication effectiveness. Some have even caught concerning dips that led to important medical interventions.
HSA/FSA eligible: Since it's now FDA-cleared, you can use health savings accounts to purchase it, making the investment more accessible for some families.
Sleep insights: The app provides detailed data on sleep cycles and patterns that many parents find genuinely useful for understanding their baby's rest patterns.
Common Complaints
Frequent false alarms: This is the #1 complaint. Connectivity drops, improper sock fit, or the baby moving can trigger loud alerts that wake everyone up.
Technical problems: Many users report frustrating Wi-Fi/Bluetooth connection issues requiring constant troubleshooting—often in the middle of the night.
High cost: At $299-399+ depending on the bundle, many parents feel the performance doesn't justify the price.
Skin irritation: Some users have reported irritation on their baby's feet from the sensor.
Increased anxiety: Ironically, the device meant to reduce worry can actually increase anxiety for some parents due to constant alerts and monitoring.
What Medical Experts Say
The FDA clearance changes the conversation significantly. Unlike earlier versions that faced regulatory scrutiny, the current Dream Sock has met medical device standards.
However, pediatricians still generally agree that for healthy, full-term babies, these monitors aren't medically necessary and don't replace safe sleep practices:
- Room-sharing without bed-sharing
- Back-to-sleep positioning
- Firm, flat sleep surface
- No loose bedding or toys in the crib
The Dream Sock is designed to notify you so you can intervene, and it now does so with FDA-cleared accuracy, but it's still a monitoring tool, not a prevention device.
I once saw a dad brag on TikTok that it was okay to put loose blankets in with their infant twins because they wore Owlets. No bueno. Sock or no sock, safe sleep practices before anything else. (I couldn't think of a good 'bros before hos' line there, but came up empty.)
Is the Owlet Right for You?
Consider it if you:
- Have significant anxiety around baby sleep
- Want detailed sleep data and health tracking
- Can afford it
Skip it if you:
- Prefer simple, non-app-based monitoring
- Are on a tight budget
- Would become more anxious from constant vital monitoring
My Take: Would I Recommend It?
Look, you don't have to have one of these. I'm sure there will be people saying they didn't have all this stuff when they had a baby and their baby was just fine – and that's completely valid.
But personally? I would have found the feedback reassuring at a time when I couldn't believe I was in charge of an actual live baby. Maybe that's just me.
The wake window alerts would have been helpful for me because I still don't really understand the phase "tired but awake" when it comes to getting a kid to nap.
I will say that I spent $300 on much dumber stuff during those sleep-deprived months (and in life generally). If it gives you even a few nights of better rest, it might be worth it.
Bottom line: It's not essential, but the Owlet can be a useful tool for anxious parents who want extra monitoring and great sleep analytics.
Next Steps
Ready to learn more? Check out the Owlet website for current pricing and bundles.
Also worth reading: Owlet Doubles Down with a New Video Baby Monitor for their latest camera features.
Have questions about other baby monitors or nursery safety? Drop a comment below – I've researched and tested more baby gear than I care to admit.
About the Author: Amy Morrison is a mom of two boys who has been writing about pregnancy and new parenthood since 2010. She's tested countless baby products in real-world conditions (read: sleep-deprived chaos) and shares honest, profanity-laced advice for overwhelmed parents.
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