WIN! Peace of mind with the Owlet Smart Sock 3 baby monitor valued at $479.99

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Posted on November 13, 2020November 13, 2020 by Lisa Ibrahim

Being a brand new mum is equal parts beautiful and scary. My 6-week-old daughter, Skylar, needs me day and night. Even when she’s sleeping, my mind is still with her, hoping she’s okay and being alert to the slightest sound that might mean I need to attend to her. Needless to say, finding just one moment to myself is almost impossible.

So when I was sent an Owlet Smart Sock 3 Monitor Duo to try out, I was excited to see how it might give me greater peace of mind (and maybe even a little moment to myself!).

Freedom to move

The first time I tried out the Smart Sock 3 was during the day when Skylar was having a nap. All I did was go outside and have a bit of time sitting in the sun, which sounds so simple, but it was very reassuring to know I could monitor her while she was napping. As the Sock tracks both her oxygen level and heart rate, I knew that I would be notified of any problem while I was away from her.

Information at my fingertips

The night she had her 6 week injections she was sleeping when the alert sounded, which happens if the sock detects a change in Skylar’s oxygen levels. The sock is easy to use, it just wraps around Skylar’s foot and is charged on a base when not in use.

I got the notification in two ways – from the Base Station and from the app. I can also view readings in real-time on the app. The Base Station glows green when readings are within pre-set ranges, but when the sock detected a change, the light turned red and made a sound, the app made a sound too to notify me. On this night, I think that when she started to cry her heart rate must have gone up. I also read that sometimes newborns hold their breath, so I think she must have done that while she was crying. The monitor sent out a loud sound and I went in to her and settled her and she was fine again.

Reassurance delivered to my phone

The first time I left the house without Skylar was a little nerve-wracking. As all new mums know, it feels unnatural to be away from your tiny baby. However, while someone else was at home, I put her down for her nap with the sock on, and went out for my first baby-free errand. It was just a 10 minute drive away but as I was using the Owlet Cam, it was reassuring to just be able to look at the app on my phone and be able to see her sleeping soundly; the video streams through a secure, encrypted WiFi connection and the picture is very clear.

Once the camera is up and running it’s pretty easy to use. It took me a few tries to get it connected so I restarted my phone and that got it going.

I did find that after I had it up and running, once your phone locks, after you unlock and open the app it can take a few moments for the camera to come on, and sometimes the screen freezes when trying to re-open camera after getting an alert. But once it’s on, it gives a very clear picture. I also found the night vision on the camera is good to use while Skylar’s having morning nap in a dark room – you can pinch and zoom on your smartphone screen – which is a handy feature to see how she’s doing.

Tracking plus developmental info

I also enjoy using the app because it gives milestone updates; I didn’t know about developmental leaps, and in her sixth week when she was unusually unsettled and crying a lot, I read on the app that she could be going through her 6 week leap and that was really helpful to know too.

Peace of mind at night

Even though she sleeps in my room, I like using the sock at night as it gives that extra bit of monitoring; it gives me peace of mind and makes me feel less like I need to keep waking up through the night to check on her – with the sock, I had added reassurance. I wouldn’t want to be complacent – but it’s a very good invention for that next level peace of mind.