What we love about it: The Dream Duo 2 includes the Owlet Smart HD monitor and the Owlet Dream Sock. Owlet is the only FDA-cleared baby health monitor on this list. Dream Sock is the first and only over the counter medical pulse oximetry solution for newborns. The package came with four socks of different sizes designed to fit healthy infants weighing 6 to 30 pounds. The socks contain a photoplethysmography (PPG) sensor, similar to what hospitals use to measure your heart rate. The sock has velcro straps so you can easily adjust it to your child’s foot.
One thing I liked about this camera is that the cable was the longest of all the monitors, and its magnetic base made it very adjustable, so you get the best camera angle. This came in very handy as my son’s pocket play area required a tricky angle to get an overview. This baby monitor is Wi-Fi and Bluetooth enabled and connects to the Owlet app (available on iOS and Android). The app is free, and there are no paid subscriptions.
The readings show the baby’s heart rate and oxygen levels, whether it detects movement, noise in the room, room temperature, and even predicts the baby’s next nap based on their wake windows and when the baby wakes up. After baby wakes up, you get a full sleep report that shows how long baby slept and average heart rate and oxygen levels. One of the things that surprised me was how the sock was able to tell when my son was awake and for how long, and when he was in a light or deep sleep.
Who is it for: This tool can be useful for parents of newborns and infants because the data can be shared with their pediatrician if their child has trouble sleeping or finds it difficult to find their wake-up windows and establish a sleep routine. If your goal is to gain a better understanding of your child’s sleep patterns, the Owlet Dream Duo 2 could be a great choice for your family.
Please note: The American Academy of Pediatrics advises against using direct-to-consumer heart rate and pulse oximetry monitoring devices to prevent neonatal deaths or other sleep-related deaths. The AAP warns that there is insufficient evidence to support that these types of devices can prevent these deaths from occurring and give parents a false sense of security.
Owlet says on its website that the Dream Sock is meant to track your child’s well-being by monitoring sleep patterns, quality and duration. As long as you use Dream Sock correctly, you can reap the benefits.
I found the sock setup easier than the camera setup, but using the sock on my son took some trial and error. That’s because he didn’t like wearing them, so it’s something to keep in mind if your child doesn’t like wearing shoes or socks.
Who should avoid it: If you are someone who is overly worried about extra data, this baby monitor may not be for you. As mentioned earlier, the Owlet sock is only designed to track your child’s sleep patterns, not as a medical device.
You will need to keep the sock in the charging base when not in use to keep it charged. If you don’t put it back on the base, the battery will die, and it won’t work properly. Sometimes I had to solve the problem of getting the sock and camera to work in the app when they lost connection. The base itself lights up different colors, and each one has a different meaning:
Green light: A flashing green light means it is capturing heart rate and oxygen readings. Once it’s established and everything appears to be within range, the flickering becomes less.
Red light: If the base starts flashing red, this means that the oxygen levels or heart rate are out of range.
Blue light: This means the base can’t detect the sock via Bluetooth, and will play “Hush Baby Baby” to let you know.
Yellow light: This indicates that the sock cannot get a reading from your child’s foot.
If the Dream Sock seems too small, the camera is also sold separately and provides a clear picture of your baby, two-way audio, temperature check and ring notifications.
