Gear Review: Owlet Smart Sock - totally worth it or paranoia machine?

Dec 191 min read

We got one of these on a recommendation and used it for the first 2 months with our newborn. Loved the peace of mind but also... I was checking the app constantly? Like obsessively. Finally took it off because I realized I was creating more anxiety than relief. The sock itself is well-made and didn't bother baby's sleep, and I DO think it caught something weird one night (low oxygen read, baby was fine but we checked).

So verdict: Good product but maybe not for anxious dads like me. Anyone else had a similar experience?

10 comments79 views

Comments(10)

PPete Y.RegularDec 19

Had the Owlet for kid #1, ditched it by month 4. With kid #2 I just... didn't buy one. Honestly the second time around knowing that like 99% of healthy newborns are fine was way more helpful than any monitor. The constant notifications made me worse, not better

MMatt W.RegularDec 20

How much were you actually using the data though? Like did it ever catch something you wouldn't have noticed otherwise or was it just anxiety fuel?

HHank L.RegularDec 21

We skipped it entirely bc my wife is already a worrier and I knew this would just feed that. Glad we didn't - sounds like exactly what would happen to us

JJoel F.RegularDec 21

How long did it take you to adjust to NOT having it? Curious if the anxiety comes back or if you feel better without it

MMike R.New DadDec 21

This is so honest. I think the tech is good for genuinely catching things but yeah for most people it just becomes an anxiety machine. Maybe just use it for a week or two then put it away?

TTony V.RegularDec 20

the constant app checking thing is def a trap - when my daughter was born I had a monitor that sent alerts to my phone and I was checking it like every 10 seconds. Eventually I realized she was fine and I was just torturing myself

AAndy S.RegularDec 22

The obsessive checking phase is so real. We did the same thing - had it for 3 months and my wife was literally waking up to check the app. Finally realized it was creating more anxiety than peace of mind

TTerry O.RegularDec 22

lol the obsessive checking is SO real. We lasted 3 weeks before my wife was like 'you need to delete that app' because I was waking up to check it at 2am. Kid was perfectly fine the whole time obviously

RRon D.New DadDec 22

Replying to your point - yeah the false alarms are the killer. We had like 3-4 a night towards the end and stopped trusting it entirely. At that point what's the point right?

KKeith L.RegularDec 22

I get what you're saying but honestly the socket caught a weird dip in my son's O2 once and we got him checked out early. Turned out to be reflux but we caught it. Worth the peace of mind even if it meant some false alarms