Considering buying this for our second kid coming in a few months. With our first (now 2) we had insane anxiety about SIDS and barely slept ourselves. Did it help ease your mind or just create MORE anxiety when it goes off? Real talk appreciated.
Real talk: SIDS is rare, especially after 2-3 months. Owlet won't prevent it but some people need the peace of mind to sleep. Only you know if $300 for peace of mind is worth it to you.
I'm gonna be real - we had it, it made us MORE anxious because now we were obsessing over readings. Returned it after a month. Just do the safe sleep stuff and maybe save your money.
Honest answer: we didn't sleep better WITH the Owlet, we were just anxious about different things (like "is the data accurate?"). For second kid we skipped it and honestly felt less anxious, not more.
Skip the Owlet. Use that $300 for extra help postpartum instead - cleaning service, meal prep delivery, whatever reduces stress for your wife. That actually helps with the anxiety.
The Owlet is polarizing. Half the parents say it saved their sanity, half say it created MORE anxiety. For SIDS it doesn't actually prevent anything, it just alerts you if something goes wrong (which is rare).
Pediatrician said ours was unnecessary. Said room-sharing without bed-sharing, no pillows, firm mattress are the actual prevention. The Owlet was more about us feeling like we were doing something.
Every parent is different though. If knowing your baby's oxygen levels lets you ACTUALLY sleep, that's worth something. I'm just saying it's not magic, it won't prevent SIDS.
We had the first version and honestly it just made us hypervigilant about data that we didn't really need. Your anxiety with a 2yo is already real - don't weaponize it with expensive gadgets.
We had one with our first and honestly the false alarms were worse than the original anxiety. Worked himself out of wearing it by like 3 months anyway. Your mileage may vary though.
Owlet definitely creates MORE anxiety when it goes off for false alarms (which happens). With your second, you're already gonna be paranoid anyway. Maybe skip it and just... accept that SIDS is rare and you can't control everything.
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The Owlet is perfect IF you have a specific reason to use it (heart condition, prematurity, etc). For a healthy baby, the peace of mind is temporary and the false alarms become REALLY stressful fast.