Smart technology helps keep babies safe

Berthoud Weekly Surveyor September 24, 2020 Page 9 Smart technology helps keep babies safe

By Amber McIver-Traywick

The Surveyor

Technology is advancing at an incredible rate and although there are certainly shortcomings with that advancement there are inventions that are improving and protecting lives. The Owlet smart sock is one of those innovations. The company released its third-generation sock and it truly is smarter than ever.

When you lay your baby down to sleep at night many parents use baby monitors to watch what their little one is up to. This monitor, which is a soft material that securely wraps around the baby’s foot, takes safety measures even further and tracks your baby’s health by monitoring their heart rate and oxygen level. The technology has present “safe” zones that the baby’s vitals need to stay within. If those parameters aren’t met the caregiver is alerted by a notification that the baby needs their attention.

The technology itself isn’t particularly new, if you’ve been in the hospital or in a clinical setting you’ve probably seen a little white clip, called an oximeter that gently clips onto the tip of your finger and gives a pulse-oximetry reading.

The company says parents will feel, “more confidence, more freedom and more peace of mind knowing that Owlet is here to help you keep your baby safe.” It is a product pitch but for anyone who has had a child with health concerns or experienced a health crisis or even the unexpected loss of a child, the claims are well-founded.

Incredibly the company provides over 1000 testimonials from families who have had a crisis averted by using the Smart Sock. One family featured on the website had a baby that required open-heart surgery at three days old. The family says that once they were able to bring their little girl home six weeks after her surgery it gave them peace knowing their heart rates and oxygen levels were good throughout the night. Another family shared their story of catching the fact their baby had RSV (a potentially dangerous respiratory infection) despite the fact she only seemed slightly congested as her oxygen levels began to dip much lower than it should have. One parent is quoted by the company as saying, “The Smart Sock made my nights more peaceful, helped me sleep better and beat my anxiety and the urge of getting up every 30 minutes to check whether my baby was ok.” More than a million parents have already used the Owlet to make sure their baby is safe and sound. The company has other technology available as well including a baby camera that provides a clear picture and is secure with an encrypted connection that goes directly to your smartphone from anywhere.

For more information visit owletcare.com.