Now that I’m a new father, my wife feels that she was misled about the Owlet sleep sock. Since we are responsible adult users of smartphones and are in our mid-20s, there isn’t a problem with connectivity or technology. Simply said, the device is a glorified Apple Watch for a baby when it comes to tracking sleep and doesn’t notify us of any kind unless it needs to be moved or runs low on charge. This is because the FDA has blocked parts of the device’s functions. It goes without saying that we’re not happy with how it works.
Anybody’s expertise with alternative monitoring devices would be greatly appreciated. Since it’s more important to us for peace of mind, price is unimportant to us.
Breathing monitors are expensive and can make new parents worry even more. Besides ensuring safe sleep, there isn’t much else you can do to prevent SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome). It’s important to know that SIDS is rare.
All parents are different and move their babies to separate rooms for various reasons, so ignore those who say you took too long or you should have the baby in your room longer.
I’m not familiar with how Nanit works, but my monitor has a parent unit and works through Wi-Fi with an app. I don’t know if I’m just programmed differently than my husband now, but I can leave the monitor volume in the middle, and my son’s cry will immediately wake me up. The monitor is quite sensitive to the noises it picks up, too.
We didn’t need to sleep train, but my son sometimes wakes up due to a bad dream or tooth pain. His noises help me differentiate the scenario. About 8 out of 10 times, he goes back to sleep within 3-4 minutes. The other 2 times, I go in and soothe him, give him medicine if needed, or just hold him. He’s 9 months old, and this has always worked for us.
For crib safety, there’s nothing extra you need to do—an empty crib with just a fitted sheet and the baby in a sleep sack is always the answer.
According to a hypothesis, SIDS is basically a baby simply forgetting how to breathe, thus gently shaking the baby to rouse them up should theoretically cause them to start breathing again. However, in general, you are averting a great deal of possible problems that appear to be SIDS if you are adhering to the safe sleep rules.