Best Owlet Alternatives For Peace Of Mind

Since the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) sent a letter to Owlet saying that their Smart Sock if not in compliance with FDA guidelines, Owlet discontinued selling this popular product. The FDA did not indicate any safety concerns. Instead, the FDA said the Smart Sock should be classified as a medical device because of the heart rate and oxygen notifications it provides. So until Owlet can get marketing authorization from the FDA, new parents are frantically searching for Owlet alternatives. 

Update! Owlet received FDA clearance for its medical pulse oximetry modern wire-free sock dubbed BabySat. With BabySat, which is available through prescription, parents will receive alerts if their baby’s heart rate or blood oxygen saturation goes outside the recommended range. Does this mean health insurance and HSA/FSA funds will cover parents’ peace of mind, too??

What is an Owlet Smart Sock?

The Owlet is a baby monitor that uses pulse oximetry to track a baby’s oxygen levels and heart rate. The Owlet can also give real-time notifications if a baby’s oxygen levels or heart rate fall outside of preset levels.

How does an Owlet work?

The Owlet uses a pulse oximeter, which is a sensor that attaches to a baby’s foot and measures the amount of oxygen in their blood. The Owlet also has a base station that acts as a WiFi hub, sending information from the sensor to a smartphone or tablet.

Piece of Mind = Priceless

While this is technically a personal finance blog, we all know that some things in life are priceless, and one of those things is peace of mind. Below is my story about how an “old school” heart monitor, similar to how the Owlet works, gave me peace of mind almost thirty years ago. 

When I had my first child, I remember checking to make sure my beautiful baby boy was breathing many times while he slept. I’m sure other new parents can relate. When my twin daughters were born prematurely three years later, they were sent home with monitors that were attached to their chests with long lead wires.

It was a struggle to haul around those big bulky monitors, for twins so less, plus we also had an oxygen tank to lug around. But we were thankful for those monitors as several times Mallory would “forget” to breath, and the monitor would scare the bejesus out of us (it sounded similar to a smoke alarm going off). We would run and yell and shake Mallory to get her to start breathing again until the alarm went off. 

Fast forward to 28 years later, and two of my daughters are now pregnant, including one of the twins shown above. One of the items on their baby registries is an Owlet Smart Sock, which is obviously no longer available for sale. 

Until Owlet gets FDA approval for the Smart Sock, which will likely require a physician prescription to obtain, they have released a Dream Sock.

Smart Sock and Dream Sock Difference

The Owlet Smart Sock is the original Owlet product that monitors a baby’s oxygen levels and heart rate. The Dream Sock is a newer product that monitors “Sleep Quality Indicators” which can only show averages of heart rates and oxygen levels. Therefore Owlet is now advertising a whole Dream Duo system that includes a camera that streams HD video from anywhere and is available for $369.

8 Best Owlet Alternatives For 2024

If you are like my pregnant daughters and looking for an alternative to the Owlet’s Smart Sock, here are the best options of top sellers of smart baby monitors currently being sold on Amazon.

1

Wellue Baby Foot Monitor

The Wellue Baby Foot Monitor continually tracks your baby's heart rate, average oxygen level and movement. The free app allows you to track all of this during sleep and daily life. You can review history records instantly.

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2

eufy Baby S320 Smart Sock

The Smart Sock Baby Monitor keeps track of your baby's real-time sleep data, monitors heart rate, and provides daily sleep reports. Using a Fresnel lens, Smart Sock detects and reads your baby's vitals more accurately. Smart Sock is made from a dirt-resistant, flexible, and washable material that is gentle on your baby's skin. No monthly subscription needed.

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3

Sense-U Baby Breathing Monitor

Unlike traditional baby video cameras or audio monitors, the Sense-U Baby Monitor tracks your baby's abdominal movement and notifies you with audible alarms for weak movement from your smartphone directly. The Sense-U Baby Monitor tracks the feeling temperature around your baby's body and notifies you when levels go outside of preset zones.

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4

MonBaby Baby Breathing Movement Monitor

Unlike traditional baby video or audio monitors, MonBaby actively tracks your baby's breathing movement during sleep time and notifies you via audible alerts to your smartphone if a pause in movement is detected. Patented snap-on design allows you to easily snap MonBaby onto any article of baby’s clothing, even a diaper.

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5

Snuza Hero SE

This wearable baby monitor easily clips onto your baby's diaper or clothes. Snuza Hero monitors your baby's breathing movement and will attempt to gently rouse your baby after 15 seconds of no breathing movement.

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6

Nanit Pro Smart Baby

Nanit tracks your baby’s sleep patterns, and analyzes them to send expert tips to improve sleep quality. 1080p HD video allows you see baby from anywhere using the app. Nanit is the ONLY smart monitor with a Split Screen feature that allows users to view two cameras on one screen.

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7

Angelcare 3-in-1 AC527

THis Wireless Baby Movement Sensor Pad with 4 adjustable sensitivity levels go under the baby's crib mattress. After 15 seconds of no recognized movement, the monitor will sound a preliminary beep to rouse your baby. An alarm will sound after 20 seconds if no movement is detected.

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8

Babysense Baby Movement Monitor

This highly sensitive non-touch device monitors a baby's micro-movements through the mattress. It includes two sensor pads to cover the entire crib area without touching the baby or disrupting baby's sleep.  Babysense is the original patented and first non-touch movement monitor of its kind. 

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Are we missing Owlet alternatives that you know and love? If so, please contact us to review about adding to the list. 

Conclusion

With the popular Owlet Smart Sock now off the market, I hope we’ve provided some good alternatives for peace of mind with your newborn baby. Because when Mom’s happy from getting some restful sleep without worry, everyone’s happy!