I’m an anxious first time mum: the Owlet Dream Sock changed my life

As parents, we know that a good baby monitor can help provide reassurance when our little one is asleep in a different room, and the Owlet Smart Sock Baby Monitor offered a whole new experience by being able to track your baby's heart rate, oxygen levels and sleep trends too. Now, they've launched the brand new Owlet Dream Sock, that offers unparalleled peace of mind through a scientific and medical approach.

Find out what our mum tester, Hannah, thought of the Owlet Dream Sock when she tested it with her seven-month-old son.

Testing the Owlet Dream Sock and Owlet Cam 2

I tested both the Owlet Dream Sock and the Owlet Cam 2 when my seven-month-old was starting to make the transition into his own room, and if I'm honest, it was a gamechanger to help ease my worries.

There isn't a parent who I've spoken to that doesn't worry about if their baby is okay whilst they sleep, whether or not they are in the same room as them.

I would definitely call myself an anxious mum too, in the trenches of first-time motherhood, so having some reassurance and peace of mind in regards to my sons heart rate and oxygen levels being monitored was amazing.

Build

I found the Owlet Sock and Cam incredibly safe, which was really important considering the brand is all about providing detailed health metrics through a medically certified, safe and comfortable way. It was easy to set up, and looked really nice above my sons cot. I liked the additional feature of trunking to hide the wires from reach too.

One thing that worried me at first was the fact the camera is connected through WiFi. Some parents might be worried about having to use a WiFi connection as Bluetooth connection often offers less delays and security worries, however the Owlet offers one of the most secure encryption methods. The HD 1080p video streams directly to your smartphone via a secure, AES 128-bit encryption, which is extremely reassuring for myself.

As it requires WiFi connection, it does need to be plugged in at all times, which I didn't mind as it provided better video and sound quality. The app was quick to alert if you lost WiFi connection too. I did find when connected to 4G that it did struggle and buffered a little, but most of the time this wasn't an issue.

Having it plugged in all the time could be a downside for some people, but I liked the fact I didn't have to worry about charging it and be mindful of the battery life like some alternative baby monitors.

Usability

The Owlet 2 Camera is almost crystal clear, and so much more clearer than most baby monitors I have come across. I loved the options to zoom in and out, and also have the camera view as your full phone screen.

There is also the option to have the screen as a window tab, so that you can still use your phone, which I found a lot more convenient than having a completely separate monitor to look at.

The audio is impressive too, and clear through the phone. One downside is you have to remember to have your phone volume turned up if you select the option to have the monitor on in the background.

There are options to have audio switched off whilst using the app, have it on while using the app or have it on constantly. I really liked all these different options, and the Owlet 2 also notified as a notification if your baby makes any sounds, including crying and movement.

I found I was also able to use the app for the baby monitor in the garden with very minimal problems. I had to refresh the app a few times but the video and audio quickly reonnected. The Owlet Cam 2 also comes with a back-up battery that provides up to 10 minutes of power during an outage, so it keeps the system running, which I loved!

Performance

Personally, I loved that I could have the baby monitor all in one place on my smartphone. The only downside to this was having to remember to keep an eye on my phone battery, as having the app open all night did drain the phone battery.

Despite the Dream Sock being able to monitor heart rate and oxygen levels, I would have to say my favourite feature of the new Owlet Sock is the predictive sleep feature.

I had been struggling with nap times and wake windows, but if you use the Owlet Sock for every nap or sleep time, (or if you manually input naps), it will then automatically track sleep and wake windows.

This makes it so much easier, as the app lets you know when it thinks your child is ready for their next sleep, and I found it got them bang on pretty much every time.

Final verdict

The Owlet Dream Sock has honestly changed my life and has made everything so much easier and I will be forever grateful for that. I loved the detailed insights on sleep quality, such as deep or light sleep, which is perfect for a contact nap to cot transfer.

I also loved the the Owlet app provides everything you need in one place, whether you buy the camera or the bundle, and it's so simple to link together, with no add ons or subscriptions either!

As the technology is medical grade, I think it would be an incredible help to parents at home with a baby who may have been born premature, or have been in need of more care in their first months.

Despite the higher price point it, the technology that comes with it is a game changer and unlike any other baby monitor on the market. I think the fact the Owlet Dream Sock is medically-certified helped to instantly put my mind at rest, and I would argue that you can't really put a price on that.

What is the Owlet Dream Sock?

Offering real-time health and vital information for parents, the Owlet Dream Sock is an innovative medical device that helps to provide peace of mind while their baby sleeps. It's recognised as medically accurate and safe, as the Dream Sock wraps around baby's foot with real time monitoring of pulse rate, oxygen saturation levels, sleep patterns and more.

Paediatric Cardiologist and Senior Direct of Medical Affairs at Owlet, Dr Alisa Niksch says: “Dream Sock offers a scientific and medical approach to infant health monitoring and is a breakthrough product for the industry,” she adds “It brings hospital-grade accuracy into the home nursery, enabling parents to track vital signs with confidence. Dream Sock equips parents with precise and real-time data to support informed decision-making and help them better care for their infants at home.”

The Owlet Dream Sock gives life health readings directly to your mobile on the Owlet Dream App and the included Base Station. It's also clinically proven to track and display vital signs even through gentle motion and across different skin tones.

What can the Owlet Dream Sock show on the app?

The Owlet Dream App can track historical health readings and even sleep trend, with parents now having access to advance sleep support features. With Predictive Sleep Technology, it can help take the guess work out of nap times, as the historical sleep data provides recommended sleep and wake windows.

What age is the Owlet Dream Sock suitable for?

The Owlet Dream Sock is suitable to use from birth, up until they're 18 months old. It's an innovative device that helps provide peace of mind when potentially navigating the newborn stage for the first time, as it provides real-time health information. It can also be paired with the Owlet Cam 2.

Samantha Ball is a Features & Reviews Editor for Mother&Baby, having written for the brand since 2018. She's a mum of two and loves browsing for the best and current trending products for little ones and for cute seasonal outfits.