following up with owlet.

things are changing around this place, you guys. teddy is army crawling all over our apartment. his polite chuckle has developed into a rolling laugh. he's starting to eat more solid foods, and praise the heavens he's getting a little better at sleeping through the night!

hey remember this post i wrote giving an introduction to owlet?  since i shared it, i've been sent messages from friends and family asking about our experience with it at this point in teddy's life. we've had it in our home for several months now, so i'm answering some common questions i've gotten, k? take it or leave it.

Q: "i like the idea behind the owlet, but i'm worried that i'll get dependent on it, and will feel anxiety/stress anytime my baby is sleeping and not wearing the sock. did you ever feel like that at all?"
A: i worried about this too, big time. it didn't end up being a real issue for me, but there have been a few times i've gotten annoyed with myself for not putting the sock on teddy so i could take advantage of the app. for example, during the holidays, the door to the room teddy was sleeping in was squeaky, and instead of having to check in on him (and potentially wake him up with the noisy door), i could've used the app on my phone to be sure his levels were all normal. i didn't feel anxious about him so much as frustrated that i didn't have access to the convenience that the app offers.

Q: my baby has a really fat foot, and i'm not sure the sock will fit it. do they make special sizes?
A: this one made me laugh out loud, ha! i love a good chubby baby foot. when you get your owlet package, there are three different sock sizes that you'll receive. teddy's feet are big for his age, and he's only on the second sock right now.

Q: "does the sock really stay on?"A: the sock isn't easy to get out of. it has a snug strap that you can adjust to a comfortable snugness around the baby's ankle. that being said, teddy did manage to get out of his twice. (he's a pretty determined kicker...) our solution? two words: footie. pajamas. (game on, teddybear!)

Q: "did you experience false alarms at all?" (instances where the monitor signals a red alert, when the baby is in fact just fine.) 
A: i have had zero false alarms, (thank goodness! how scary would that be?!) and just because i was curious, i contacted all of my friends who have owlet, and none of them have had any false alarms either.

if your monitor is doing this, i'd contact owlet the owlet support team asap. for me, they've been super helpful (and quick to respond).

teddy's 8 month foot in the 2nd sock size.

Q: "is there anything you DON'T like about owlet?"
A:  there's this song that the monitor sings to let you know if your baby has kicked off the sock (hush little baby). i don't love it, but can you honestly think of a noise you would like to hear in the middle of the night to let you know that your baby had houdinied his way out of the thing meant to keep him safe? (rascal!!)

all things considered, the song they picked for that alert isn't so much alarming as "ughhh this baby...", and it only happened two times for us. i'd be much more annoyed if it didn't make a noise to let me know that he'd kicked the sock off.

Q: i don't love the idea of a monitor being strapped to my baby. did you ever feel weird about putting the sock on teddy?
A: am i too laid back of a parent if i say "no, not at all??" i didn't hesitate to put the sock on teddy. it's hypoallergenic, and the technology that owlet uses (pulse oximetry) has been used in hospitals since the 80s, and is super non-invasive. it wasn't an issue for me.

Q: i want to buy one, but they're so expensive, and i'm worried i won't like it.
A: i get it. i seriously do. baby stuff can be so pricy. (as if this wasn't already a stressful time in our lives!)here's the thing- owlet has a 100 day peace of mind guarantee, which, i gotta say is super generous of the company. can you imagine if strollers, car seats, or mattresses gave you a free trial for a couple of months? the reason the device costs what it does is because this company has gone out of their way to use the highest quality parts and technology available.

Q: "okay alyssa, i'm expecting. be honest. if you were me, would you really buy the owlet?"
A: first of all, i wouldn't write about this if i didn't like it. and to answer your question, yes- if i were expecting, i'd get it. if i wasn't planning on having more kids, and my youngest was over a year old, i'd be less enthusiastic (ps- did you know you can use owlet up to 18 months?!)

for me, peace of mind is most valuable with a new baby. and since gid and i are definitely going to have a million kids, (ha.) i'm hoping this product is going to get a lot of use from our family.

now obviously i'm not going to say something like, "owlet fixes everything that's hard about motherhood and anyone who doesn't buy it is a bad parent," because that would be super stupid. i will say that 1) the monitor has worked for us, 2) it’s helped me not be as stressed during this tender new mamma phase, and 3) i believe it’s a worthy investment. i don't know your personal situation, or what products would be a good fit for you and your family, but this one has been a good fit for mine.

and in case you missed the little video we made about a day in the life with our owlet- here you go:

thanks for stopping by, beautiful people.