Does Owlet Dream Sock track oxygen? It seems like a good question, especially if you are worried about your baby’s well-being.
Despite all the joy that comes with welcoming a new-born into their home, the event can also become a time of intense worry for parents.
No more so than those first few days and nights when the baby is left to sleep. And that is when many people use a baby monitor like Owlet Dream.
But, they also ask, “Does the Owlet Dream Sock track oxygen?”
Yes, your baby’s average oxygen levels and heart rate can be monitored with the Owlet Dream Sock.
The Rise of Baby Monitors to Make Parenting Easier
It is impossible to ignore the fact that modern parents have increasingly complex schedules and that infants require constant monitoring to prevent harm.
Working parents in particular have an urgent need for a device that allows them to keep tabs on their kids even when they are not there.
Well, enter the world of baby monitors!
Fact: With a CAGR of 5.4% between 2019 and 2027, the baby monitor market is likely to expand from its current $1.2 billion valuation to $1.9 billion by 2027.
The Basics of Baby Monitors
A baby monitor is usually a radio-based baby monitoring system that lets you check in on your child even while you are not in the same room.
Depending on the model you purchase, a baby monitor will either provide audio or video of your child. Some of these gadgets even have lullabies pre-loaded and a night light function.
The health of your newborn may be monitored in more detail with the use of these gadgets because they can also record:
- Sleep cycle
- Temperature
- Respiration
- Heart rate
- … and much more!
Some baby monitors have motion detectors that detect when your child is unusually still while sleeping and alert you to check on them.
Fact: Oxygen levels, heart rate, movement, and awakenings are just a few of the Sleep Quality Indicators monitored by Dream Sock's PPG technology.
The Incredible Potential of Owlet Dream Sock Track
Until recently, the only way to ‘check on Baby’ was to slip into their room quietly and take a look.
Lately, technology has made a physical visit less necessary. But, even the latest in night vision is unable to pick up on some of the signs that mean a problem could be developing.
This is when the Owlet Dream Sock comes into the picture
It tracks oxygen levels and monitors heart rate too, as well as the baby’s movement and times of wakefulness.
This makes the Owlets baby monitoring technology in their Dream Sock so much more comprehensive than even the best camera-based monitoring.
In fact, it would not be wrong to suggest that this monitor is hospital-efficient medical equipment designed for daily use at home.
Using Owlet Dream Sock to Monitor Sleep Quality
Knowing that safe, reliable technology is monitoring your baby’s vital signs brings great peace of mind.
Knowing that you will be alerted the instant there could be an issue, brings even more.
The Owlet Dream Sock is also designed to closely monitor the quality of sleep the newborn is experiencing.
These Quality Sleep Indicators are important because as newborns quality sleep is essential.
It has physical, mental and emotional benefits that help a baby’s overall growth and development.
Fact: Since the Dream Sock technology collects baseline data specific to each child, any anomalies detected will trigger an immediate light and sound alarm.
Why Does Owlet Dream Sock Track Oxygen?
So, does the Owlet Dream Sock monitor oxygen? It certainly does. But, why is that?
Healthy full-term babies are born with oxygen saturation levels of around 95 to 100%. Levels are as low as 90% in preterm babies that still have developing lungs.
Low oxygen saturation, medically known as hypoxemia, can be caused by shallow breathing.
But, in some cases, it is also a reliable indicator of several conditions and diseases, such as:
- Blocked or restricted airways
- Lung diseases
- Congenital heart defects
Thankfully, Owlet Dream Sock truly understands the importance of tracking oxygen levels to ensure your baby grows healthily.
How Does the Owlet Dream Sock Monitor Oxygen?
The good thing is that Owlet Dream Sock monitors blood oxygen continuously.
It means parents have a tool that can spot potential issues as they happen and are able to take action to ensure the health of their child much faster.
The Owlet base system is easy to set up and works by connecting with home Wi-Fi to relay data about the quality of the baby’s sleep, heart rate and oxygen levels.
The Dream Sock monitors a baby’s essential systems in real-time and continuously.
It, therefore, collects a lot of base data on what are the typical heart rate and oxygen levels of any individual baby.
A Comfortable Wrap Around Sock
The Owlet system makes use of two pulse oximetry sensors and a light source that are placed next to the skin of the baby’s foot in a soft flexible wrap-around sock.
The sensors gather data on the baby’s heart rate and oxygen levels that it sends to a smartphone or similar device.
The two sensors use the light to measure the color of the oxygenated and deoxygenated blood circulating through the foot.
The difference between the two measurements determines oxygen levels.
Owlet Dream Sock as A Life-Saving Resource
The Owlet Dream Sock is also a useful piece of equipment for parents who have a child that has already been diagnosed with a chronic respiratory condition or are considered likely to develop them.
Such conditions include:
- Bronchopulmonary dysplasia
- Sleep-disordered breathing or sleep apnoea
- Sickle cell disease
- Cystic fibrosis
The Owlet Dream Sock’s ease of use and portability is especially useful when it comes time to bring a hospitalized child home.
Where Monitoring Blood Oxygen Plays a Role
Hypoxemia or low blood oxygen is only an indicator that something may be amiss.
Leaving the cause of the hypoxemia untreated can result in many issues, such as:
- Poor feeding
- Stunted growth
- Poor sleep
- Inadequate brain development
- A dangerous drop in heart rate (bradycardia)
- Sleep apnea
Some babies are born with congenital heart defects.
Sometimes the defect requires little or no intervention but about 25% of babies are classified as having a critical heart defect, CCHD. This means they are also likely to have low blood oxygen levels.
Oxygen saturation rates can fall several days before a baby becomes obviously sick. With a baby wearing an Owlet Dream Sock any low levels can be detected right away.
Fact: The monitor uses pulse oximetry, which is the test widely used in hospitals to measure the amount of oxygen in the blood.
Can the Owlet Dream Sock prevent SIDs?
By far the biggest fear for new parents is that their baby will suddenly stop breathing and fall victim to SIDs.
SIDs, or sudden infant death syndrome tends to affect children under the age of one.
The syndrome is considered linked to sleep although it is proving difficult to establish an exact cause or trigger for its onset.
Fact: Research on SIDs is ongoing but it could be a combination of contributing factors, genetic, medical, or environmental, such as overheated homes.
SIDs Risk Factors
The risk factors around SIDs have been identified and advice offered. This includes :
- Placing the baby on its back rather than its stomach
- Preventing overheating during sleep
- Not using loose blankets, sheets, or bumper pads that can restrict the flow of air
Obviously, knowing that there is no definite cause determined for sudden crib deaths makes the possibility even more terrifying.
By using this monitoring system, you can get a heads-up whenever there is a decline in the oxygen levels and you can check if everything is alright.
This is why having a way to constantly monitor a baby’s heart rate and oxygen level is so reassuring.
Takeaway
Does Owlet Dream Sock track oxygen? Yes, it certainly can track oxygen and even monitor heart rate along with many other sleep quality factors.
Using this monitoring system is a great idea because babies are at their most vulnerable.
Knowing your baby is being constantly monitored and watched over by some of the most reliable 21st-century technology will certainly bring some peace of mind.
