Owlet Smart Sock 3 Review – When our son’s oxygen rate went below 80%

Owlet Smart Sock 3 Review – We’ve been using the Owlet Smart Sock 2 (check our review out) for a straight 6 months period and it had given us a peace of mind throughout our journey as a new parent. If you don’t know what an Owlet Smart Sock is yet, it’s basically a smart baby monitor that constantly tracks your baby’s oxygen level and heart rate through this cool sock that wraps around your baby’s foot.

It has been a godsend to many parents around the world (just look at their testimonials). The new generation, Owlet Smart Sock 3, brings a major redesign and few updates to its predecessor which makes the smart monitor even better than before.

Little one is looking forward to test the new Owlet Smart Sock V3! @owletbabycare pic.twitter.com/bixAazyBkq

— Michael Aulia ?? (@michaelaulia) December 16, 2020

Owlet Smart Sock 3 Review – Packaging & Unboxing

The packaging includes different Sock sizes (to fit babies between 0 to 18 months) and an option to wrap the Sock in either left or right foot.

Owlet Smart Sock 3 Review – Design & Features (Owlet Smart Sock 2 vs Owlet Smart Sock 3)

Owlet Smart Sock 3 has completely redesign lots of its elements: the Sock itself, the Sensor inside, and the Base station to charge. The Sock now has a better fit on the baby’s feet so you don’t get unnecessary notifications and red marks on the skin. The oxygen reading is also more accurate now compared to the previous version, according to Owlet.

If you are used to wearing your Sock V2 on your baby’s foot, it will tale a bit of time to adjust because the way you wrap the new one around your baby’s foot is different. After using it for more than two weeks, I find that Smart Sock 3 is better for giving that tight fit without upsetting the baby. I like how the Sock will also warn you if the Sock is not being worn properly.

Previously, if your baby is still wiggling about, you couldn’t actually see the readings or check whether you have wrapped the Sock correctly. With the V3, you now can, because the Sensor can still monitor correctly through gentle motion.

The new model also offers wireless charging on the Base Station. Previously, I had to plug a microUSB cable onto the Sock – which didn’t offer the best experience. Now, I can just place the Sock on the Base Station which attaches magnetically like the Apple’s MagSafe.

Overall, the Owlet Smart Sock 3 offers a much better experience and accuracy compared to the previous version. But if you already have the Smart Sock 2 and happy with it, there is no need for you to upgrade. For a complete Owlet Smart Sock 2 vs 3 comparisons, make sure to check Owlet’s official post.

So let’s get back to why you would want or need an Owlet Smart Sock 3. The Owlet Smart Sock is an extra set of eyes watching your baby and can make a real difference if they need you while you’re asleep. Sure, you can be confident about everything but you can’t control what your baby is doing while you are asleep. Our baby moves a lot during his sleep and seems to be a side sleeper now – which worries us a bit as a new parent.

You may have followed all the regulations and recommendations, but your baby might roll out during their sleep with their face down on the mattress – blocking their respiratory function. We have a 7-month old son and surprisingly, we find that we are still relying on Owlet Smart Sock to monitor him every night.

You see, Owlet Smart Sock will send out a warning when the sensor detects that something is wrong (e.g when your baby’s readings leave a preset zone). For example, if the Sensor detects that your baby’s oxygen level goes below 80%, the Base Station will put out a loud audible warning along with a big, red notification on your phone.

We made a big mistake the other night when we let our son, Elyon, had his favourite Baa Baa Sheepz pillow to sleep through the night. While we were chatting with friends in our living room downstairs, Owlet Smart Sock let out a loud, audible warning. This is the first time we’ve ever heard it, so we know something was wrong and my phone also showed the big, red flag notification.

We quickly rushed upstairs like crazy and found that he was sleeping on his side, having his face half-down to his Baa Baa Sheepz pillow with a 78% oxygen level reading.

We repositioned him quickly and took his pillow out of the cot. Now, we weren’t sure what’s going to happen here. It’s possible that he could still breathe fine or that he might reposition himself now that he’s 6-7 months old.

But, the worst could happen if we didn’t have the Owlet Smart Sock on him as we weren’t aware of this. And that’s the thing. Having the Owlet Smart Sock is like an insurance – you probably think you don’t need it, until something happens. The “bad side” of this is I guess, if you happen to forget putting the Sock on before your bubba goes to sleep, be prepared to receive a beating from your spouse.

Like a Fitbit, Owlet Smart Sock 3 can also monitor your baby’s sleeping trends such as how long your baby was asleep and his/her sleeping quality. You can check these stats out from the Owlet app.

Owlet Smart Sock 3 Review Conclusion

Owlet Smart Sock 3 doesn’t just have a better design, but more accurate in readings to prevent invalid notifications and false readings. We have been using the previous generation for a straight 6 months, and almost a month on the Owlet Smart Sock 3 now. We are truly happy with it.

We’re not sure how we can live without them as they gave us a peace of mind when our son is asleep at night. Our first red flag notification sent us flying through the stairs and we were thankful for Owlet Smart Sock. We would never find out what’s going to happen without that low oxygen warning.

Owlet Smart Sock 3 retails for A$479.99 and can be purchased at their official website. Yes, it is expensive but considering what it does, only you can make the judgement whether you should grab one yourself.

Make sure to check my review on their Owlet Cam as well that you can purchase as a bundle.

Disclosure: Owlet Smart Sock 3 review sample was supplied for reviewing. For other Owlet Smart Sock reviews, make sure to use our search feature on the site.