One of the scariest parts of having a newborn is worrying about them when they sleep. I can remember so many times when both Julian and I would wake up in a panic in the middle of the night and rush to check on Dylan because the room just seemed too quiet.

For the first few months of Dylan’s life, I would wake up multiple times at night, worrying that something was wrong and rushing to his room to make sure he was still breathing. I would place my hand on his chest, hold my breath and wait so I could feel his chest rising and know for sure that he was okay. I know this sounds insane but when I tell this to my friends who are parents, they all agree that they have done the same thing. Even as a second time mom, I was terrified that while I was sleeping, something terrible was happening to my baby.

Besides not being able to sleep for more than 2 hours at a time, I couldn’t even sleep when I had the chance. I was so scared of what could happen. I would sometimes just sit and stare at him because only then did I know he was truly fine. I did the same thing when Perry was born. Even now at 2 years old, I find myself going into her room in the middle of the night and watching her to make sure everything is okay.

When Owlet reached out to me and asked if I would try their Owlet “Smart Sock”, I immediately said yes. Whenever a company reaches out to me, the first question I ask myself is, would I recommend this to a friend or family member? If not, I politely decline the collaboration. In this case, the answer was a definite yes.

Owlet is a “Smart Sock” designed to notify you on a nearby base station and your smartphone if your baby’s heart rate or oxygen fall outside the preset zone. It uses pulse oximetry, the technology used in hospitals to track oxygen levels but instead of using a finger clip, the monitor is hidden in a little sock that you put on your sleeping baby.

The base station glows green when everything is within normal range. If anything is wrong, an alarm will go off on the base station and your phone. I can quickly look at the base station and relax when I see the green light or use my phone if i’m in a different room.

We’ve been using the smart sock for the past few weeks and it has given us the peace of mind we so desperately needed. I wish we had it when Dylan was born. Dylan is now 5 months old, in his own crib and sharing a room with Perry. He’s now rolling over so i’m especially terrified that he will roll over on his stomach. Along with a safe sleep environment, I think I rely on the device even more now to help make sure he’s okay.

I was able to try out the Owlet Smart Sock 2 which features new enhancements like an improved bluetooth range and an innovative new sock design with a more secure fit. It’s available for purchase at owletcare.com or you can also find it at Buy Buy Baby, Amazon and Babies R Us (perfect to add to your registry!).

I wish I had this as a new mom but really, I would recommend it no matter how many children you have. You’re never too experienced to have a device that gives you peace of mind.

Owlet also now has the Connected Care app (as of a week ago!) where you can get  more detailed information on your baby’s sleep behavior. Using these sleep trends and analytics, you can make adjustments in your infant’s sleep. You can learn what healthy sleep looks like throughout your baby’s different sleep phases. For me, the more information I have, the better. Every user gets a free two-week trial and you can find additional information here.

Have you guys ever tried one of these? I’d love to hear your thoughts!

Thank you Owlet for sponsoring this post and Dylan for being my forever baby model!