We have seen wearable technology permeate every industry over the past few years, so it comes as no surprise that a plethora of baby-monitoring devices have found their way into the consumer market. Although wearables’ usefulness as advanced baby monitors is undeniable, the danger of substituting technology for actual parenting is one that comes with the territory.
Targeted mostly towards millennials, the following infant wearables could be the future of baby safety for new parents — just as long as they are seen more as peace-of-mind offerings rather than entrusted, catchall devices designed to protect your baby from all danger.
Mimo: A wearable onesie
Owlet: A smart baby bootie
Similarly, the Owlet baby sock uses pulse oximetry to non-invasively measure heart rate, oxygen levels, and track skin temp. The hypoallergenic sock also connects to your smartphone via Bluetooth, allowing you to check on your baby constantly and remotely. Owlet markets itself with messaging like, “There is no more stressful tip toeing into baby’s room like a ninja to verify that your baby is ok.” Even so, Owlet also stresses that alerts are only sent only when absolutely necessary, saying, “You are a parent, not a fireman.” The Owlet socks are currently going for $249 and include three sock sizes for your growing tot.
Sproutling: An emotion-detecting band
Taking it one step further, the $299 Sproutling baby band not only monitors vitals, but also predicts sleep habits and heart rate based on past data. Its smart charger furthermore behaves as an environmental sensor, allowing parents to adjust room temp, sound, and light levels for optimal sleeping conditions. The companion app sends alerts in real-time for 16 measurements — what the company calls “insights, not data.” Perhaps most interesting of all, the app predicts baby’s mood “before you walk into a room,” although the need for a smartphone to discern whether a child is “calm, fussy, or angry” might seem like a fairly counter-intuitive way of learning what your baby inherently needs. We again see how these devices are targeted at millennials. Co-founder Mathew Spolin says, “that’s a group that has internet-connected smartphones in their pocket and their technology demands are much higher than previous generations.”
Read about 2 more wearable baby monitors: TempTraq thermometers and Smart Diapers at Wearables.com