Parenthoodroutine.com is reader-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Learn more
Owlet vs Snuza: Pick the Right Baby Monitor
While most parents get worried about their baby's health in the first few months, an infant vitals’ indicator will help reduce this anxiety. These devices track your toddler’s vitals calling to your attention when needed. Maybe you have already heard about Owlet vs Snuza and now you might be a little confused about the choice between these two. In this review, we are taking you through a blow-by-blow comparison of Snuza Hero SE and Owlet Smart Sock 2. For your heads up, the former is ideal for a toddler while Owlet would be the best pick for an infant. We will let you know the good and the bad of each, and sum it up with which product carries the day. Keep reading and know which baby monitor is right for your young one.
Do I need a baby Monitor?
According to the CDC, there were about 3600 deaths attributed to SIDS in the US alone in 2017. The CDC has lifted the following as factors that may increase the chances of your infant having SIDS:
- Low weight
- Brain abnormalities babies or respiratory problems
- Too many blankets/soft beddings on the crib
- If the mother used drugs or was an active smoker while pregnant
- Inadequate prenatal care when the mother was pregnant
While SIDS is not entirely avoidable, toddler indicators ensure the young one rests on its back. Some great infant units like the Snuza Hero SE toddler indicator and Owlet Smart Sock monitor movements, heart rate, and oxygen levels in babies.
Tips for Preventing SIDS in babies
To ensure that your little bundle of joy does not suffer from SIDS, it is recommended that he/she sleep on its back at all times. The CDC also recommends the following:
- Place your infant on the back at all times
- Lay him/her on a firm, flat surface such as a mattress in a safe crib
- Use the same room to sleep with your infant for at least 6 months or up to one year
- Keep anything lose or toys away from the infant’s sleeping area
- Do not cover his/her head or allow it to get too hot. Sweating is a sign of too much heat
Owlet Vs Snuza Comparison
| Owlet Smart Sock 2 | Snuza Hero SE | |
| Item weight | 1 pound | 0.64 ounces |
| Dimensions | 3.5 x 3.5 x 0.7 inches | 1.8 x 1.6 x 2.8 inches |
| Power source | Battery | Rechargeable battery |
| Target gender | Unisex | Unisex |
| Alert types | Lights, sound | Lights, sound |
| Sensor technology | Low oxygen level, High/low blood pressure | No movement / Abdominal movement / Response to stimuli |
| Product type | Oximeter, Sock & Base station | Motion sensor device |
So that you can properly distinguish between Owlet vs Snuza baby monitor, we reviewed them below.
Owlet Baby Monitor
- Know your baby is okay: Track your baby's heart rate and oxygen levels while they sleep using clinically-proven pulse oximetry, and be notified if something appears to be wrong. Have complete peace of mind knowing you can keep track of your baby's heart rate and oxygen levels from anywhere.
- Worry less and sleep better: The Smart Sock connects to a base station that glows green letting you know everything is okay, but uses lights, sounds and app notifications if heart rate or oxygen levels are too high or too low. Parents can sleep better and have less anxiety knowing they'll be made aware if levels go outside of preset zones.
- Convenient, easy-to-use: Each unit includes 3 washable socks that comfortably wrap around the baby's foot and connect to a base station up to 100 ft. away without wires. Socks fit most infants from 0-18 months or 6-25 pounds and should be hand washed regularly and alternated from right to left foot each night. Always keep the base station at least three feet away from your baby's crib.
- Smart phone app: See real-time heart rate and oxygen levels on multiple phones using Owlet's cloud-connected app. Free iOS & Android apps available. New history tab provides parents with historical trends for heart rate and oxygen and sleep tracking--see how long & how well baby slept.
- Our Promise: Love it or return within 30 days for a full refund, making it a great gift for baby registries and showers or as a gift to new parents. BPA free, latex free, lead free. Owlet app only supports 2.4 GHz wireless router. Only connect to a private network that requires a secure password
The Owlet Smart Sock 2 is a wearable sock that tracks your infant’s heart rate and oxygen levels. It is one of the baby monitors that detect breathing.
Device & Phone App Overview
The device includes 3 different sized socks suitable for kids 0-18 months and weighing up to 25 pounds.
The base station and sock have a 100-feet range and use a battery charged by the base station. While portable, it does not work without the base.
The Owlet baby monitor has a free app that lets you track your infant’s stats and receive alerts from the device directly. The paid app option – Connected Care app – lets you view actual readings, unlike the free app version that lets you see readings below or above the preset parameters. In any case, even the basic version is enough to make you feel calmer and not worry about your baby.
The basic app is available on Android and iOS devices, while the Connected Care app only works with iOS devices.
According to Owlet reviews, the apps struggle to sync correctly.
How the Owlet Smart Device Works?
The sock contains an oximeter that records vital signs.
A light beam through the skin will detect the amount of red light and infra-red light absorbed under the skin, then calculates the oxygen amount in the bloodstream and the heart’s bpm.
Owlet Smart Sock Alarms and Alerts
The device has preset parameters on oxygen levels and the heart rates that cannot be changed for safety reasons and alerts you when these are crossed.
The base contains an audible and color alert. There are 4 different colors: a green light, yellow, blue, and red that all indicate something different. Check out Owlet reviews for this.
Owlet Smart Sock 2 Overall Pros & Cons
| Pros | Cons |
|
|
Snuza Baby Monitor
- Wearable baby monitor that easily clips onto your baby's diaper
- Snuza Hero monitors your baby's breathing movement and will attempt to gently rouse your baby after 15 seconds of no breathing movement.
- Snuza Hero will alarm after 20 seconds of no breathing movement allowing you to act quickly
- Heading out? Simply pop the Snuza into your bag - no cords, wires or complicated sensor pads
- No need to hover over your sleeping baby at night. Enable Snuza's tick mode to "hear" your baby's breathing movements at night.
Small babies breathe with their tummies. The diaphragm is only used in breathing when the toddler grows older. With this information, Snuza created the Snuza Hero SE Baby monitor.
Device Overview
It is a wireless device attached to your little one’s diaper. It does not have wireless connections, but instead sends alerts from the device directly.
Its alarm system is set to a default of 80 decibels, making it possible for you to hear it when in the next room or outside.
Based on Snuza reviews we know that it is suitable for infants 0-12 months and sold with a rechargeable battery with up to 2000 hours of battery life.
Snuza Hero SE Alarms and Alerts
The baby monitor’s alert and alarms work in two stages:
- Stage 1: If there are no movements detected from your infant every 15 seconds, the device vibrates to rouse your child and get it to move.
- Stage 2: If despite the vibration, no movements are detected, a loud alarm sounds off from the device in 5 seconds.
The device will alert you when your toddler has weak movements or picks less than 8 moves per minute.
Snuza Hero SE Overall Pros & Cons
| Pros | Cons |
|
|
Owlet vs Snuza: What sets them apart?
We put together some distinguishing features of the Owlet vs Snuza baby monitor below.
- Usability: While the Owlet Smart Sock vitals’ indicator is worn as a sock, the Snuza Hero SE monitor is clipped on the diaper and placed on the belly.
- Level of Technology: The Snuza monitor lacks wireless connections while the Owlet Baby tracker can send data between two devices.
- Additional features: While the Snuza baby monitor has a movement alert, the Owlet monitor tracks the heart rate and oxygen level.
Other Owlet and Snuza models available
If you are after a budget-friendly wearable device for your baby, we recommend that you go for the Snuza Go. It is simple to use and set up but lacks a peaceful feature to rouse your bundle of joy.
The Snuza Hero is another impressive baby breathing monitor, It has a silent, peaceful rousing vibration feature and an efficient tracking system that detects even the slightest change in your toddler’s movement patterns.
While the jury is still out on Snuza Go vs Snuza Hero, you can always check customer experiences from baby monitor reviews online.
With the Owlet Smart Baby Monitor Duo, you not only monitor your infant vitals but can stream an HD video of your little one and talk to him/her and soothe it back to sleep yourself.
Snuza vs Owlet FAQ
Here we answer to some common questions from baby monitors reviews below:
Do Snuza and Owlet Monitors have FDA approval?
Snuza and Owlet baby monitors are not FDA approved, but Snuza baby monitors are recognized as the pioneer in vital infant readers since it is a SIDS preventive device. It has many alarms that let parents keep tabs on the vital systems of their babies; hence both deserve a tag for the best baby monitor.
Should I leave the monitor on all the time?
They are mostly used at night as chances are, someone is watching the baby at all times during the day. Many parents also prefer to keep it on at night, to save more on battery. However, if you are interested in keeping it on an entire day, we recommend getting a sound-only device.
When is the right time to stop using the monitor?
It’s recommended to use baby sleep monitors until the infant starts sleeping consistently, at about 6 months, or hearing every noise made by the baby or noticing the lack of movement. If the baby is past 6 months, but you are not able to notice when it awakens when in the next room, then, by all means, keep the tool for longer.
Our Final Thoughts and Recommendation for 2023
It is not a straightforward path comparing Owlet vs Snuza because they work from different perspectives. Snuza does an amazing job with portability and wireless features but could have done better with a warning. The absence of an audio monitor is a glaring miss and we would be comfortable with such. On the flip side, Owlet majors on convenience and wins many hearts with the downloadable app. Nevertheless, we feel that Owlet Smart Sock 2 wins the duel by the sheer fact of its advanced technology.
While a movement detector is a great choice, it is better to have a baby monitor that detects breathing. And as we have guided you, the right choice is dependent on one’s keenness to pick the best baby monitor. Keep this in mind before you pay for one. Otherwise, happy shopping!
related reviews
-
-
-
-
-
