The Rise of Baby FitBit’s
When you consider that the majority of babies born today are to Gen Z and Millennial parents, it probably shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise that baby FitBit like tech is so hugely popular. Both Millennial and Gen Z parents are more tech-savvy and digitally connected than previous generations have ever been. They are accustomed to using apps and wearables to track everything from their own fitness, work habits, water consumption, heart rate, sleep cycles and diet, so investing in baby smart tech in a similar way is a natural extension of this daily behaviour. It might not be how our parents did things ‘in their day,’ but it’s an innovative and exciting market, with the ability to make a baby’s first year of life, easier and less stressful for the parents.
Whilst welcoming a new baby into the family is an incredibly joyful experience, the truth is, it can also be one of the most exhausting and overwhelming experiences too. Demographic trends show that not only are parents now having fewer children, they’re having them later in life, and live further away from their families. As a result, not only do many new parents have no previous experience of caring for a new baby when their child is born, often there is no familial support close by to help offer advice or care for baby. Having baby FitBit tech that monitors a new baby can feel like having an extra pair of eyes and ears, and can help anxious parents to spend less time worrying and more time enjoying their new baby.
Current Technology
Current baby ‘FitBit’ tech is limited to:
Spo2 Monitors
A SpO2 monitor lets you track your baby’s respiration while they sleep in their bed. You can get these devices in a sock form or a finger probe.
Video Baby Monitors
Whilst not strictly wearable, baby monitoring devices do allow you to hear and see what is happening. With a small camera mounted onto a wall or bedside furniture, you can watch as well as listen to them. Some models will include the ability to detect respiration, temperature and movements.
Movement Monitors
There is quite a lot of debate amongst health professionals, parents and medical companies about the methods needed to prevent SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome). Literature shows that so-called ‘SIDS’ devices, DO NOT reduce the incidence of SIDS. See Rednose’s article on it, here. Movement monitors have been designed to let parents know if the baby hasn’t moved for a certain period of time. Helping parents understand what is normal and abnormal motion for their baby. These can come in the form of a button or a mat.
Smartphone as Baby Monitor
There have been quite a few apps created for iOS or Android that can turn your smartphone into a baby monitoring device. However, this is very limited in the health data you can pull from the device, most apps only really track sound and video images.
Read our explanation of the pro’s and con’s of smart phone baby monitors.
Goldilocks The Next Generation Baby Monitoring Technology
Parent the Way You Want with Goldilocks
‘We found as new parents that parenting wasn’t particularly complex but was incredibly stressful – especially for our first,” explains Shem, founder of Goldilocks Suits. “With our first we just didn’t know what to expect or how anything worked. We didn’t know what was normal and what wasn’t. You do get a lot of advice as parents, some of it unwanted and not all of it was reliable or best practice. We developed Goldilocks to help new parents understand what is normal and what isn’t.”
“One instance in our life where we wish we had Goldilocks was with Amali. We went to East Timor when she was 6 months old, and we came back to Australia several weeks later. But when we came back her sleep regressed considerably, and we were at the end of our wits trying to work out what the issues was. Eventually we went to a sleep consultant and got a sleep plan and the works, but one question the sleep consultant asked was “is she warm enough?” We had just come from East Timor to an Australian winter and hadn’t quite factored how many rugs she would need. We put an extra rug on her and that solved most of the issues, the expensive sleep plan was thrown out the window.”
“Goldilocks could have told us if she was too hot/cold, it could have told us if this was part of her normal sleep cycle and this would have allowed us to make the quick simple decision and continue to parent the way we wanted to parent.”
Not only does the Goldilocks smart suit allow parents to see in an instant whether the temperature is comfortable for their baby, it also allows them to gather data from their baby related to their sleeping, breathing and feeding. The app also has video tips and advice built into the app that has been created by clinicians like Wink and Mother Nature. So parents, who find themselves during the middle of the night wondering ‘are they too hot/cold,’ ‘is this part of their normal sleep cycle’ or ‘do they just need to be reassured and resettled or is this something else,’ can have the answers at their fingertips, which beats wading through a parenting book during the wee hours!
You can find out what Goldilocks can do for you by clicking the link.
Here are some additional benefits of getting a ‘baby Fitbit’:
Monitor Your Baby’s Health – One of the most significant benefits is that it allows you to monitor your baby’s wellbeing in real time. This information can be incredibly valuable, especially for new parents who are still learning the ropes.
Get Insights into Your Baby’s Development – As your baby grows and develops, a ‘baby FitBit’ can help you track their progress. By monitoring their sleep patterns, you can identify if they are getting enough rest, which is crucial for their development. You can also track their breathing rate, feeding and temperature, which can give you insights into their overall comfort and wellbeing.
Peace of Mind – Being a new parent can be stressful, and a ‘baby FitBit’ can help alleviate some of that stress. By providing you with real-time data about your baby’s health and wellbeing, you can rest easy knowing that you are doing everything you can to keep them healthy and happy.
Better Communication with Your Pediatrician – By using a ‘baby FitBit’, you can provide your pediatrician or midwife with valuable information about your baby’s health and development. This can provide some background and context for the clinician.
In conclusion, having a FitBit like device for you baby is a great investment for new parents who want to ensure their baby’s health and wellbeing. With its advanced tracking capabilities, it can help you monitor your baby’s health, get insights into their development, and provide you with peace of mind. So if you’re a new parent, consider investing in one – it could be one of the best decisions you ever make!
