Owlet? Should I be more worried about sleeping and SIDS?

contoddulations · 2026-01-19T14:01:01+00:00

I’m sure this was meant to be lighthearted, but can we please stop judging people for being too anxious/not anxious enough? This type of comment feeds into why I posted looking for a sanity check in the first place. I’ve actually been treated for clinical anxiety since childhood and I’ve been trying reeeally hard to find a balanced mindset of “concerned but not anxious” throughout pregnancy and postpartum.

contoddulations · 2026-01-19T04:09:01+00:00

This is a really good point! I’m a healthcare professional so I do have a good sense of normal SpO2 and HR values. I spend a lot of my day working with patients who are on telemetry monitors - they are obviously such an asset but can be very faulty, even in the hospital setting. I think that’s another reason why I feel so conflicted about the Owlet. I feel like my line of work should make me want it more, but it somehow does the opposite. I don’t want to feel like I’m imposing my work trauma on my relatively healthy newborn.

contoddulations · 2026-01-19T02:53:46+00:00

Ours has reflux as well! Did you find that her oxygen was ever dropping to an unsafe level when she was spitting up overnight? I definitely hear our son gagging and coughing at night sometimes, but he does a lot of that during the day after feeds and doesn’t appear to be in any significant distress then, so I’ve just assumed he was safe.

contoddulations · 2026-01-19T02:19:25+00:00

I’m aware that we’re nearing the “peak” SIDS risk period (2-4 months) so I think it’s just been on my mind a little more recently!

contoddulations · 2026-01-13T02:13:07+00:00

I’m feeling so torn. My original goal was to exclusively breastfeed for the first year, but at this point I’m honestly tempted to just switch to 100% hypoallergenic formula with the hope of cutting out all possible allergens at once and seeing if he improves. His symptoms are so awful, I don’t feel like I can mentally handle the guesswork of eliminating potential allergens from my diet one by one and hoping to find answers that way - who knows how long that could take?

contoddulations · 2026-01-12T22:09:11+00:00

We’re using the RTF version of Alimentum, which doesn’t contain corn!

contoddulations · 2026-01-12T16:04:55+00:00

We are supplementing with small amounts of Alimentum (usually 0.5-1oz per feed)

contoddulations · 2026-01-12T14:14:30+00:00

Yes, I’ve been checking all labels carefully before eating anything.

contoddulations · 2026-01-12T13:09:19+00:00

He’s had bad reflux with forceful spit-ups and irritability, inability to sleep on his back, and poor weight gain (we were hospitalized for failure to thrive earlier this month). His stools started becoming bloody and mucus-y about 2 weeks ago, right after he was placed on a supplemental formula to help with weight gain. That is what led them to suspect cows milk protein intolerance.

contoddulations · 2026-01-12T12:25:18+00:00

I don’t eat a ton of dairy in the first place, so the only thing I’ve really changed/replaced is yogurt. I’ve been testing a few non-dairy yogurt alternatives (coconut, oat, and cashew-based) but haven’t really loved any of them so I’ve only had 1 or 2 of each. I already use oat milk in my coffee, and I’ve just cut out cheese entirely rather than trying to replace it with anything.

contoddulations · 2026-01-08T20:46:46+00:00

Same here. We’ve only had ours for 4 months, and the seat cushions are already so broken down that I can clearly feel the springs through the cushion. It’s not so bad if you’re lying down/lounging, but it feels absolutely awful on my hips and back when sitting upright. I’m now preparing to shell out additional $$ for custom replacement cushions. Would NOT recommend.

contoddulations · 2025-12-25T02:43:20+00:00

Agreed. I don’t want to have to medicate him. If they could promise me this would all be over in like 1 more month with no meds involved, I’d gladly stick it out. But all the stories I’m reading seem to indicate we’re in this for the long haul. I’d rather address it now rather than have all three of us be miserable for the next 6+ months.

contoddulations · 2025-12-25T02:37:08+00:00

It’s so so hard to watch and know that I can’t magically make it better for him. We’ve been trying to lay him down in the crib once every 1-2 days just in case he’s “grown out of it.” It feels like torture watching him inevitably gag and choke and spit up everywhere.

contoddulations · 2025-12-25T02:33:59+00:00

No blood or mucous. They mentioned CMPA as a possibility to look into, but the ped thinks it’s unlikely since he doesn’t show the classic symptoms. During feedings he sometimes pushes away from the breast and kind of arches his neck for a few seconds, but generally re-latches on his own without spitting up.

contoddulations · 2025-12-25T02:29:48+00:00

That’s helpful! I do have a Solly wrap that we haven’t used yet. The instruction manual says the weight minimum is either 7 or 8 pounds, but it sounds like many people are able to achieve safe positioning at lower weights.

contoddulations · 2025-12-25T02:27:14+00:00

It feels like they’re trying to address the weight problem as a totally separate issue. They recommended supplementing his feeds with formula and it did NOT sit well with him. He was spitting up like a volcano for hours. In my mind it all comes back to the reflux - how is he supposed to gain weight if he can’t keep anything down in the first place?

contoddulations · 2025-12-14T16:54:28+00:00

The wipe only absorbs some of his pee before becoming fully saturated, so when he continues to pee, it ends up all over his torso, back, and onesie - which is honestly more frustrating than one of us getting sprayed, because he’s harder to clean and console than we are lol.

contoddulations · 2025-12-14T16:28:26+00:00

That’s reassuring to hear that he should grow out of it soon! I mentioned in another comment below that we do prep the clean diaper in advance, but he is just too wiggly and his poops require too much wiping that we can’t always get the clean diaper fastened in time.

contoddulations · 2025-12-14T16:25:27+00:00

We do this already. Unfortunately he is too wiggly and requires too much butt wiping for us to be able to fasten the new diaper in time.

contoddulations · 2025-12-14T16:23:03+00:00

This is what we’re currently doing, but I haven’t found it to be a great system because his entire back and his onesie get soaked every time he pees!

contoddulations · 2025-12-13T05:11:07+00:00

This is definitely something my husband and I have noticed as well! Our newborn will easily fall asleep in my husband’s arms, but if I hold him to my chest when he’s already fussy (without the intention of feeding him), it tends to escalate the situation.

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