Wearables for babies: saving lives or instilling fear in parents?

While some applaud new tech to monitor a baby's breathing, heart rate and temperature, others think it goes too far

Following the success of adult fitness wearables like Fitbit, new companies are connecting babies to smartphone apps and giving parents live information about their baby's breathing, skin temperature, heart rate and sleeping patterns.

The Owlet has adapted pulse oximetry technology (the clip they put on your finger in hospitals to monitor heart rate) to create a baby sock that monitors heart rate and oxygen levels. Sproutling has integrated the same technology into a strap that goes round the ankle, while Mimo has woven the tech into a onesie that works with a Nest thermostat to change temperature levels in your baby's bedroom. Always-on base stations connect devices via Bluetooth rather than rely on Wi-Fi or phone batteries.