When my son Ashton was born, I was 24 years old and had only a few dollars to my name. Luckily, we had great support from family and friends that helped us through baby showers and with other gifts but my wife and I had some hard trade-offs to make when it came to building out the rest of our son’s nursery. One of the purchases we felt was important was a video monitor so we could see Ashton, even when we weren’t in the room.

Reflecting on that experience led us to the design for the Owlet Cam. Safety, innovation and affordability were of the utmost priority. Below are 11 reasons why I think you should consider the Owlet Cam over other options.

1. Stay connected wherever you go

The Owlet Cam connects directly to your smartphone so you can literally see your bub from anywhere. In fact, I’m writing this on my way to the airport and guess who I just checked on- my 4-month-old son who is now 50 kilometres away. The peace of mind it brings to connect with your loved ones while at work, travel or away on a much-needed date with your spouse is priceless.

2. Grows with your child

One of the most frustrating things about buying all of your nursery essentials is realising that most of the clothes, toys, and gear will only last you the first year. That’s a lot of money to spend just to put everything in a closet one year later! The Owlet Cam conveniently converts to a babysitter cam or even a home security cam even after your baby is past that one-to-two year mark. The flexible mounting system makes it easy to place above a cot or simply set it on a countertop in your kitchen. We have three Owlet Cams in our home- one for baby, one in our older children’s room and one downstairs.

3. As mobile as mobile gets

Being tethered to a traditional display can be frustrating but the one thing that I’m never without is my phone. Whether working out in the yard or in the garage, my phone is by my side and using the Owlet App allows me to see and hear my little one from anywhere.

4. 1080p picture quality

I use my video camera to do two things- first to make sure that my kids are okay and second to see whether they’re awake or not. With many other baby monitors, the picture quality is so bad that they don’t even tell you the resolution you’re getting. There’s nothing more frustrating than staring at a bright screen in a dark room in the middle of the night trying to squint and see what’s going on. Owlet offers full HD 1080p picture quality with clear night vision, so you won’t be left wondering.

5. Designed to be one of the safest cameras on the market

When I set up a baby monitor, I try to get the best angle possible of my child. The problem is that the cord needs to be 1 metre away from the cot, which doesn’t always allow for the best view. The Owlet Cam comes with a cable guard kit so you can safely mount the camera right above the cot. It even comes with a safe cable container that you can wrap any excess cord into. Not only is it designed to be safer, but it also looks a whole lot better!

6. Actually more secure than traditional baby monitors 

Owlet uses the same encryption technology that banks do to send data. The connection is peer-to-peer which means we’re not streaming live video data to the cloud. Our wireless signal is actually more secure than a traditional baby monitor!

7. It doesn’t look like R2D2

Why is it that I think of Star Wars when I look at most baby monitors? We know how important it is for you to have a nursery and a home you are proud of. Owlet’s award-winning design fits into the nursery and your home.

8. Bird’s eye view

Most baby monitors don’t come with a safe option to mount above the cot so, in addition to the poor image quality, you’re left with a poor angle. With the Owlet Cam, you can easily and safely mount the camera above your bub’s cot for that perfect viewing angle.

9. Integrates with the Owlet Smart Sock

If you own an Owlet Smart Sock, you’re likely to have a video camera as well. The Owlet Cam makes it easy to see everything you want to know about your bub in one place. Pairing the Owlet Cam and Smart Sock together lets you see your bub’s heart rate and oxygen levels while streaming video and audio right to your phone.

10. Multiple cameras on the same app 

Owlet makes it easy to have multiple cameras connected to the same app account so you can check in on those twins or triplets, toddlers and baby all in one place. Not only does it let you have all of your babies in one app, but sharing your app login info with those you trust lets your partner, grandparent or babysitter help keep an eye on the little ones as well.

11. Gets smarter over time 

The Owlet Cam is a connected device which gives it the ability to receive real-time updates. Since the launch of the Owlet Cam, our team has continually strived to improve the experience, making it even smarter with every iteration. So, you can expect that the features and functionality will only increase with time.

By Kurt Workman, Owlet Co-Founder