Welcome to the Internet of Parenting
The Internet of Things (IoT) is a network of web-connected devices that can interact with users, as well as other connected devices. IoT can collect, track, and store data in order to make people, homes, and businesses more efficient. A new generation of IoT devices are designed to help make parenting easier.
From teddy bears that receive text messages to baby monitors that track and store information about an infant's sleep patterns and vital signs, parents have more technology at their disposal to connect with their kids than ever before.
Popular IoT Connected Baby Monitoring Devices
For the past several decades, parents have used baby monitors to keep tabs on their sleeping infant. Today's smart monitors do more than just let parents know if a baby is crying. These monitors collect data that can provide insight into the baby's overall health, wellbeing, and happiness.
Sproutling provides a baby activity tracker for children up to age two. Parents strap the ankle band onto the baby before it goes to sleep and then use the free Sproutling mobile app to monitor changes in the baby's condition. This includes whether the baby is awake or asleep, and vital signs like heartrate, temperature, and any movement.
The monitor also alerts parents if ambient noise levels are so high they risk waking the baby. This device can even provide an estimate of when a baby might wake up, letting the parent know if they should start their next housecleaning project or wait until later.
Mimo, another smart monitor, tracks a baby's respiration, heart rate, temperature, position, and sleep quality through a turtle-shaped sensor embedded on the onesie Mimo created.
Is This Creating "Anxiety Profiteering" or Useful Data?
Parenting expert Jennifer Senior, author of "All Joy and No Fun," calls this new breed of smart monitors "a flagrant instance of anxiety profiteering." New parents are already stressed out and sleep-deprived. Obsessing over the temperature in the baby's nursery or the baby's heart rate can make it worse, she claims. Unless there are medical reasons to monitor a baby's vital signs around the clock, the extra data may not make high-tech parents better parents. There's also the risk of false alarms putting undue stress on new parents.
Some pediatricians posit that this information may even be harmful, if the devices provide a false sense of security that makes parents less likely to follow best practices for preventing SIDS, such as removing all pillows, blankets, bumpers, and stuffed animals from an infant's crib, not smoking around an infant, and putting an infant to sleep on its back.
"Sometimes we cut corners if we think technology will alert us to every problem," Dr. Claire McCarthy says.
Benefits of Smart Baby Monitors
Even with these dangers, there are distinct benefits to using a smart monitor over a conventional audio or video monitor.
A smart monitor can tell parents if the nursery is too warm or too cold, or sound an alert if an older baby is trying to climb out of the crib, a fear for parents as their children begin crawling, walking and climbing. There's also the benefit of having alerts and data sent directly to your smart phone, rather than lugging around a bulky baby monitor handset.
It's In the Way That You Use It
When so many people are accustomed to being able to monitor their home, energy use, and car's gas mileage at a glance, it makes sense to want to monitor something as precious as a newborn.
As with any technology, IoT devices for parents can create added convenience during a stressful stage of life, or can lead to information overload and frustration. Using these devices to supplement, not replace, common sense and intuition might make parenting a newborn easier and, for those who just enjoy having the latest gadgets, even a little bit more fun.
