Should we wire and track this infant?
Have you ever wondered how much your baby actually sleeps at night, or were worried you wouldn’t wake up if they needed you? Exhausted parents rejoice – there’s now an app for that.
A new device called the Mimo baby monitor helps parents track their infant’s sleep and biometric data, and sends it directly to a smartphone, allowing parents to watch their child even when away from home.
How it Works
The Mimo baby monitor consists of three parts: the Kimono, the Turtle, and the Lilypad station. The Kimono onesie has machine washable sensors sewn in that communicate to the Turtle, also attached to the onesie.
The Turtle monitors respiration, skin temperature, body position, and activity levels as the baby sleeps. It then transmits the data to the Lilypad station via Bluetooth. The Lilypad is connected to the home Wi-Fi and sends that information to a smartphone app in real time.
The smartphone app also allows parents to view sleep trends and set alerts if, for example, the baby wakes up or his/her temperature gets too high.
The Mimo baby monitor joins other devices such as a digital video camera with infrared motion sensors and a movement detecting sensor pad. The sensor pad slides under your baby’s mattress and alerts you if he or she hasn’t moved in 20 seconds.
What do Parents Think?
There is some debate among parents on how beneficial this technology actually is. For some, quantifying everything about their baby is comforting and makes them feel a closer connection to their child. In addition, they feel safer leaving their child at home if they can still monitor their activity when separated.
Others worry the increased technology may actually take away from a parent’s ability to read their baby’s emotional and physical cues. It may also cause new parents to unnecessarily worry over “abnormal” patterns that are actually part of a child’s normal development.
How do you feel about parents using technology to monitor their children’s behavior? Is this something you could see yourself using? We’d love to hear your thoughts below in the comments and we’ll be continuing the conversation inside the Sermo community. If you’re an M.D. or D.O., please join us.
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