Dubbed as the “Fitbit for your baby” and “Nest for your nursery,” the Sproutling’ Baby Monitor is a rubber wearable sensor that attaches to the baby’s leg with a soft hypoallergenic, machine-washable strap. According to Sproutling’s co-founder and CEO Chris Bruce, who got the idea for the monitor when his second child was born, claims it’s a rare wearable technology that makes life much simpler for parents.
The Sproutling Baby Monitor straps onto the baby’s ankle and communicates with a nearby base and a mobile app. Together, they track heartbeat, body temperature, the noise level in the room, the baby’s motion and other factors that indicate how well a baby is sleeping. Over time, it also learns the baby’s patterns and behaviors and can make predictions about when the infant will wake up, for instance, and whether they’ll be fussy or happy when they do.
This information shows up in a simple format on mom and dad’s smart phones, displaying a green background if all’s well and a red background if something is wrong. The benefit of the app’s simplicity, says co-founder Mathew Spolin, is that it doesn’t overwhelm parents with the abundant information it’s gathering—it only tells them if there’s really a problem. “For a new parent, they’re not going to know if 130 beats per minute is better than 90, and without the context to really interpret vitals data, it’s just going to create more anxiety and more fear.”
The wearable band is soft, breathable and washable, and three sizes of the band come included so that Sproutling can grow with your baby. The company has just launched its pre-ordering campaign, and after a few months of assessing demand, the first round will ship. Early-bird pricing is $249 but later, it will increase to $299.
