I just had baby number 4 and while I already had pretty much everything I needed for my new little bundle, there were a couple baby products that I was excited to try. I will post 3 blog posts for the Owlet, the Snoo and Dyper diapers.
This is not a sponsored post.
Product #1- The Snoo bassinette
I was really excited to try this bassinet. As a sleep consultant I am completely committed to safe sleep. That being said, I have already had 3 babies and I know that newborns do not enjoy sleeping in a bassinet (especially for the first couple weeks) and really only want to be held. My first baby slept fine in the Arms Reach bassinet. My second two, both had silent reflux and hated lying flat until their medicine started working. I was really excited to try the Snoo because the first several weeks in particular can be a real challenge with getting a newborn into the bassinet. Newborns typically do not appreciate lying in a flat bed with no motion. The Snoo aims at solving that problem so I was excited to see how it worked.
What is the Snoo?
The Snoo bassinet was developed by Dr. Harvey Karp from the Happiest Baby books. He teaches in his book that to soothe babies for the first 4 months you need to recreate a womb like environment. He talks about the 5 S’s (swaddling, stomach position, shushing, swinging and sucking). The Snoo bassinet keeps the baby tightly swaddled, makes a white noise and it rocks back and forth automatically when the baby starts to cry. It rocks slowly at first and if the baby’s crying gets louder it rocks from side to side faster. The idea is that babies will sleep better in the Snoo because it uses some of the 5 S’s. Please keep in mind that for the side/stomach position, that is just how to hold a baby when they are awake. Babies should always be put to sleep on their backs only. Dr. Karp is not suggesting to put your baby to sleep on their side or stomach.
My thoughts after using the Snoo:
The Snoo can now be rented through the Happiest Baby website. I rented if for 1 month. My goal was just to use it for the first month or two when newborns are so difficult to put down. As a side note, when you rent it you have to pay a nonrefundable cleaning fee of $45, you have to pay a deposit of $175, and the rental at the time of this post is $112 a month (3 swaddles included). You have to rent it for at least 1 month. Shipping is free both ways.
What I liked about the Snoo:
The Snoo comes with swaddles that have little plastic clips that attach to the bassinet. This means that the baby stays in place and the swaddle doesn’t come unwrapped. This was my favorite feature. I woke up so often through the night when my first 3 babies were newborns to check and make sure the swaddle didn’t get pulled up near their mouth. Babies are surprisingly good at getting out of a swaddle so the “swaddle wings” are a really great invention. I did sleep much better knowing that the baby wasn’t going to have anything near his mouth. Every bassinet should have these!
I don’t know of any other bassinets that have anything like the clips to keep baby from moving, but there are a couple swaddles that have zippers that I like because they don’t come undone. They are much better than the Velcro ones. The Woombie Original is my favorite newborn swaddle. Once baby is a little bigger, The Woombie Convertible can convert to just a sleep sack when baby starts rolling. Or the Love to Dream 50/50 transition swaddle is for babies who are 3-6 months and 13-18 pounds. This swaddle has little wings that baby can move their arms up closer to their face with and then when they are rolling over you can unzip the arms and it is just a sleep sack. It is a great swaddle for older babies.
The second thing I liked about this bassinet was that it is really beautiful. It was truly a good looking piece and is well made.
The things I did not like about the Snoo:
My son didn’t particularly like the bassinet. The rocking motion didn’t ever calm him down. I always had to pick him up when he started crying, he never responded to the rocking or noise and never fell back asleep on his own. I thought that the rocking when he was crying hard was too rough, but in the Snoo information booklet Dr. Karp says all parents think that, but it is helpful for the babies. My son didn’t seem to enjoy it.
Second, I find that babies sleep much better when the top of their head is touching the top of the bassinet. With the Snoo they can only lie in the middle of the bassinet. This is a big reason why I think my son didn’t like this bassinet.
Third, I didn’t find the white noise particularly soothing and I was sleeping in the same room as my son. I definitely prefer the white noise on my Marpec Dohm noise machine over the Snoo noise.
Forth, if you continue to use the Snoo after your baby is older than 6 weeks you are going to have to break some habits. Babies can become accustomed to the motion and when you move them to the crib when they outgrow the bassinet they will not appreciate being in the crib. I would recommend if you get the Snoo, to only use if for the first 6 weeks. If your baby can sleep without any motion I would always recommend them lying still so you don’t have to break that habit later.
Overall, even with renting it only for a month I didn’t think it was worth it. Maybe other babies respond better to it than mine. I used it for about 2 weeks and then moved my son the Arms Reach Bassinet and he liked that better.
I am glad I tried it but if I were doing it again, I would just stick with my Arms Reach Co-Sleeper bassinet and save some money. One more note about safe sleep. The Arms Reach Co-Sleeper can attach the side of your bed but I don’t use that feature because it is possible that the sheets or blankets from your bed can get pulled over the bassinet while you are sleeping. This bassinet has two settings and on one of them you can just pull the side of the crib all the way to the top so it looks like a mini Pack N Play. I use that setting and put the bassinet several feet away from my bed so that no blankets or pillows can fall into it. You can also just use a regular Pack N Play, but I find that young babies prefer a smaller bassinet to a larger Pack N Play or crib, but if your baby doesn’t mind it, go ahead and use one of those.
Happy sleeping y’all!
©September, 201 9 by Erin Myrmel at Sleep Baby, LLC
Erin Myrmel
Sleep Baby, LLC
775-413-0521
This information is being provided to you for educational and informational purposes only. It is being provided to you to educate you about pediatric sleep and as a self-help tool for your own use. It is not intended nor is implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health care provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition or the health and welfare of your baby, toddler or child. This information is to be used at your own risk based on your own judgment. For my full Disclaimer, please go to https://www.sleepbaby.co/disclaimer-copyright