SNOO Review

SNOO

Ad Disclaimer: This SNOO was gifted to me in the hope that I would post a review after using it for a few months. I have not been paid to leave a review. I do not feel it is right to accept such expensive items and not leave feedback, especially if I have found it a positive experience. Please note that if I did not feel that this was the right product to share in my posts, then I would have returned the item. As it happens, we have had a positive experience though we would not have spent the money on it ourselves. If we had a baby who wouldn't settle, we may have felt differently.

All Babies Are Different

As we know, all babies and parents are different. Some babies settle naturally into a sleeping routine whilst others don’t know the difference between night and day. Some babies only cry when they need to communicate whilst others cry for a multitude of reasons, perhaps even pain from colic or trapped wind. (Please note that I recognise that colic isn't a medical condition, rather a term used to describe a baby who cries for long periods without apparent cause)

If you have a baby who sleeps relatively well, by which I mean can sleep for a 5 hour stretch during the night followed by a brief interlude to change their nappy and feed before going straight back to sleep again, then you might not feel the need to invest in this bassinet.

If, however, like many parents, you are sleep deprived with a baby who can't settle to sleep easily or only sleeps in short bursts then you might want to consider the SNOO. Can you really put a price on a good night’s sleep when you’re sleep deprived and needing to care for a baby? 

Common Misconceptions About The SNOO

The SNOO is a relatively new product and as such there is not a huge amount of data regarding its safety. That being said, running through each of the features, it does appear (through my research) to follow all of the safe sleep guidelines (links to trusted resources are listed at the bottom of this blog). What's more, it appears that the SNOO is used in neonatal departments in America, and has not been linked to any reported cases of injuries.

When I shared this to my Instagram, however, I was told repeatedly that the SNOO is unsafe. Yet no one could explain to me why or share any information to suggest that the SNOO might be dangerous.

From my research, it appears as though the SNOO is generally accepted as an amazing piece of equipment in the US. Here in the UK, where it is less widely used, there is a lot of scepticism. Rightly so when it is a new product that promises great things.

The main issue that people highlighted was the straps. The SNOO has elasticated straps to keep your baby on their back. As per guidelines for sleeping, babies must be put down on their backs. I can understand why this would make people feel nervous. From my perspective, it meant that I did not have to worry about my baby rolling over onto her face and suffocating as she has not yet learned to roll onto her back. This is the purpose of the straps as keeps them on their backs as per guidelines.

I also had a few 'sleep training experts' tell me off for using and recommending the SNOO though they could not explain why without simply saying that 'babies are meant to wake frequently'. Yes of course, especially newborns. Everyone has a routine for sending a baby to sleep in the first place, whether you cradle a baby in your arms for 30 mins or use the SNOO, you can still help settle them to sleep and use it to help settle them back to sleep after a night feed. That is the purpose, not to keep a baby sleeping for 10 hours straight. A baby surely wouldn't sleep for that long anyway unless they needed to. I've been very lucky to have a baby who gradually slept longer and longer during the night, sleeping for 9 hour stretches during the night from 5 months, and then 10-12 hours from 7 months, whilst other parents may take it in turns to cradle their baby throughout the night as the baby won't let them put them down. Perhaps a device like the SNOO would help in this situation so that sleep deprived parents could manage to get some sleep.

My Experience

SNOO

As for us, we didn’t feel the need to use it at night time. I did wonder if we should use it at night when our baby was about 3 months and she started to have a go at rolling. By 4 months, she could roll over and lift her head up. Great news! The not so great news, however, was that she would get stuck face down and so I would always have to roll her over again, although, in hindsight, I didn't need to as this is perfectly normal. At the time, this left me worrying about what would happen during the night if I wasn’t watching her. With the SNOO, I wouldn't have had to worry about that. But seeing as we didn't need to use the SNOO to send her off to sleep at night, we just kept an eye on her during the night.

I did make the most of all the features, ie the white noise and rocking motion, for daytime naps (I never leave her alone) as my little one used to really struggle with daytime naps. The rocking and white noise settled her to sleep and if she became a bit cranky the rocking switches to the next level and would quickly settle her again; unless of course she really was ready to get up, in which case, no amount of rocking would get a baby back to sleep.

It was also reassuring knowing that we had the bassinet ready for the sleep regression that can happen at around 4 months. We were lucky that didn't happen but we were ready in case it did.

At 5 months, I realised that we were going to need to transition her to her own room and so I started placing her in her crib in her room for her daytime naps, and I stayed in the room to keep an eye on her. She was very fussy to begin with but gradually she became more used to her large crib in her room. She would also roll on to her front, which made me nervous but as she got better at crawling, I realised that she was fine to roll around and she could confidently push herself up when needed.

By 6 months, she was too large for the SNOO and we completely transferred her to her own crib in her own room for the whole night, not just the day time naps. She transitioned amazingly well and she was sleeping for around 9 hour stretches overnight from around 5 months.

In short, the bassinet was not made for us simply because our baby slept well overall but we used it when we had trouble with day time naps. Other than that, it wasn't needed but I can fully understand the benefits to babies who struggle to settle.

Keep in mind, this bassinet will not send a baby to sleep if the baby doesn't want to sleep. Nothing can do that. But for those babies who can't settle, then the SNOO may be really helpful. What's more, parents who are able to get their baby to sleep for a few hours at a time will be more alert and able to care for their child compared to a baby who only sleeps for an hour at a time.

Overview

Whether you want to invest in this bassinet is entirely dependent on your baby for many different reasons. One thing that may be useful to know is that there is an option to rent rather than buy. If you’re planning on having more than one child, then you might feel like it’s worth purchasing. 

Overall, do what you feel is right for you and your baby and ensure that you follow all guidelines and instructions when using any baby product.

Additional research can be found on:

Lullaby Trust

NHS

Tommy's