Better newborn (and parent) sleep with the push of a button! Sound too good to be true? That’s what the Snoo, a $1,295 high-tech baby bassinet from legendary baby sleep guru, Dr. Harvey Karp, promises. We’ve been using the Snoo for the past 6 months with our second child, Baby Ava, which has fostered tons of questions from friends and family, curious to know if it really guarantees blissful sleep. I’m excited to finally share my full opinion of the Snoo as it’s been my pet peeve that all of Google’s top “honest” reviews are from those “gifted” with the Snoo. While I have no doubt the opinion expressed is their own, I do believe there’s some bias when you don’t have to pay out of your own pocket. Also, many reviews are also written within the first 3 months, when newborns are generally good sleepers and haven’t hit their first major sleep regression. I was concerned about creating a sleep dependency, thus I’ve waited to share this review until we went through its full lifecycle.
The Backstory: Why We Purchased the Snoo
One word: sleep! In all honesty, the Snoo was an emergency panic buy. Before Ava was born, I researched all the latest baby gadgets to see what (if anything) we might need to upgrade since pulling Bash’s old gear out of storage. The Snoo had initially caught my eye, especially considering I was already a Happiest Baby on the Block (book and DVD) devotee. However, we decided to first try having Ava sleep in her UPPABaby bassinet for the first few months just like we did with Bash. But going on day 5 with increments of 2 – 3 hour sleep sessions, I became a desperate zombie. While newborns are generally great sleepers, one night, it took about 45 minutes of dance-rocking her back to sleep (mind you, this is after nursing and an initial bedtime rocking routine). I panicked that she might be one of those babies who needs motion to get to sleep. Desperate times call for desperate measures, so without hesitation, [cue dramatic music…dun dun DUN….] we immediately purchased a Snoo.
The Basics: How We Use the Snoo
I’m assuming you have likely read a few reviews and already have a basic understanding of what the Snoo does. Basically, it promises “Safer.Better.Sleep. At the touch of a button” through a high-tech and design-worthy bassinet that soothes via white noise and responsive rocking. For more of the basic, check out the Snoo product page here and this NY Times article on Dr. Harvey Karp. Here’s how we have used the Snoo:
0 – 3 months: After buying the Snoo in panic mode, I then became nervous that I’d create a sleep dependency on its motion (Snoo promises your baby won’t become addicted to it; this was just my anxiety kicking into high gear). So I alternated between the UPPABaby and Snoo for naps. At night time, I put Ava down in the Snoo, where the gently rocking would help soothe her to sleep. When she would wake for night feeds, I would return her to the UPPAbaby bassinet since she pretty much passed out milk drunk. Looking back, I realize I didn’t need to use the UPPAbaby at all, as I could’ve just put her down in the Snoo and left it off (yes, I just now realized this…thanks, mom-brain!).
Having the Snoo at this stage was nice, but I didn’t feel that it extended her sleep anymore than usual as newborns sleep pretty well. For context, Ava was pretty consistently sleeping 3 – 4 hour stretches as a newborn and 5 hour stretches at night after Month 1. We even took a break from the Snoo at Month 3 and had Ava sleep solely in her UppaBaby bassinet while we were on a camping trip and she slept just the same (though I assumed the physicality of rocking her before putting her down). I will say that having the Snoo at this stage made me feel more comfortable putting her down drowsy but awake.
3 – 6 months: This is when I began to use the Snoo exclusively and really started to reap the benefits, so much that I started lovingly referring to her as “RoboMom” and we even took her on vacation with us this summer! She was a lifesaver during Ava’s 3 – 4 month sleep regression and, while it didn’t reduce the number of wakeups, Ava’s regression period seemed much shorter (lasting 2 – 3 nights instead of 1 – 2 weeks with Bash). At around 3 – 4 months, we also introduced the Baby Merlin’s Magic Sleepsuit as Ava “Houdinied” her arms out of the Snoo Sleepsack and would flop her legs up and down like a whale tail inevitably waking herself. This is probably a major no-no in SnooWorld, but Merlin was a lifesaver with Bash and we needed arm-stifling reinforcement. I wrapped the Snoo Sleepsack’s wings around Ava to prevent rolling. Note: the new Snoo Sleepsacks were redesigned so that the Medium and Large sizes have arm holes that allow the baby to sleep with his / her arms outside the sack. We had the original design, hence, our makeshift solution with the Merlin.
- For her morning nap (about 1.5 hours after waking up for the day), RoboMom works her magic on the Intro Level when Ava’s still awake after nursing. This nap usually lasts about 1.5 – 2 hours.
- For her afternoon naps, Ava’s usually so tired having been up for about 3 – 4 hours that I don’t need to turn it on while putting her down. Occasionally, she will wake crying at a sleep cycle change, in which case, I level up the Snoo to 3 and she’s back down in a few minutes. This nap usually lasts about 1.5 – 2.5 hours.
- At night, Ava is very tired and drowsy, again having been up for about 3 – 4 hours. She’s been sleeping through the night now usually ~7:30 / 8 PM to 7 / 7:30 AM. Sometimes, she will quietly moan / coo (not a loud cry). If it’s a sleep cycle change (usually within 30 – 90 minutes of bedtime), I’ll let the Snoo handle it. However, if she wakes in the middle of the night, I’ll nurse her since she’s exclusively breastfed and might just be hungry (and it’s just 6 minutes on the boob and everyone’s immediately back to sleep!). This usually happens in clusters of 2-3 nights in a row, leading me to believe it’s a growth spurt as she returns to her regular full night of sleep.
Weaning at 6 months: So, the Snoo promises that babies don’t become addicted to it, but there’s no mention of parental dependency, hahah! I was initially worried we were just creating a sleep dependency, but in reality, I was the one forming a major attachment to RoboMom! We started weaning a few weeks ago and it was going well with no major issues; Ava slept just the same with the Snoo on “weaning mode” (where there’s no initial motion, just white noise and responsive rocking tailored to any cries). We did have one setback when Ava caught a cold, resulting in one cheat week back in regular mode. In the past week, we’ve been back to either weaning mode or I just don’t turn it on. I figure we will continue like this until I stop procrastinating my crib-buying trip.
The Accessories:
- Snoo Sleepsacks ($27.95) / Snoo Sleepea ($23.95): I loved the Snoo’s sleepsacks, which you can also buy separately (the Snoo sleepsack is designed specifically with wings that must be clipped to activate the Snoo motion vs. the Snoo Sleepea sacks are for regular cribs / bassinets without the wings). Note: the Snoo bassinet purchase includes 3 sleepsacks (1 small, 1 medium, and 1 large). While spares will definitely com in handy, we actually didn’t purchase any additional sacks and just used the next size when laundry overlapped with naps. Even if you don’t buy the Snoo bassinet, the Snoo Sleepea sacks are hands-down the best swaddles as we went through all the muslin swaddles, the miracle blanket, and various wraps with velcro and buttons with Bash.
- Snoo Fitted Sheet ($19.95): The Snoo comes with one fitted sheet, but you will need some spares. While the Snoo brand is designed for a perfect fit, I found that the Kushies Organic Jersey Bassinet Fitted Sheets ($15.98) I had from Bash’s UPPABaby bassinet worked just as well. I also use this American Baby Waterproof Sheet Saver ($7.33) (organic cotton and vinyl-free) in between the Snoo mattress and sheet to protect the Snoo mattress from any leaky diapers.
- Snoo Leg Lifters ($18.50) HIGHLY RECOMMENDED: We didn’t have these and Nick had to MacGyver up a temporary solution for a week when Ava caught croup. While you can certainly DIY this, it’s actually pretty difficult to find 2 exactly sized, solid / stable “lifts” about 4 – 6 inches in height. So, it might be worth having these on hand for a potential cold, a gassy baby, and definitely if you have a baby with reflux.
- Snoo Shorty Legs ($64.95): Swap out Snoo’s legs for these shorties if you’d like to be perfectly eye level with your baby while in bed. These legs lower the base of the Snoo, so perhaps it makes it easier to pick up baby while in bed (especially if recovering from a c-section). Honestly, I never had any issues picking up Ava from the regular height Snoo and the sides are double mesh, so you can kind of see through it anyways.
Pros: RoboMom for the Win
- Safe sleeper: Touted as the “safest baby bed”, its sides are breathable mesh and the clipped in sleep sacks keep baby sleeping on his / her back, giving this tired and anxious mom some peace of mind (especially helpful to first-time parents when you worry about every little thing).
- RoboMom is an extra set of hands when you are dealing with multiple kids. The Snoo helped me juggle a coordinated afternoon nap. If Ava started crying, I could amp up the Snoo while still reading to Bash.
- RoboMom eased the burden of sleep training. Yes, there were many occasions when Ava cried trying to get to sleep or waking early from a sleep cycle. The Snoo gave me peace of mind that she was still being comforted while I waited in the wings, allowing her to “self-soothe” a little longer than I normally would.
- Extended sleep: While she may wake during a sleep cycle transition, a quick level up to 3 gives an extra boost that quickly calms her back down.
- Built-in white noise: Customized white noise sounds to mimic the womb. We were worried that the constant sound might be too loud but we tested it with a decibel meter (side note: I have no idea why we own a decibel meter?) and it measured 69.8dB. We also reached out to Snoo’s customer support and confirmed that on the low setting the the white noise is 68-70dB, and at the higher setting, the sound increases to approximately 86dB. To put this in perspective, a normal conversation is about 60dB and a baby’s own cry can reach or exceed 100dB.
- Easy to set up and use: Super easy to set up out of the box and intuitive to use (i.e., press the button to start and press up / down arrows on the app if you prefer to micro-manage RoboMom like I do).
- Beautiful design: The cream and wood tones are suitable with any décor and its soft, clean lines coordinate well in our master bedroom. It even matches Larry, our cow hide rug!
- Helpful customer service: There’s a host of online tutorials and baby development / sleep related content on Snoo’s website. The blog has great advice from Dr. Karp but its chronological organization makes it difficult to navigate; just search for specific topics or keep scrolling through. The FAQs are very helpful with simple videos for most steps. If you can’t immediately find an answer, I’ve found they are very responsive via email.
Considerations:
- Inflated expectations: While the Snoo delivers on its promises, please don’t expect a magical 12 hours of consistent sleep for the next 6 months. On a few occasions, I’ve been overly dependent on RoboMom. Nick likes to tell everyone the story of how I was texting him, frustrated that Ava wasn’t calming down and I told him I was “doing everything” by “trying all the settings…Level 1, Level 2, Level 3…and nothing was working”. He of course responded by telling me to pick her up and calm her down…the old fashioned way (d’oh). Parents must climb the steep learning curve of baby sleep 101:
- You will need to determine when baby is tired and the accompanying optimal drowsy times.
- Your baby will cry and if you let RoboMom work, you still have to listen to the crying, which can be excruciating at times.
- Your baby will likely go through sleep regressions, where you’ll have to readjust.
- First world tech problems: Just some minor annoyances / suggestions for improvement:
- The app is slow to load and often disconnects (usually right when I need it the most, doh!). When your baby’s crying, every second feels like an eternity. Watching the little wheel spin when all you want to do is micromanage RoboMom is annoying.
- For an expensive, “high-tech” baby device, I would appreciate a built-in camera / monitor. Sometimes, it’s a pain to switch back and forth from my Nest monitor app to the Snoo app. Plus, we have the Snoo at the foot of our bed, where there’s no wall or table to mount a baby monitor. Nick DIY’d a clamp so we could attach one of our Nest Cams to the Snoo. It would be nice if this feature came with the Snoo, especially considering many people will room-in with their baby for the first few months and would likely install the baby monitor in the nursery, not their master bedroom.
- Personally, I didn’t find the Snoo Log feature very helpful. It automatically records “sleep” time based on the Snoo settings, but if you don’t turn on the Snoo, it appears as awake time. The output is only as useful as the data inputted and there’s no way to manually override the inputs, so I continued using my Sprout app to track sleep and feedings. (Then again, I’m a sucker for data and exported Bash’s Sprout sleep data to Excel for “analysis” of sleep trends).
- Cleaning: While the mattress is water resistant, I wasn’t going to take any chances, so I added this American Baby Waterproof Sheet Saver in between the mattress and sheet. The Snoo mesh is a little difficult to clean. It isn’t removable for safety reasons, limiting it to spot cleaning only.
- Expensive: This is a high ticket baby item, especially taking into consideration it is only used for 6 months. You can purchase the Snoo on Amazon which usually coordinates with the Snoo website’s promotions (usually around 20% off). While Amazon makes it easy to add the Snoo to your registry, purchasing from Snoo’s website allows you to time shipping with your due date. If cost is an issue, be sure to look for a used Snoo as the secondhand market for these bassinets is likely to be heating up.
The Verdict:
I think there are really 2 separate questions to be answered:
- Does it work? While every baby is different, I’ve been a believer in Dr. Karp’s 4th Trimester and soothing techniques. The 5 S’s work and the Snoo basically automates the 5 S’s, applying them based on baby’s escalating cries.
- Is it worth the cost? The Snoo is expensive, especially considering it’s only used for about 6 months. Overall, I have absolutely no buyer’s remorse and would I buy it again, yes. While every baby is going to be a different kind of sleeper, and Ava seems to be a pretty normal / easy baby (at least by comparison to Bash who continues to be not the greatest sleeper), the Snoo gave me an extra set of hands leading to precious minutes that add up to more sleep, more sanity, and more time spent productively.
My Favorite Sleep Resources
If you want to give it a go first without the Snoo, I hear you. While this time around, it was a luxury having RoboMom, the Snoo wasn’t invented when I had Bash and we all survived (though I did go to a parental support group when Bash was 4 months) when the light at the end of the tunnel was looking pretty dim). A few of my favorite sleep resources (with or without the Snoo) include:
- Happiest Baby on the Block (book & DVD by Karp): a must-read / watch!
- Solve Your Child’s Sleep Problems (Ferber): a more in-depth read if you are considering the Ferber method
- Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child (Weissbluth): another in-depth read for sleep techniques
- LectroFan white noise machine: small enough for travel
- Snoo Sleepea: best newborn sleep sacks
- Baby Merlin’s Magic Sleepsuit: for transitioning out of the swaddle
- Sprout App: to track baby’s eating / sleeping patterns to help give you a better sense of when to put baby down
- Sleep Support (note: I didn’t use any of their sleep consultation service, but I found their websites very helpful): Wee Bee Dreaming has a great blog with sleep schedules and tips; Baby Sleep Site for detailed schedules
Have you used the Snoo? I’d love to hear your thoughts on the Snoo, baby sleep advice, and / or questions about our Snoo experience in the comments.
Jill Armstead
How did the transition to the crib go after a few weeks of weaning? Was the crib in another room? Did you keep using the Merlin sleep suit for the crib transition?
Thanks!
Katie
Hi Jill! The transition to a crib went really well – much better than expected, but I also did it very gradually. I first weaned Ava off the motion and let her sleep in the Snoo for a few weeks without ever turning on the rocking. I continued to use white noise and still use a white noise machine in her room today. When we switched over to a crib, I did keep her in the Merlin sleep suit, but only for a very short time as she started rolling over a lot with all that extra space. So, for sleep safety, she transitioned to a sleep sack pretty quickly. We went through the normal sleep regressions, but they seemed to be shorter than with Bash (though, he was never really a good sleeper). This past regression around the 12 month mark was especially rough – all of sudden Ava started waking up like 3 times a night. I thought it would pass, but a couple weeks running on sporadic sleep and I did some cry-it-out sleep training which has seemed to do the trick. Good luck with the transition!
Jisun
Ketie, you wrote an awesome article. This article is really helpful for new parents. It can make them clear to what should do. Your image selection is great. Just keep it up.
Love and Regards
Ethereal Jisun
Katie
Thank you for your kind words, Jisun.
Genna
Can you share how you rigged up your monitor to the Snoo? Thanks for the honest review!
Nick
Hi Genna,
The clamp used was a camera c-clamp. We attached the clamp to the side of the Snoo and mounted the Nest cam on top of the clamp, with some zip ties. It’s not the prettiest setup, but it got the job done.
Mia Kennel
Thank you for the article. I am expecting my first child in NOV of 2019 so I looking in to purchasing a Snoo. Where did you purchase the the navy blue temp. gauge that is shown in one of your photos? Thank ou
Katie
Hi Mia, Congrats and I hope you are feeling great and keeping cool! Thanks so much for reading and I hope you find the review helpful. The blue gauge in the photo is actual a decibel meter that measures sound (not temperature). Here’s a link to the one we have if you’re really in the market, but it’s totally unnecessary: BAFX Products Decibel Meter: https://amzn.to/2YclRqf. I think you were asking for a thermometer, in which case, we actually have a great one that we love. We have this SensorPush Thermometer (https://amzn.to/2SyrKwy). It’s really small (so not yet another baby gadget to cramp the decor), senses temperature and humidity, and has an app so you can check temperature in baby’s room remotely (without waking baby). Hope this helps! Cheers,
Katie
Beth
This is so helpful (and I’ve read a lot of reviews!). We are expecting our first baby and I think I am more worried about functioning on poor and reduced sleep than anything else. Of course every baby will be different but it is so helpful to read such a thorough and unbiased review! <3
Katie
Hi Beth,
Congratulations and wishing you and your family all the best with your first! Thank you so much for reading and for your kind comments. I’m so glad this was helpful. Life with a newborn is definitely like being thrown in the deep end with no floaties! There will be a lot of initial treading water, but you’ll start swimming in no time (and then a regression comes crashing in like a rogue wave, hahah! JK…well, sort of). Definitely try to figure out a system where you and your partner can take turns sleeping – an extra hour or so definitely makes a huge difference. Best wishes, Katie.
Mitra
Hi thank you for the review , do you suggest buying a used snoo?
Katie
Hi Mitra,
I think buying a used Snoo can be a really great deal. We passed on our Snoo to another family and it was super easy to clear out Ava’s data and transition the “ownership” via the app seamlessly. There are obviously risks involved with any transaction for used gear, so make sure you take any precautions and see if you can get photos or test out the Snoo to make sure it’s clean and in good working condition. Happiest Baby has also started its own Snoo rental program (https://fave.co/2ZxOPCr). That might be another cost-effective option to consider as well.
Hope this helps, Katie
Jasmine
Thanks for a great review !
Do you recommend purchasing extra sleep sacks? I know you said you didn’t have them but snoo is having such a good sale on them right now.
Also, with sleepea swaddles, did you have her nap in them in the bassinett? For some reason their site says not for use in snoo
Katie
Hi Jasmine! Thanks so much and glad you found the review helpful! The Snoo sale is so good right now! So yes, we didn’t get any extra sleep sacks – the Snoo came with 3 sacks (one of each small, medium, and large sizes). Ava wasn’t a very messy baby and hardly ever spit up so we really didn’t have the need and I could just time laundry in between her sleep. If they are on sale, I’d say, go for it as it can’t hurt to have an extra (though I feel like they grow out of the small size ridiculously quickly so may extras of the larger size might be more cost effective).
So the Sleepea swaddles are the same design except they don’t have the wings that clip into the Snoo – that’s why they say not for use in the Snoo. The Snoo-use version with the wings is called the Snoo Sleep Sack, which you can also buy extras. I used the Snoo Sleep Sacks both when Ava was in the Snoo and for the times when I put her in the UppaBaby bassinet; they actually didn’t come out with the wing-less Sleepea sacks until after Ava was weaned from the swaddle. So, if you have the Snoo, use the Snoo Sleep Sacks (which can also be used in other bassinets, you’ll just have extra wings). If you don’t have the Snoo but want to use their brand of sleep sacks, then that’s when you’d get the Sleepea sacks. Hope that helps clarify. 🙂
Jasmine
Oh gotcha!! That’s so much for clarifying. I thought perhaps for nap times outside of Snoo, the sleepea sacks might be a good idea (ie napping in Dockatot) but I may not need them after all. Plus I have a ton of swaddle blankets already, I think it might be okay. Thanks again!
Maureen
Great article, thank you for sharing! We are planning on transitioning out of the Snoo when our guy is 5mo. He’s 4.5 months now and try to put him I’m crib for naps, or just to chill out (because he’s not a big napper). He ends up rolling around a lot on there (has only turned over twice). Does the Merlin suit help for things like this? Keeping them feeling more relaxed, safe and like a light pressure on them? Thanks for any insight!
Katie
Hi Maureen! Thank you for reading and sharing your comment. The Merlin suit is great for stifling busy hands and reflexes that can jolt baby awake, so it’s great for transitioning baby from the swaddle and into a crib. But once baby starts rolling, they caution against using the suit for sleeping safety. With Bash (no Snoo), we used Merlin for awhile as he rolled once, then went a long stretch of not rolling, and then could roll both front to back and back to front; it worked wonders for Bash. But with Ava (who used the Snoo), we only used Merlin for a very short period of time as she was more of a roller and I wanted her in a sleep sack because she’d often flip to her tummy and just stay that way.
Ann
My baby girl is just 3 months now and is addicted to rocking to sleep! Have you heard of anyone starting the Snoo at 3 months with success ?? Any tips for me ?
Katie
Hi Ann! Thanks for the comment and congrats on baby girl! Yes – while we had the Snoo starting a few days after Ava’s birth, I actually alternated having Ava sleep in her Uppababy bassinet and the Snoo for awhile. We also took Ava on a camping trip where she slept solely in the bassinet and then came back to the Snoo. So definitely can be done! There’s a huge sleep regression at 3 months, so that’s a great time to introduce some new techniques. Good luck!
Hannah
Hi Katie,
When did your babies start rolling? We are going to visit family for a week and our baby will be just turning four months old. Right now he’s about 3.5mo and sleeps in the Snoo. I haven’t seen any signs of rolling except he kicks his legs up pretty high when he’s in the Snoo ☺️. I’m trying to decide whether to get a Sleepea swaddle for the trip but I’m afraid of him rolling over.
Katie
Hi Hannah,
Thanks for the comment! Both of my kids started rolling when they were around 3 months. Since my older son, Bash, didn’t have the Snoo, we switched him out of swaddles right after he started rolling at the 3-4 month mark. For Ava, who had the Snoo, we kept her in the Sleepea sacks but only with the Snoo (because it has hooks that keep baby in place and prevent baby from rolling). We really liked the Magic Merlin as a transition from swaddles. Hope this helps and have a wonderful trip!
Carey
Hi! I have been using the Snoo for 2 months now and love it. I find myself confused, though, about when to respond to the moans and groans you mentioned. How much “red” did your sleep log show? I find myself never knowing how long to let the Snoo soothe my baby before picking him up. Note: these are not high decibel cries. Did you experience this confusion?
Katie
Hi Carey,
Thanks so much for your comment and hope you are getting some rest! Glad you like the Snoo! I actually didn’t use the Snoo app (I used Sprout to track feedings, diapers, sleep, etc.) so I’m not sure how much in the red we were with Ava. It definitely depended on the age / baby stage and baby’s schedule though. I’d look at the typical sleep cycle times for the baby’s age and use that as a good approximation. For example, at a certain age, babies typically have sleep cycles of 40-45 minutes, but should be linking them together to accumulate 4 hour stretches. If Ava woke after only 40 / 45 minutes or 80 / 85 minutes, I’d let the Snoo level up to soothe her back down. I leveled up Snoo quite a bit and would let it stay red for awhile (10-25 minutes can seem like an eternity when baby’s crying) when I knew she should be linking sleep cycles. I think the max I’d let her moan it out (not crazy crying) was around 20 – 30 minutes with Snoo and then I figured she’s probably awake for good or maybe time for a diaper change. Hope that helps – definitely try playing around with it a bit…boy can babies be tricky! 🙂
Sabrina A
Thank you for mentioning using the Merlin Magic Suit with the Snoo! My baby has been breaking out do the Snoo swaddle and waking herself up. I have tried every hack I can find and recently found a few people mentioning using the Merlin with the Snoo.
A few questions: Did you continue to use both until you weaned off the Snoo? And, did you just use the bands of one of the sacks to secure the baby? Did the suit cause babys hands to rub against the inside of the Snoo?
Katie
Hi Sabrina, I used the Merlin-Snoo combo for a little while until she calmed down with the crazy hands. Ava didn’t need it as long as Bash did. Yup, I just clipped it over the top of the Merlin so she was nice and snug. I never noticed any rubbing – you could use the larger snoo sack to compensate for the bulk of the merlin suit.
Cristen
Hi Katie,
Is it true that your little one was awake for 3-4 hours in between her morning and afternoon nap? Curious to hear more about this.
Katie
Hi Cristen, more or less, yes, Ava typically followed the normal sleep patterns. As a newborn, naps were much more frequent. I think around the 6 month mark, she was on a 3 nap schedule with about 3 hour waking periods. Wee Bee Dreaming has a great set of sleep schedules: https://www.weebeedreaming.com/my-blog/sample-schedule-4-months-up.
Chad
New Father, expecting twins in late September. I’m currently ordering two SNOO’s, thank you for your in depth review. Do you have a video/ breathing monitor you’d recommend to use with the Snoo?
Thank you,
Chad
Katie
Hi Chad, Congrats and best wishes for your September arrivals!! I’m so glad you found this to be helpful. I used our old Nest camera (https://amzn.to/3hlkQFG) for both Bash and Ava and found it worked well as a baby monitor. It doesn’t have baby-specific bells and whistles, but they are very portable and we traveled with them quite easily. The Nanit (https://amzn.to/2FsCABX) comes highly recommended as a wall-mounted baby-specific camera with all the bells and whistles. We also had a temperature / humidity sensor (just a cheap, generic one and then also a SensorPush model) for the kids’ rooms as well.
May
Thanks for this great post!! We currently have an almost 3 week old and considering investing in the Snoo, although it has such a high price tag so I’m slightly apprehensive! Do you know if the Snoo works without the sleep sack or does baby need to be clipped in in order for the motion to work?
Katie
Hi May,
Thanks for the feedback! One recent feature is that they are now renting the Snoo – which could help with the sticker shock and you could return it earlier if you feel it doesn’t work for your child. I believe you have to have the wings clipped in for the motion. You could put baby on top of the sack if you really wanted but I wouldn’t recommend and honestly, not sure why you’d need to ever do this. I believe it’s best to keep the child clipped in because at the higher motion settings it helps keep the baby stabilized.
Alison
I can’t believe there aren’t more unpaid or Not-gifted reviews. I also can’t figure out how to review on the site. Maybe they’ll contact me later? A friend recommend the SNOO and loved it. It was a no brainer for us bc Dr.Karps book saved us with our first.
Anyway, our daughter was 10lbs at birth, which I’m sure helped, but she’s been sleeping though the night, 9-13 hours since 7 weeks! She still remains in the high 90th percentile for weight so our doctor is ok with it not waking her up to feed. She wakes up happy, not crazed for food, which was our Dr.’s caveat and wow, it’s a miracle. We were letting her nap other places bc of the dependency fear, but I love the graph so much, it helped me study patterns and we’ve had a low stress sleep situation (we’re also home a lot with COVID-19). I bought the leg raisers as a precaution and I’m glad I did. My baby is a bit of a puker when she’s totally flat. But we’ve never had it in bed.
As for the wiggles everyone talks about, our daughter is big and strong, so it appears she wants out but we on we realized she loves one of her blankets. We wrapped her in the blanket and strapped the next sized sack on her and over her blanket, and she can’t get her arms around or up with the bulk and doesn’t scare herself. We wrapped blanket low and she’s a caccoon. Nothing hangs out of the sleep sack at all. It’s all tucked in. As soon as she’s in a situation where she can wiggle, she doesn’t sleep as well.
Now, our daughter is all smiles and laughs when she’s tired and we put her in bed. Even if she’s fussy getting her ready, once she’s wrapped blanket and swaddle and can’t move, and laid down in the SNOO, she knows a good sleep is coming and she’ll actually squeal. She’s happy to know her good sleep is coming. A baby giggling when she gets out down is such a foreign concept . I wouldn’t have waited 9 years between children if I knew about this!
Our daughter is going to grow out of that blanket in the swaddle situation soon, so I’m getting some thin PJs sewn In the material of her blanket and I’ve ordered Carters fleece PJs to go under the sack so we’ll see.
Katie
Hi Alison, Thanks so much for the comment and so glad your daughter has been a great Snoo sleeper! That is such a great idea about the PJs from the blanket material! Good luck with the transition!!
Belina
Do you mind sharing what white noise machine you used when you transitioned her to the crib? We currently have a snoo, and my son has slept so GREAT for the last 5 months. We are preparing for the transition with the snoo in weaning mode, and he’s doing great. I have the crib ordered, a Merlin sleep sack, and everything, but I have not bought a sound machine yet. I am hoping to find one with similar sounds as the snoo to make the transition as easy as possible.
Katie
Hi Belina, Congrats and that is so awesome you have a great sleeper!! We used this LectroFan white noise machine: https://amzn.to/35oJGCp. It has several different sounds you can choose from so there’s a good variety. It’s also great for travel – super lightweight and much smaller than other brands (we originally had the Dohm brand, which was great, but a little on the bulky side). I still bring the LectroFan with us as the kids have gotten older as, while they don’t need it at home, they still have white noise in their rooms as they both have air purifiers running.
Tash
I actually just purchased a snoo for my upcoming arrival in November! Your review definitely helped convince me it was worth it. So excited to see how it works out for my baby:)
Just one question, what did you dress Ava in before putting her into the sleep sack? Thanks!
Katie
Hi Tash, Thanks so much for the feedback and congrats about your upcoming Nov arrival! Ava was a spring newborn and our room temperature was pretty moderate. So I generally just had her in a lightweight footie style pajama – personally I loved the organic bamboo fabrics from Kickee Pants. As it started to warm up, I’d keep her in a lightweight onesie (usually no socks). Best wishes to you and your family!
Colleen
Tha kid for this, very helpful! For the waterproof mattress pad, did you put it right under the snoo sheet? Did it bunch/cause any hazards or anything? I’m looking for a fully protective, waterproof pad for complete coverage and I’m finding it hard to get the right size—i think the snoo might be a little bit shorter at 28’ than other bassinets as covers seem to be 34’ in general—which I don’t think would work. Thank you for any tips!
Christina
Thank you so much for your review! So helpful for our little one coming next month.
I’m wondering about the transition crib, do you have any recommendations on a particular crib to switch to after winging off the snoo?
Angie
Thanks for sharing your experience! I’m worried about a couple things. You addressed my dependency concern, but what about if baby has to nap on the go? In the car seat, at a babysitter’s house, etc. Does this “ruin” the overall Snoo experience and likelihood it will still work well when we do use the Snoo? Or do you think nighttime sleep will still be better overall? Thanks again!
Angela
How much data did your Snoo use to operate and collect the sleep logs data?
Cheryl
“Newborns sleep really well” like 5 times in this article. Huh?! No baby I’ve ever had! Pretty sure this contradicts almost everyone’s experience ever
Laura
Hi all,
Has anyone tried the Snoo with an older baby? Mine is 3 months and my back is in agony rocking her to sleep!! I can’t find much information online about the success of transitioning an older baby to a Snoo and wondered if anyone has any comments or experience with this. Thanks in advance
L
You had me at ‘newborns are usually good sleepers’ lol, man oh man I’ve never heard that from anyone and wasn’t the case with my babes! But amazing if it is haha I just couldn’t get past that
L
Sorry I should add I like your article! I don’t want you to think my last comment was a jab, it was more of a “HA-HA I WISH” from my experience as a mom and from my mom friends lol
Eva
My baby loved SNOO! Also we’ve had this widely recommended online duo: SNOO + HWL sleep training book (here: [Link deleted]) and it was a perfect match! Susan’s accurate advice and delicate SNOO, we’ve never had sleeping problems. But on the other side – the weaning went pretty gently as well.
Caitlin
I also used Susan Urban’s ebook ‘How to teach a baby to fall saleep alone’ with the HWL method and my life has changed. It is a pity that so few parents undertake to teach their children to sleep. Everyone thinks it has to be like this, that it’s natural and those first years are so difficult for them. It turns out that it doesn’t have to be this way. I am the best proof of this.
aerisjournal
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