Our oldest, Harrison, was born July 25th, 2018 in the middle of the night. My wife was in labor for nearly 24 hours and our first night with him was an adventure- to say the least.
After his birth (the happiest moment of my life until my second son arrived) we were both running on fumes and Susan couldn’t really move after her marathon labor. We wanted our son to spend his first night with us but we had no idea what we were doing. He went to sleep in the bassinet next to her bed.
I was so tired that I fell asleep on our room’s couch and I slept right through Harry’s first crying fit. It took the nurse coming into the room to wake me up. Dad life was finally hitting me.
As any new parent will tell you things were up and down from there. But, especially in those early days, our Snoo was a god send. I will recommend it to everyone all the time.
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What is a Snoo?
The Snoo is a baby bassinet that baby straps in but packed with tons of features. The feature that matter most to new parents is that it will detect if your baby is starting to fuss while sleeping and the bassinet with rocking motion will rock them back to sleep.
It worked like a dream for us. Our sons were basically sleeping through the night by 3-4 weeks post-partum. When you’re a new parent every extra hour of sleep is precious.
You mentioned tons of features, like what?
- When your baby is napping the Snoo will be gently rocking and playing white noise. When your baby starts to fuss, the Snoo will increase the intensity of the rocking and the volume of the noise to try and sooth your baby back to sleep.
- The Snoo has an app where you can check the status of your baby and control the Snoo’s intensity from your phone. You can also track your baby’s sleep over time. The app also provides a bunch of customization options
- The Snoo is a bassinet that straps baby in. The included sleep sack hooks into the Snoo and prevents rolling and other movement to keep your baby safe.
- 30-day money back guarantee. They will pay for return shipping, too.
Our Personal Experience
We used a Snoo with both of our sons and, like I said earlier, it was a god send.
The only real issue we ran into was that Hunter, our youngest, grew so fast that he wasn’t fitting in the Snoo anymore when he was around 5 months old. We had to transition him to a crib before we wanted to.
Especially with both parents working from home, a house full of dogs and our older toddler to chase after, the Snoo helped to get our baby to sleep and to extend his sleep time. It also helped with midnight wake-ups, helping our babies minimize fussing and go back to sleep quickly after late night feedings or diaper changes.
The design of the Snoo is attractive, too. It doesn’t take up much space and fits with any kind of decor.
One last note, our first son, Harry, used a pacifier to help him get to sleep in the Snoo. Hunter, our second, did not want to use a pacifier.
What are reviewers saying?
We bought this before our daughter was born due to the safety aspects, and it was one of those “nice” things we splurged on. Unfortunately my daughter was diagnosed with central sleep apnea and sent home on oxygen; now I cannot imagine how we would have coped without the SNOO. Because of the SNOO sack and securing ‘wings’ I don’t have to worry that she has pulled off her oxygen in the middle of the night. Nor do I have to worry about her wiggling around and getting the tubing wrapped around her neck.
Now a word about sleep: We started her in the SNOO automatic rocking bassinet from the day we brought her home, but we woke her up every three hours to feed her until her 2 week check up and we verified that she had regained to (and surpassed) her birth weight. After that we switched to demand feeding. The day she hit 3 weeks she slept for 5 hours straight. Now she is 7 weeks old and sleeps anywhere from 6 to 7.5 hours a night; with 6.5 being her average.
In short, she seems to be sleeping well and I certainly sleep easier knowing that she can’t remove her oxygen and entangle herself in it. So, everybody is sleeping in our house. Thank goodness for this product!!
I really did not want to buy this since we were trying so hard to be minimalists and all-natural with our first baby girl. Then she came in like a wrecking ball. In her first 6 weeks I could count on one hand the number of times I got any more than 1.5 hours of sleep. Then one night at 3 am I started getting worried about what life would be like when I had to go back to work at 11 weeks.
I have a one hour commute each way and I work in patient care and got more and more nervous about the potential of getting in a car accident or making a terrible mistake at work because of sleep deprivation. The internet led me to the SNOO. I couldn’t say no to the possibility of 1-2 extra hours of sleep a night, plus it was on sale and they have the 30-day guarantee.
The snoo came when she was 7 weeks old, and on the 7th day of using it, she slept a full 8 hours. By the time I had to go back to work she was consistently sleeping 9-11 hours every night. NINE TO ELEVEN HOURS EVERY NIGHT. We used the wean feature when she just turned 5 months old and after a week she was sleeping 9-11 hours every night in her big girl crib and goes down for naps easily in her pack and play. No crying it out necessary. Will this work for everyone? Probably not. But for us it was kind of a miracle and absolutely worth the cost.
Other FAQs
Q: Does Snoo automatically turn off?
A: Yes, after a few minutes of rocking on the highest setting it will shut off and you will get an alert to your phone that the Snoo has shut off.
Q: Does Snoo move all night?
A: Yes, during deep sleep the Snoo will be gently rocking your baby.
Q: How long can you use Snoo bassinet?
A: The Snoo age limit is up to 6 months. The Snoo bassinet weight limit is 25 pounds (Hunter had to transition early, he’s a big baby).
Q: How long does Snoo stay on each level?
A: Approximately 1-2 minutes on each setting.
Q: How much does the Snoo weigh?
A: The Snoo weighs 38 pounds.
Q: Is the Snoo safe for newborns?
A: Absolutely. The Snoo is highly safety rated and in some cases is even safer than leaving your baby in a crib without a swaddle.
Q: How many Snoo sleep sacks do I need?
A: I would get two to start off, just in case of accidents. As the baby gets older one will do. Get sleep sacks here.
Is it right for you?
On multiple occasions I have been asked for advice about having infants. I always say, “get a Snoo”. And I mean it. Yes, it’s expensive. But it is so worth it to keep your sanity for those few early months.
Keep in mind that there is a thriving resale market and they hold their value well (we resold our first Snoo, the second one we donated to family). Happiest Baby also offers a rental program.
You can get it here.
