Snoo review: Is this smart bassinet worth it?
The Snoo is no average bassinet. Think of it as the Tesla of smart cribs loaded with tech that puts the baby to sleep in seconds. It promotes better sleep for newborn (and parents) with the push of a button, but for about $1500, is it worth it?
We used the Snoo for 4 months with our son, Baby Jordan, which had so many friends and family curious to know if it really guarantees blissful sleep. I’m excited to finally share my honest and full opinion of the Snoo.
The Basics: How We Used 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 aesthetically pleasing, design-worthy bassinet that soothes via white noise and responsive rocking.
We decided to first try having Jordan sleep in his UPPABaby bassinet for the first few weeks, but going on a week with increments of 2 – 3 hour sleep, I became a desperate hormonal zombie. We quickly hired a night nurse to come save us. And because I was not able to breastfeed the nurse did the feeding in the middle of the night and would also take care of Jordan when he woke up in the middle of the night. That helped so much, but hurt our pockets, so then we decided to get the Snoo and it was a game changer. Looking back, I realize we didn’t need to use the night nurse at all, (yes, I just now realized this…thanks, mom-brain!) with the Snoo. The Snoo does everything you or your night nurse would do to put your baby to sleep, teched out with three microphones to detect crying, speakers to play white noise, and a motor that rocks baby to create a soothing womb-like environment.
The built-in microphones will pick up your baby's first cries and signal the Snoo to rock faster. This will initiate a rocking motion and a soft white noise that sounds like rainfall. If the baby starts to fuss, the built-in microphones will pick up the baby's first cries and signal the motors to intensify the movement and the speaker to change the white noise to a higher frequency that's supposed to help calm the baby.
At first, I was a little scared by the max speed, and the side effects on Jordan's brain and head (their heads are very delicate at this age) but it’s gentle, safe and it helped calm my son.
The Snoo will continue to bump up to the next level until it reaches level 4. If the Snoo succeeds at comforting your baby, the bassinet will slowly decrease to the default base level. But if your baby continues to cry past level 4 (because they're hungry or need a fresh diaper), the Snoo will shut down and send you a notification alerting you that your baby needs attention. This function is very reassuring and gives you peace of mind.
The Snoo was a lifesaver and a cheaper alternative to our night nurse, it's pretty much like having a robotic night nurse in the home tending to the baby's needs, so you don't need to get up and hold the baby. I want to add it was extra helpful during Jordan's 3 – 4 month sleep regression and it seemed like it reduced the number of wakeups.
Is it worth the money?
Unfortunately, Jordan outgrew the Snoo in 4.5 months. So here is the thing, I am not saying this will be the case for you, but for us it was. Would I do it again? Yes! It was worth the 4.5 months of consistent sleep. WHEN BABY SLEEPS...EVERYONE SLEEPS!
Dr. Karp, the creator of the SNOO and Happiest Baby on the Block, recommends discontinuing use of the bassinet at 6 months or when the baby can get onto their hands and knees. His recommendation: Even if your baby's toes touch the bottom of the bed, it's still not advised to start weaning until 5-6 months.
Weaning
The Snoo promises that babies don’t become addicted to it, but honestly I think I was the dependent one. I was initially worried we were just creating a sleep dependency, but in reality, I was the one forming a major attachment to the Snoo, or as I called her Suzy the Botnurse! I will say, it was not easy to get Jordan into his crib to sleep, it was hard to transition because he was so used to the rocking that I physically needed to rock him to sleep every time. So for about a week or so I lost all sensation on my right arm and shoulder and physically rocked him to sleep and then placed him in his crib. I learned after the fact that it's better to put the baby down awake to sleep ANDDD the Snoo had a weaning feature. So yes it was hell that one week, but it was worth the 4.5 months of consistent sleep with the SNOO and a game changer. Maybe they can make a big crib feature that rocked my son to sleep (wishful thinking?)
A good rule of thumb: About a week before you want to move your baby out of SNOO and into a crib, go into your App settings and toggle on the "Weaning" option.
In "Weaning Mode," SNOO will not give your baby any motion on the blue baseline level, but will still play white noise. However, if your child cries, SNOO responds as usual—with motion & sound—until your baby is soothed, and then gradually returns to some sound, but no motion.
I would recommend the SNOO if you are looking for an alternative to a night nurse, (and if you are really nice to help your night nurse). If you are planning on having only one child, consider renting instead of buying.
BUY HERE
I want to add that I was “gifted” with the Snoo, but this is all my opinion.
Pros: SNOO for the Win
Peace of mind: Touted as the “safest baby bed”, its sides are breathable mesh and the clipped in sleepsacks 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).
The Snoo is an extra set of hands when you are trying to get some ZZz. The Snoo gave me peace of mind that she was still being comforted while I waited to see how long before I needed to get up and get Jordan out, allowing him to “self-soothe” a little longer than I normally would.
Extended sleep: While he 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.
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 like I do).
Beautiful design: The white and wood tones are so aesthetically pleasing and clean
Helpful customer service: There’s a host of online tutorials and baby development / sleep related content on Snoo’s website.
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 and wraps with velcro and buttons with Jordan.
Snoo Fitted Sheet ($19.95): The Snoo comes with one fitted sheet, but you will need some spares.
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 like me).
Have a question? Leave a comment below.
THIS POST MAY CONTAIN AFFILIATE LINKS
