Snoo Smart Sleeper: Worth It?
Snoo Smart Sleeper by Happiest Baby is all the rage when searching for the perfect bassinet for your babe. It even made a debut on an episode of This Is Us. Which means, this thing has got to be good. Either that, or the show got a nice check to promote it (haha). Actually I have no idea how that works, let me not spread rumors.
After doing research and reading reviews, we took the plunge and bought the Snoo. I mean…the company claims to add an extra 1-2 hours of sleep for baby (and you) so I was eager to test it out! Here are the pros and cons that we found with the Snoo bassinet after 8 weeks of usage.
PROS
The Design Is Sleek/Easy Set Up
The bassinet comes in a good size box that has some weight to it. It’s packaged safely and comes with a storage bag that you can use down the road. So don’t throw that away! The four legs literally just clip into place and come with rubber feet to protect your floors- heck yeah. I also appreciate that it has built in guides for the cord to clip into for a cleaner look. I freakin’ hate cords and I especially hate when they look messy!
And just like that, you’re all done with set-up.
The mesh fabric and the wood base is very chic and minimal. Not only is the mesh material soft, but it allows for good airflow for the babe. In my opinion, the neutral colors of the bassinet compliment any room decor or style. Which just makes things so much easier when trying to coordinate furniture.
Built In Swaddle “Sleep Sack”
The built in swaddle (or sleep sack) is key. The Snoo will not start until it’s secured to the clips properly. It comes with velcro that wraps around the baby’s torso keeping their arms by their side while they sleep. If your baby prefers their arms to be out, there are buttons by the shoulder that allow you to do so. Which is a nice option to have since every baby is different.
The sleep sack has a double zipper closure that unzips from the bottom up to allow for diaper changes without having to undo all that swaddling. We have actually never changed her diaper while she was still swaddled in the sleep sack. If she wakes up in the middle of the night, we take her out, let her stretch while we diaper change and feed her. Then we swaddle her again and back to bed she goes! Some nights this is much easier said than done (haha).
Included with your Snoo purchase is a small, medium, and large sleep sack to grow with baby. And boyyy do they grow fast!
White Noise Mimics Womb
I love this feature and my baby really seems to like it too. Once turned on, the Snoo mimics the sound of the womb which is suppose to have a calming effect. Depending on what level the Snoo is set at, the rhythmn changes and gets louder or quieter. I find the sound quite soothing and it puts me to sleep most nights if I’m being honest.
Calms Baby Automatically
Now this is NEAT. If the baby starts crying and fussing while clipped into the Snoo, it will magically kick up a notch to one of the 4 levels of intensity. When it goes to a higher level it speeds up the motion and increases the sound. The idea is to get baby to a calm state and go back to bed. After a few minutes, the Snoo will drop down to “baseline”, which is the default setting.
The Snoo has successfully soothed our baby a few times. For the most part, we clip her in when she’s in a deep sleep and she usually doesn’t wake up until she is hungry (4-6 hours later). Now the million dollar question… is she actually getting an extra 1-2 hours of sleep like they claim? It’s hard to say…but she has definitely pulled a few nights of 7 and 8 hour sleeps at 2 months old.
Control with App/Tracks Sleep Duration
Of course nowadays everything comes with an app. The app allows you to increase/decrease the levels of intensity and even allows you to lock a level in place for as long as you like. Otherwise the Snoo will always go back to the default setting called “baseline” like I mentioned before.
The app also tracks how much sleep your baby is getting while the sleep sack is attached to the clips. I especially liked this feature when we were waking the baby up every 2-3 hours to eat. I always forgot what time we put the baby down and I hardly ever set an alarm because…sleep deprived. With the app it kept track of the time for us as long as the sleep sack is clipped in properly.
Another great feature in the app is the “Weaning” option. When this is turned on, the rocking motion will continue for 8 ish minutes and then stop, but the sound will remain. This helps when babe is ready to make the transition into a crib (that doesn’t rock) around 5-6 months of age.
Rent Option
It’s no surprise that this purchase can set you back some (serious) dollars. About $1,500 USD + taxes. For those that don’t want this hefty charge on their credit cards, Happiest Baby also offers a rental plan. There’s a few options on their website ranging from $30-$129/month depending on what you choose. This may differ depending on your location, so check the site for details.
Which takes me into my next point where I’m gonna repeat myself…
CONS
Expensive
The price. So yes, it’s about $1,500 USD (+taxes). It does ship for free and there’s a 30 day No Risk Trial if you decide the Snoo doesn’t work for you. We have been loving ours and definitely plan to continue to use it for more babies in the future.
Swaddling Can Be Tricky
There’s 2 ways to swaddle baby in the sleep sack: attached or unattached to the clips inside the bassinet. We’ve tried both ways and here’s what we found.
When the sleep sack is attached to the clips, we really have to make sure our baby is in a deep sleep. Otherwise the motion of setting her down, velcro-ing her arms and zipping her may wake her up. In which case, sometimes she can be soothed by a higher setting and sometimes not.
When the sleep sack is unattached to the clips you can remove it from the bassinet entirely and swaddle baby outside of the Snoo. This way you can sway baby in your arms (already zipped up in the sleep sack) until they are in a deep sleep. Once they have gone to lala land, you can gently place them in the bassinet and all you have to do is connect it to the clips and turn the Snoo on.
I know the swaddling part can seem like a task but it gets so much easier the more you do it. I do think that every baby is different and the Snoo might not work for all. Good thing there are several options out there without all the fancy swaddling mechanisms!
So there you have my full opinion on the Snoo Smart Sleeper by Happiest Baby thus far. This has been a great purchase for us and I have no regrets! As always, leave your comments and/or questions below =)
Happy sleeping!
