Has anyone tried the Snoo bassinet?
Dear BPN,
I am going on 30 weeks pregnant with my first child and working down the shopping list. I think we will start off with a bassinet before going with a crib, but I was curious, has anyone tried the Snoo? It is quite an investment at $1100 and it doesn't seem like you can just go check it out at a store anywhere (it does have a 30 day return). I also don't know anyone who has used it.
Thanks!
Emi
Mar 25, 2018
Parent Replies
We have friends who have used the snoo and highly recommended it, so we are planning to purchase one. I’ve seen it go on sale a number of times so I would recommend holding out for a sale if you can.
Congrats, Emi! I haven’t tried the Snoo, but I really loved the arms reach co sleeper. I think it’s about $150 new, but I always see them listed on the Facebook group Berkeley Oakland Buy sell trade for parents for about $40. I used it from 2-5 months, and wish I got it right away. If your baby isn’t enormous, like mine, you might be able to use it even longer!
I had a colleague try it, and they used it less than 2 weeks. They found no benefit from all the smart features, and ultimately wanted a bassinet that sat closer to the bed for easier feeding at night. It ended up in a closet and they used an inexpensive bedside bassinet. (They received as a gift a few months before baby arrived, so they couldn't return it.) This colleague mentioned other folks she knew who had a similar experience with Snoo. The one whose kiddo slept great was also a 10lb baby, and as you likely know, larger babies tend to sleep better and longer through the night anyway, so they were dubious the benefit was from Snoo. In short, the AI features are over-hyped, though no one can blame a new parent from calculating that $1100 is worth it if it really leads to better sleep! If you can put off buying it until you give birth or at least until your due date so you have the maximum time to try it and still return it without penalty, that seems like the best bet. You can always add a cheap bassinet to your registry and use a completion discount to pick it up at Target same-day if ultimately the Snoo isn't doing much, you want a close-to-bed bassinet for nursing, and you'd rather have your money back!
Anything that expensive that has such a short usage span could not possibly be worth it. Not every product works for every baby. My advice is **don't buy anything in advance**, wait until the baby is born and borrow items you think you might need and then buy. Besides a car seat and some diapers, seriously tear up that shopping list!
We used the SNOO until our baby couldn’t fit in it anymore (6 months for us). At first I was skeptical, but it made it much easier for us to have more time to sleep and get things done. I wish they made it larger! It definitely helped our baby sleep faster and stay asleep. It also gave me some relief knowing that she’d stay on her back especially when she was very young.
I was worried that later baby wouldn’t be able to adjust to a crib or that I wouldn’t know how to soothe her to sleep, but it’s been fine. I do miss it every now and then when it takes a bit longer to go down for naps or bedtime.
We are in the process of selling ours, so let me know if you’re interested or have any questions.