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SNOOzing with Happiest Baby

The baby shows and 2018 kids gear launches make me realize just how many exciting and innovative products there are these days. I wish many were around when I first became a mom. I miss the newborn and infant stages even more when I see cool gear that can help parents with sleeping, eating, diapering, you name it. SITC has no shortage of new mom readers and I want to make sure that they all feel included and in-the-know when it comes to exciting products and all things baby.

My latest swoon is one that I have been kind of obsessed with for a while now, the SNOO from Happiest Baby. The simple and modern design is what initially grabbed my attention. Happiest Baby was founded by Dr. Harvey Karp (author of The Happiest Baby on the Block and The Happiest Toddler on the Block) and his wife Nina Montée-Karp. His 5 S’s method (Swaddling, Shushing, Swinging, Sucking, Side position) is used by just about every parent for soothing fussy babies. Together with renowned industrial designer, Yves Béhar, and MIT-trained engineers they created the SNOO.

I know how important those early months and years of sleep training are for the future because my kiddos are 9, 6 and 4. I was a very strict sleep trainer when I had Ryder and he is an amazing sleeper because of it. Then I was a little less strict with Siella and by the time Gemma arrived the rules were very loose (hence why Gemma can be found in my bed most mornings). Needless to say, I wish we had the SNOO for Gemma when she was a baby—it would have helped me get her on a better sleep schedule early on and given me much needed rest.

We decided to have writer and baby-gear-enthusiast, Julie Inzanti, test out the SNOO with her baby and report back for the new moms. You won’t see the telltale mother-of-a-newborn bags under Julie’s eyes or the raspy sleep-deprived voice…and that’s because her newborn started sleeping 6-hour stretches by three-weeks-old and 8-10 hours a night by three months!

Sure, that sounds crazy and maybe the stork probably just blessed her with a good sleeper—but we are pretty sure it has something to do with the SNOO. Especially since Julie is admittedly a terrible sleep-trainer which led to inconsistent naps and prolonged nighttime feeding when she had her first child. Her toddler daughter is a restless sleeper and would often wake in the night and not be able to put herself back to sleep (even at two-years-old). In the beginning, Julie felt like she had shell-shock level sleep deprivation. Anticipating the birth of her second child filled her with sleep anxiety, so when she heard about a bassinet that would help parents to teach their babies to sooth themselves and sleep better—setting the foundation for healthy sleep, she was very curious.

The SNOO arrives in sleek packaging that includes swaddles in small, medium and large as well as two fitted sheets. AND what really impressed me was that the assembly is a cinch. It took twenty minutes (even at nearly 9-months-pregnant) to put it together and get started. The design is chic and neutral, which matches any decor.

The first night and perhaps the first week or so the thought of a robotic bassinet might feel a little strange. When Julie zipped her newborn in the swaddle she became that frantic mom who thought everything was going wrong, the fit is too tight, he’s too hot, too cold, is he choking? Is it shaking him too hard!? He doesn’t like it, but she remained calm and let the SNOO work it’s magic. Sure, they were ready to pull the plug after a few seconds of watching their new baby struggle but instead they waited and watched…and it was so worth it. The biggest challenge is letting the SNOO actually do the work and trusting that your baby will learn to self-sooth.

Every aspect of the SNOO is easy. The “5-second swaddle” is incredible, it has a velcro first layer to swaddle the babies arms down, and a zip sack with clips to secure baby into the SNOO on their back (for safe sleep). I remember how frustrating swaddling was when my kids were first born. I felt like I was constantly wrapping and re-wrapping my little burrito babies and I would always worry that they would wiggle out in their cribs or get the swaddle over their heads. There are different size swaddles to accommodate your growing baby—with the large size offering snapped openings to transition your baby to arms out so they can learn to self-sooth with their hands—preparing them for a crib and eventually no swaddle.

I love helpful apps and smartphone shortcuts so obviously one of my favorite parts of the SNOO is the app…you can adjust the settings for the SNOO to be more or less sensitive to your baby’s movements and fussiness. You can set it to wean your babe so that it only rocks when they fuss and it times the sessions so you can really track your child’s sleep.

Whether you are a first-time parent or having your third kiddo, those first few months can be exhausting and sometimes we need a little help getting everything on the right track. I am a huge fan of functional gear that helps parents in the long run. The SNOO is one of those helpful products—even if it only lives with your family for up to six months the benefits of training a baby to self-sooth and develop healthy sleep habits are life-long. Plus this is a fabulous group-gift idea for new and expectant moms! They will thank you for each additional hour of sleep!

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9 thoughts on “SNOOzing with Happiest Baby”

  1. Getting a baby to sleep may have to do with the parents tendancies more than any other. I don’t even remember my kids except my second never slept through the night very often. I hope this will be a great tool to help all new parents.

  2. The SNOO looks so amazing! I wish I’d had one of these when my kids were babies. it was so hard to get them to go to sleep when they were little.

  3. I am ordering one of these asap! I just had my second baby, and I forgot how hard it is to sleep train. This would be so great for us!

  4. Sounds like the product that every parents need when they have a new born! I think this is really convenient and helpful. I like the fact that you can control it using an app.

  5. My oldest was a breeze to get on a sleep schedule. My youngest? Not so much. I would have loved to have the SNOO back then, but at least I can tell new mommies about it so they can have an easier go with sleeping babies.

  6. I’m always jealous of the new & improved baby gear. I think “where was this when I needed it?!”
    A well-rested baby = well-rested parents.
    Our son is 7 years old and he’s still a terrible sleeper.

  7. Annemarie LeBlanc

    I wish this was around when my children were babies! Oh my, that would have given me more sleep time! Anyway, I think parents nowadays are lucky there are so many new products that help them breeze through parenthood. I will recommend this to friends and family who are expecting. Great product!

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