Sleepyhead..

[Flower20166]

Are they worth it?
I'm a foster carer and my foster child is 8 weeks and a terrible sleeper. All the reviews seem quite positive but it's a lot of money and as a fc I'm hesitant to waste what little we get lol.
Who's got one and what do you think? Also if anyone is selling their used deluxe feel free to PM me! X

[MYA2016]

Hi. My 6 month old ds loves his still. He is outgrowing it now and I don't fancy having to buy the bigger one as he'll be starting childcare soon and he needs to learn to sleep without it. So sleepyhead weaning will commenced soon.
It was a godsend for us though. After 9 weeks of bedsharing we bought it and he slept on his own for the first time. We also use a sleeping bag as he would kick off blankets.

[Tumtitum]

Loved it. DD is 5 months and has used it from 2 days old. We take it everywhere and means anywhere is a bed!

[Flower20166]

Are your babies still in the deluxe? Some of the reviews I read on Amazon said that they found the deluxe small and their babies outgrew it very quick. The little one I have is tiny though so deluxe should work for a while!

[MYA2016]

Yeah my 6 month old is in the deluxe and it'd born great as a portable bed
From what I can gather, the grande is massive which is why I don't want him used to that as I can't lug that around everywhere

[DorotheaHomeAlone]

Sorry to be the voice of dissent, we haven't found ours that helpful. He slept slightly better in it but still not great and we're no longer using it at 11 weeks.

[Flower20166]

Thanks for your insight Dorothea. Would you consider selling it?

[Tumtitum]

My DD is 5 months and still in the deluxe. I reckon it'll last another couple of months as she's quite small! Think she'll be fine without it by then but it's been great for these first few months

[DowntonDiva]

DD loves hers! We do a DIY version in the pram too just using rolled up towels. Might be worth a try?

[tootiredtotidy]

We loved our sleepyhead for our DS it really improved his sleep - but it still didn't make him a great sleeper. It helped us cos he fell asleep raise on his side and the 'bumper' made it easier for us to prop him up on his side and when he fell asleep we'd roll him back onto his bed.

We also travelled with it and it meant he always felt it was his own bed. We also used it as a safer way to co-sleep so I could put it on our bed and we could lay next to it, pat him but still kind of manage to sleep but not worry we'd roll onto him.

We bought a sleepyhead grand for our DS when he was 4 months and he slept in it till he was 15 months so it was worth it for us as we got plenty of use out of it and now my DD is in it.

It is expensive though! Especially as you need to have a spare cover (our DS was very reflux and pukey :( ). My friend brought a PoddlePod instead and really liked that, much cheaper.

[tootiredtotidy]

*first para end should be rolled him on his back!

[MegaBalls]

Still using ours at 6 months. We had to upgrade to the (expensive ) grand as DS is huge. Worth it though.

[Flower20166]

I don't think babies are allowed to sleep in a poddepod unattended, or else that would be ideal!

[Heatherbell1978]

Another thumbs up here. DS1 slept in it until he was 5 months when we transferred him to the cot. Felt like a good time to move him out of the Sleepyhead too. We got it when he was a week old. He didn't immediately start sleeping through but he started doing 3/4 hour blocks during the night rather than wanting to just sleep on me! Great for travelling with too and I'd pop it on the sofa during the day. It's now out on loan and friend is loving it. I'm pregnant with #2 so won't be selling it yet!

[Heatherbell1978]

Oh and rather than buy the spare covers I would just use a giant muslin over it as a cover. Much cheaper!

[smilingthroughgrittedteeth]

DS didn't become a bad sleeper until 9 months so we never had the deluxe but I bought a grande and it's been brilliant. I bought it from gumtree for £40

[Flower20166]

Ah I've looked on gumtree but there's none in my area.

[smilingthroughgrittedteeth]

Have you tried preloved?
You can sometimes get good deals on ebay.

I justified it by thinking I could at least sell it on if it didn't work

[Flower20166]

Yea I've been watching some but they shot up in price towards the end. Everyone must want one lol.

[minipie]

Sleepyhead was good for us with DD2. No sleeping through early or anything (mine are not natural sleepers sadly) but 3-4 hour blocks - and it made it MUCH easier to teach her to self settle which saved a lot of pain later. Also helpful if she needed to nap or sleep elsewhere, we just took the Sleepyhead and she was happy.

Also as a pp said you can prop them on their side in a Sleepyhead which is great if they are windy or refluxy.

Think they usually go for about £60 second hand which is still not cheap but you can sell on again (use a cot sheet over it to help keep it clean)

[deathb4decaf]

We have the deluxe and the grand. Love them, we risked not buying the special sheets as the cover can be washed and so can the insides of needed. I justified the cost as potentially they'll be used for future children and they do hold their value so can be sold on. Worth it imo.

[deathb4decaf]

*if needed

[smilingthroughgrittedteeth]

I use a cot sheet over it as a cover it fits perfectly. On the grande that is

[GipsyDanger]

I got mine on eBay for half the price, and a spare cover to. We put it in his Moses basket next to our bed. It doesn't fit in the basket anymore so I keep it downstairs on the couch for him to sleep on. ds is 4 months.

[SteveArnottsLoverPlease]

We have one and it has been worth it. It's not made him a better sleeper (he's slept 3-4 hours at a time since birth but never really got better!) but it has meant we could have him anywhere with us. So we can put him to sleep in his bed in the living room while we potter about downstairs then take him up with us and he stays fast asleep. He slept in our bed at first in the sleepyhead and is now in a next to me cot, which it fits beautifully into. We can take him away to parents or on holiday and we don't need a cot with us (although the sleepyhead is not exactly small, it can just be chucked in the car in an IKEA bag!)

We have a huge baby, 11lbs at birth and now 22lbs at 5months and he still fits in the grande, you can unclip the bottom section so it lasts longer if they are tall.

Like others have said, use a large clean muslin each night under their head to keep it clean as washing it is a bit of a faff.

They are pricey but since they hold their value you should think of it in terms of what it will cost you overall if you sell it on.

[Flower20166]

Well I took the plunge and just bought one off eBay. It was £70 including postage. At least if baby doesn't take to it I can either hang onto it for the next baby I have or resell it.