-Product recommended by TheBoots
How easy is the basket to set up?
Thanks to easy-to-follow pictures, the Shnuggle Dreami Clever Baby Sleeper can be put together by one person and is very straightforward to assemble.
There are four cross sections that you have to screw together to make the stand. It is very simple and all the parts are included – you just need a screwdriver. When it comes to the basket, the mesh liner and mattress just need to be slotted into place. All-in-all it took our tester, Anna, about 25 minutes to get the bed ready to go.
Once the stand is set up, it takes seconds to fold, so it can be stored away without hassle when not in use.
Although Anna didn’t need to consult the instructions again during testing, she was unable to find a copy of them on the Shnuggle website. But she emailed Shnuggle for another copy and they were very quick to respond to her request. The customer service contacts are also easily located on their website.
How adjustable is it?
One of the things that is appealing about the Shnuggle Dreami Clever Baby Sleeper is the option to rock your baby when they need comforting or help getting to sleep.
The stand has two height settings – fixed at bed height or low-level rocking – and the height can be changed by removing the bassinet, rotating the metal hoops at either end of the stand and turning it over. The hoops hold the base in position so make sure that they are on the outside of the bassinet when you put it back on the stand.
Although it is very simple to make the switch from fixed to rocking, our mum felt that it was too much for her to keep changing it round, especially with a three-month-old baby who didn't settle easily. She ended up keeping it in fixed mode most of the time.
As the curved stand is foldable, it can be used when away from home too, although Anna did feel that the base and stand would be too big to fit in a packed car.
How does it look?
With no hood or fussy detailing, the Shnuggle Dreami Clever Baby Sleeper is very sleek.
Made with non-toxic polypropylene, it is a modern take on a traditional Moses baskets and comes in three colours – bright white, grey and slate. Anna felt the white version looked clean and fresh in her home and her baby very cosy inside.
While plastic may not be the obvious choice for a baby bed, our mum scored it highly for comfort. The 3D mesh liner – made from breathable cotton – and quilted mattress are soft against a newborn baby’s skin while the holes maintain airflow throughout the base.
Made from MDF and painted bright white, the stand is a stylish curve shape, which our tester felt was good quality. The only downside we found to this cot was how easily marks showed up on the white liner, but they could be removed and washed if necessary.
What is it like to use day-to-day?
One of the biggest selling points of any Moses basket is how easily you can move the bed around. Not only can you keep an eye on your baby wherever you are in your home, but you also shouldn’t need to buy a second bed for daytime naps.
The Shnuggle Dreami Clever Baby Sleeper weighs 4kg and comes with sturdy handles. Our family found it was lightweight and easy to carry up and down the stairs. The base doesn’t come with wheels, but it does fold down fairly compactly if you need to move it from room to room. You do have to carry the basket and stand separately though.
At night, Anna placed the basket next to her bed – it fit well and wasn’t too bulky in her bedroom. In fixed mode, the bassinet is adult bed height, which may be helpful for new mums suffering from back pain or recovering from a C-section.
However, she did find that, as there was no drop side, she had to get out of bed after night feeds to safely put him back into the bassinet.
There is also no incline option, which would have been very handy during testing as the baby was suffering from a cold and struggling with congestion. Thankfully the liner and base were easily cleaned when our baby’s snotty nose left its mark on the basket.
While our mum felt it was a bit too fiddly to keep switching the stand around, the smooth rocking mode is a great option for babies who need that extra comfort when going to sleep.
Anna didn’t travel with this bed but, because the stand folds down, you could also use it away from home – it would naturally be bulkier than a travel cot though.
As the bed is a fair bit smaller than bedside cribs, such as the Tutti Bambini CoZee Bedside Crib, it may not last as long as they do.