Sleepyhead alternative - recommendations please!

[MummaGiles]

Taking DS 14 weeks away for a few nights. Going to take the travel cot (as going to parents’ and will leave it there for Christmas) but DS seems to like sleeping in a cosy space.

I think a sleepyhead type nest in the travel cot would work well, but I can’t justify the cost! Can anyone recommend a more cost effective alternative, preferably available on Amazon so I can use prime to send directly to my parents’ house.

Thanks!

Get a sleepyhead second hand - wash the covers and it's fine! I got one much cheaper off Facebook marketplace and it's in great condition

Thanks have had a look and there’s some available locally although still quite expensive!

I'd just get a sleepy head and sell it afterwards. They sell really easily and you will get most of your money back.

Sorry to be a bore but there’s no way I’d buy a knock-off sleepyhead - there’s already enough debate about whether or not the genuine version is actually safe for overnight sleeping (the lullaby trust says not) that there’s no way I’d trust an imitation (this is coming from the sleep-deprived Mum of a 4 week old who last night would only settle on me, so I am sympathetic!).

Sleepyheads aren’t safe and are not recommended by the Lullaby Trust.

www.lullabytrust.org.uk/the-lullaby-trust-issues-warning-about-some-popular-baby-sleeping-products-sold-in-high-street-stores/

My concerns about knock off versions is exactly why I asked for recommendations 😊

Can you use your carrycot from the pram? That's what we did for our first Xmas away.

What do you use now for overnight sleeping at home?

We used a purflo nest with no problems. DD slept really well in it, much better than in her cot or Moses basket. Have since heard they are not recommended for safe sleeping so I probably wouldn't use at night again but would do for supervised daytime naps.

purflo.com/collections/breathable-nests

The sleepyhead has been rigorously tested and no SIDS cases related to it. I wouldn’t trust a cheaper alternative personally. We use the grand version now for DS who was in the deluxe version for ages, one of the best purchases we made.

Our pram carrycot is not recommended for overnight sleeping, and I think DS will have outgrown it in two months time anyway (he doesn’t have a huge amount of space in there at the moment as it is).

We use a Moses basket for overnight sleeping at the moment, but DS is running out of room in that too. That’s why my thoughts have turned to how to transition him to a bigger space (cot - cot bed sized) and travel cot when away from home. He’s three months but only just out of 1 month clothes. He was 4 weeks prem so small for his age at the moment. I didn’t have the same concerns about transferring my eldest to his cot, he took to it fine, so I’m not sure why I think this baby will be different.

There is no way I would recommend or endorse a Sleepyhead having seen my baby get her head stuck BETWEEN the the strap and the mattress.

It was a sight that can’t be unseen and I will never, ever forgive myself for putting her in that situation.

@unoboozetrez that must have been terrifying!! You can ignore this if its too stressful to answer but im confused as to which strap you mean? The carry handle? Or the one by their feet?

The foot end.
She had learned to wriggle.
Horrific.

Sleepyhead is not recommend by lullaby trust. Just put your baby in a sleeping bag on a flat mattress in the travel cot .
Cheaper easier and safer.

Oh blimey @Unoboozetrez that mustve been awful. You poor thing!

Sorry to hear that uno. The sleepyhead deluxe I bought for my daughter four years ago very clearly said not to use the clip for sleeping - apparently it's only for transport. Made no sense to me as to why it's actually there, it just seems like a risk.

I’m grateful it says it on the newer labelling as it didn’t at the time I purchased it.
Would hate for someone else to go through our experience.

Agree...makes no sense as to why it’s still there though if only for transport

@Unoboozetrez that sounds like an awful experience!

To those of you who have used a sleepyhead deluxe, what age would you say it realistically goes up to? The dimensions don’t seem to be much larger than a Moses basket in reality.

I totally understand why you want a sleep aid but a premature baby will be at higher risk of SIDS and the Lullaby Trust says it’s not safe so I would just go with the travel cot. You could start using it now to get used to it?

I used a purflo nest, total godsend.

The sleepyhead is safe but you need to follow the instructions. That means unstrapping the buckle when the child’s legs become long enough to touch the strap / they become old enough to move themselves.

I would personally buy a new one as they can, with the strap open, be used longer than 6 months. You can also use them as a makeshift seat too when the baby’s a toddler