Sleepyhead Grand - worth the hype?

[Lionessandcub]

Hi! I’m new around here so this is my first time posting. I have an 8 month old son who has never slept through the night. I am currently trying out the old purflo foam insert in his cot under the sheet and it seems he quite likes the feeling of being a bit more snuggled. Question is should I bite the bullet and try and get - an albeit secondhand as absolutely cannot afford new 🙁 - sleepyhead grand? Just thinking as that’s what it’s made for would it be safer/better than what I am currently doing? I am going to borrow a single sheet off my mum to see if it lays better over the foam insert (has one of ours over it atm and all tucked underneath) Any suggestions/recommendations/hacks welcome 😊

SHould say DH thinks it’s way too much money even secondhand

Its not designed for over night napping. I used a toddle pod which cost £25 second hand for day time napping next to me. I resold it for £25 when she outgrow it. Over night an empty cot im afraid x

They are definitely not designed or tested to be used overnight. Also many babies do not sleep through the night by 8 months, it is normal. I've had babies sleep through and 3 of mine that did not sleep through till 26 months, 28 months and 6 years. I don't think at this age and stage a sleepyhead will fix your baby's sleep for you.

They are the only ones suitable for overnight use, they have been safety tested.

You sure told me, I thought that’s what hat they were For! I suppose an empty cot it is then! Will check out toddle pod though see what that’s about. Thanks!

Haha sorry didn't mean to be abrupt! It's so flipping hot. I wish there was an easy fix. And regarding them being safe, it's not tested to U.K. safety regulations unfortunately. The advise on the is only for supervised napping. I'm due in a few weeks and have been checking them out. Sorry again if it was a bit stern x

London, the sleepyhead brand is designed for night sleeping and used in some hospitals in Europe.

I had both. For me they were good because I used it from birth and combined with white noise and put to sleep when drowsy, worked. However, I think it's different when you try from birth than at 8 months, as now your baby will be trying crawling and standing up, so will naturally sleep less and move more until he masters his skill.

Where do you live? I have a sleepy head grand that I could lend you for a week to try. Manchester.

Actually it's a really grey area and nests and pods are not recommended for overnight use in the uk by the lullaby trust or sids advice. This is a good article.
www.madeformums.com/news-and-gossip/tesco-mothercare-and-ebay-remove-sleep-positioners-from-sale/43265.html
I guess it's up to the individual to assess risk. I'm not sure I'd bother. Sleepyhead themselves evidently say not for 'unsupervised sleeping'.

From their FAQs: "Is the Sleepyhead® safe for overnight sleep?
Sleepyhead is safe to use for overnight sleep as long as it is used in a childsafe and supervised environment.

Numerous happy parents use our products every day. Our products are designed with safety in mind and have undergone extensive testing and even comply with voluntary standards. Sleepyhead is a multi-functional baby and child product. Our product also passes the British Standard for air flow through infant pillows, BS 4578, that was published in 1970 and confirmed in 2013. Used in accordance with its instructions—which include using the product on a flat, firm and stable surface, and placing a baby on his or her back to rest, with no loose items present —Sleepyhead may be used for overnight sleep. However, children may have urgent needs and every child – no matter the environment – needs to be checked on. No product replaces a caregiver's supervision, and our products must be used in a child-safe and supervised environment. Supervision can be constant or intermittent, depending on the specific child’s health, physical ability and current development stage in combination with outside factors such as the overall sleep setup and the combination of potential products and gear used."

At that age, all products are categorised as supervised sleeping. You are not supposed to leave any baby under 6 months to sleep on their own without supervision. The lullaby trust website says that they cannot recommend on individual products because new ones appear every year, so they have designed a guide to check whether it is safe. According to their guidelines, sleepyhead would be safe if one follows instructions.

Gosh I had no idea they weren't safe for overnight. I used one with my youngest from about 9 months I think. It was brilliant and I would have highly recommended it. I will think twice now about selling it on.

At 8 months plus surely it's safe for unsupervised sleeping. Anyway my DS had a Sleepyhead and because he's a giant was in the Grand by 5 months. He's still never slept through the night. It's so hot at the moment he's not using it and I think we'll just stop using it all together as he's started moving around the cot in his sleep. (he's 11 months).

I used both sleepyheads for overnight sleeping, the delux yes i thought was great, the grand was a waste of money, by that age she was so wiggly she just wiggled over the sides!

@larrythecat very useful info there, which just goes to show it's not very clear at all. Very careful use of 'supervision' and supervised to cover themselves, so as they get more popular and there will inevitably be a disaster at some point, they are covered and can say 'we always stated supervised use!' It's like the old method of making formula and storing for 24 hours, perfectly safe for 99% of the population... or the perfect prep not adovocating use of pre-boiled water just a filter. Well why don't we just use filtered water then?
It's a minefield babies these days.

I don't know about covers. My children used the sleepyhead with grobags, so they couldn't put it over their heads. I also have a video monitor always on (still going at 3 and 5yo) and I have it next to me on coffee table. When 0-3 months, I had the sleepyhead next to me in living room for naps. Afterwards it was sleepyhead on cot, then cot without sleepyhead at 9-10 months. But again, I've always used a video monitor and kept an eye on it.

The health visitor insisted that babies under 3 months should sleep within sight until they can clearly hold their head and turn it in bed / put it up completely. Also that babies under 6 months should sleep in same room as parents. She considered this supervised sleeping, so that is what I meant.

Formula making... Awww... That would be a thread full of contradicting information and opposing views

The Sleepyhead is absolutely ok for overnight sleeping and is the only pod that has been sufficiently tested to allow this.
A Sleepyhead is not a sleep positioner.
We had the Deluxe and now DS is in the Grand. It’s an amazing product and he sleeps 12hrs in it. We’re actually going to take it on holiday in September. He wriggles a lot and it stops him banging his head now he’s in his cot (previously co-slept with it). Without a doubt the best money we spent.

We had the sleepyhead for overnight sleeping. It was a lifesaver. I wasn't sure about the sleepyhead grand so we rented one for 2 weeks. She showed no improvement so we didn't buy one. I'd definitely recommend renting one before buying.
But I still recommend the deluxe one to all new parents. It was amazing.

We had a deluxe from newborn but DS grew out of it when he was about 6 months. I did consider the Grande but decided against it in the end. We mostly co-slept at that point anyway. He's only just starting to sleep through the night at 18 months. Funnily enough, we put a king size floor bed in his room. He needs the space since he's rolling around loads in his sleep.
You can also get tubes that go underneath the sheet and basically do the same thing. We are still using grobag, though. Im just switching him to ones with open feet.

We got the grand when my son was about 9 months old because he was going through that 8/9/10 month sleep regression and we were desperate. I don’t know if it was his time to come out of the regression or if the sleepyhead did something, but after a few nights in the sleepyhead he started sleeping so much better. Once he got used to it he absolutely loved it. So I would recommend if it is deemed safe. We used one of those Tommee Tippee monitors that detect baby’s movements so we were always sure that he was ok.

My son is 18 months now and occasionally sleeps in the sleepyhead. We stopped using it a couple of weeks ago when he was sick on it and we had to change back to a normal mattress whilst the sleepyhead was in the wash, and couldn’t be bothered to put the sleepyhead back. I’m storing it for potential future desperate times.

I credit mine with helping my non sleeper sleep. It is essentially the same as a pillow and guidance is that pillows are fine from 1 upwards.

Our older one loved her sleepyhead so much that we bought the grand. It had to go back as it was too big for her bed (I was stupidly slow in ordering her cot so she was in the next to me for longer than she should have been).

I was disappointed when having my second to learn that they are not now recommended (Hv said it was due to over heating, but I haven’t checked that out for myself), as it really did help my older one sleep through the night. But now I know it’s not recommended, my personal choice was not to buy one, sorry OP.

But the sleepyhead is only recommended for supervised sleeping, and you can't supervise if you are asleep.
I've had terrible sleepers as well as good, and I really want to buy one, but I just cannot find the actual evidence that Sleepyheads are approved for use in the UK for over night sleeping, it's all very strangly worded. And if an 8 week old got their head up on the side they would not be able to move it?