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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To consider the Sleepyhead?

41 replies

KifInt · 10/08/2018 22:18

Pregnant with first baby and have a lot of time on my hands in the evenings to constantly research all the shit on the market.

I’ve decided on the Chico Next 2 Me. I keep reading the Sleepyhead reviews and their magical properties.

Do people use them during the night? If so, from what age and are they worth the hype?

Obviously my primary concern is product safety.

OP posts:
mrs2468 · 10/08/2018 22:21

I wouldn't personally but if you like them I'm wait to see what kind of sleeper baby is first then get one when they are here if you think it would help

Bambamber · 10/08/2018 22:24

I don't think they're supposed to be used at night, only under direct supervision. I could be wrong though.

Original poster
KifInt · 10/08/2018 22:25

Thanks both. This is what I’m wondering because from the reviews it seems to me that people are using them at night.

OP posts:
Nothisispatrick · 10/08/2018 22:25

I've got one but I'm going to be using it for daytime living room naps, not nighttime.

samatamfabahaba · 10/08/2018 22:26

My baby was in a Sleepyhead until she was 6/7 months old I can't remember. God send.

FiresideTreats · 10/08/2018 22:27

We've got one and it has been worth it. We also use it inside the Next To Me crib. DS is now 3 months but he's been in it since day one. It's also very handy to have downstairs for naps (har har as if he will nap anywhere other than me at the moment). It's not a magic sleep tool, it just helps them to feel more cosy and snug. Unfortunately you won't know if it works unless you try it! Agree with PP to wait and see how your baby sleeps first - you can always get one on next day delivery if you need to.

GiveMeAllTheGin8 · 10/08/2018 22:27

They are safe to use at night.
Didn't have one with my first as she would sleep anywhere!
Second is a different story and didn't like the cot. Got the sleepyhead, honestly a game changer, we love it.
She's nearly outgrown it so have bought the second stage one !

sleepymama38473 · 10/08/2018 22:27

Agree with PP wait until your DC is here. We bought one and DD hated it. She had always starfished and the sleepyhead didn't allow her to.
Regarding safety it contradicts itself. It advertises itself as a safe way to cosleep with your baby but at the same time warns not to keep baby unsupervised in it.

Mouikey · 10/08/2018 22:29

We had a sleepyhead (having initially bought the cocoonababy) and thought it was amazing. We co-slept with baby between us in the SH (we have a superking bed). It made a huge difference and also helped when we were away as it was transportable. I know there is a secondhand market for them, but we did buy the first one new.

pinkorchids · 10/08/2018 22:29

I read all the research and was comfortable using it overnight. My LO slept really well in the sleepyhead inside the next to me cot until she could roll. Then I took her out of it and she went into her own cot in her own room.

GandTthankyou · 10/08/2018 22:30

Dd1 nocturnal child.
Dd2 the best sleeper: 6-7 hrs since start sleeping through from 3 months.

Both EBF Only difference -sleepyhead with dd2! Worth the caaaaaaash!

BridgetJonesDaiquiri · 10/08/2018 22:30

We’ve used a sleepyhead from birth with our DD (now 16 months) - the small size one (deluxe) in her Snuzpod and now the grande in her proper cot. She’s slept like a dream since birth - could be totally unrelated to the sleepyhead mind!

They have an excellent safety record - made of fully breathable materials. I’ve tried to breathe through the sides myself to check.

Can’t fault them (and I don’t work for them btw!) Smile

Hamiltoes · 10/08/2018 22:30

I had something similar (a poddle pod) and it was fantastic, could let baby fall asleep in your arms then sit the pod on the sofa and just slide them on and remove your arm from under them.. the way the foam(?) is shaped is just like your arm never left.

And yep although you're not meant to, it went in the double bed beside me and she slept in it til she was about 6 weeks old.

Fredthefrog · 10/08/2018 22:30

My baby was in one From about a month. Helped her sleep. I'd wait though as they are expensive. We used it night and day but not supposed to use over night. She doesn't need it now at 6mths.

dontbesillyhenry · 10/08/2018 22:32

They are not safe and not recommended by the lullaby trust. They are not firm and are too much like a pillow. Firm and flat for sleeping on is safest

Bobbiepin · 10/08/2018 22:37

I don't know why people are telling you to wait. It's hardly like baby is ginna pop out and ask you for one. DH and I slept downstairs in shifts with DD in the sleepyhead until she was a month old and used it when she outgrew her moses basket but hated the crib. I'm sure they must exist but I've never met a baby who didn't love it or a parent who wasn't eternally grateful for its existence. Absolute god send, even if you baby does sleep anywhere.

DrWhy · 10/08/2018 22:39

We bought one when DS was 3 days old and hadn’t slept for more than 30 mins at a time, it was a godsend - actually managed 2 hour or so stretches after that.
The safety advice is contradictory- not sure they can really claim that co-sleeping is ‘supervising’ them but it is very breathable. The mattress is softer than the Next to Me one but no softer than the cot bed mattress he has now so definitely not like a pillow. It’s also totally flat, not like some of the ‘positioners’ or the poddle pod that he had for daytime naps. It does have the kind of bumper around it though, which is what makes it work but also makes it potentially risky. It’s really a choice only you can make. I was going to fall asleep holding him as I was utterly exhausted and bf so I figured the risk from the sleepyhead, given that it is very breathable and he couldn’t roll, was worth it.

BE18mum · 10/08/2018 22:39

I was (still am) a nervous FTM and saw that the Sleepyhead was frowned upon by the Lullaby Trust so didn’t get one - Health visitor seconded that, too. I’ve got the Chicco Next 2 Me and get on with it really well though. Lullaby Trust site is worth reading re: safety/SIDS.

Have to admit, I’m really lucky as my little girl is a brilliant sleeper so I’ve not had to try very hard/use sleeping aids so would second pp and wait to see what happens. Fingers crossed that you are lucky too :)

P.s. If money is tight you’ll often find the Chicco on selling sites around half price and they’re usually fairly decent condition as you don’t use them that long. We bought ours full price, last minute but I’d happily get a second hand one if we had our time again.

mrs2468 · 10/08/2018 22:43

I recommend waiting as if your baby is a good sleeper it saves over £100 for something you don't need.

AmIRightOrAMeringue · 10/08/2018 22:43

If you are worried about safety...dont buy this.

There hasn't been any independent research

They are not recommended by the lullaby trust

'Breathable' means some air gets through fabric - it is misleading as doesn't literally mean you can breathe through it if lying face down

Even the sleepyhead''s own advice states not to be used for unsupervised sleeping (ie anything other than supervised naps when you're awake)

Some babies will also need to be weaned off them onto normal mattresses

I'd go for something like a lovetodream swaddle / sleeping bag - cheaper, keeps them cosy but still flat

However...if you have an awful sleeper who for example won't sleep anywhere else than on you, it becomes the lesser of two evils (eg sleepyhead safer than falling asleep on sofa with them on you or you bring so tired you fall asleep while driving). But I'd wait and see before making any big purchases

Bobbiepin · 10/08/2018 22:50

Lullabye trust don't endorse them because there is no research. There is nothing that says they are dangerous. They are not sleep positioners which have been found to be problematic.

Babies are laid flat in a sleepyhead and should be on a clear surface. Even sleepyhead don't recommend co sleeping with it but putting it on the sofa or in a next to me type crib is fine (and miles safer than falling asleep holding baby, either in bed or on a sofa).

Finally PP's post about being face down and not being able to breathe is a bit dim. Put baby on their back (as recommended) and whilst they can't roll, they will stay on their back. Tiny preemies aside, the baby will have grown out of by the time they can roll and if not, you stop using it then. Common sense really.

chickacharlie · 10/08/2018 22:55

We used the Sleepyhead up until DS was 7 months. It made him feel all snuggly, he loved it, and it made putting him down after a feed really easy whereas before we bought the Sleepyhead he'd wake up as soon as we put him down.

We also had the Next to Me crib, and I worried about the ridge where it connects to the bed- I didn't like the idea of him getting his head over it. Sleepyhead stopped this worry.

It's also really good for practising tummy time when they're little, and for trying to recreate home when you're staying elsewhere. Useful for naps downstairs too. I wound my recommend many products but always say to new mums that they should buy one!

OriginalGeordie · 10/08/2018 23:04

Aldi are selling a version of this in their baby & toddler event for £20.

Original poster
KifInt · 11/08/2018 16:24

Thanks everyone!

OP posts:
cadburyegg · 11/08/2018 16:43

I occasionally co slept with DS2 as a newborn and followed all the guidelines. Then one morning I woke up and he was lying almost face down next to me, my weight on the mattress meant he had almost rolled over. I ordered the sleepyhead after that. He has been an amazing sleeper since.