Are sleepyheads worth the money?

[Blooms210]

I’m currently 31 weeks pregnant and like most of the world have seen lots of posts surrounding a sleepyhead but I’m aware they’re quite expensive and want to know if they really are worth the money or not? Or if anyone has any other alternatives they prefer? Thanks!

I've been wondering that too. I've seen the Poddle Pod being used a lot by friends recently so been wondering about that one.

I didnt use one for DS as MWs and antenatal groups said they were not safe. But, when we were in hospital, the MWs there kepts rolling up blankets and making essentially a nest around DS to keep him quiet. I wasnt allowed to hold him as he had to stay under the UV light.

Recently I have been thinking, surely a Sleepyhead has to be safer than a load of rolled up blankets? (FYI, DS wasnt being monitored on machines or anything so not like anyone would have noticed he wasnt breathing unless someone checked on him, and I wasnt in much of a state to watch him constantly as I had sepsis)

We actually continued the practice of rolling up blankets even at home as its only way DS would sleep (until he found his front)

We didn't use our sleepyhead until our DS was a few months old. I'd read lots online about how they shouldn't be used overnight, should always be watched when in them etc. And that freaked us out.

A few months passed and DS would only fall asleep in our arms so we started to use it during the day for naps and it made life much easier, and then also started using it at night time. DS did sleep better, but when he outgrew it it was very very tough to get him to sleep without it!

I've been thinking the same and was hoping to buy one.
However I recently saw something stating that they are a SIDS risk

We used ours in the day for naps and it was great but I wouldn’t spend that much money again just for naps. It’s a good piece of kit but overpriced in my opinion. If I have another baby I would use it again but wouldn’t buy another one. I was too paranoid about SIDS to use overnight!

I didn't have one, but had a few friends who used them and they all seemed to have problems later on when they were trying to get their babies to sleep without them. Not saying that's always the case, but I was sort of glad I'd got my babies used to sleeping in a crib/cot in a sleeping bag from early on.

Honestly it was the only thing she slept in!!

I had the cheap Purflo version and it worked well for my son to nap on in the living room for the first few weeks. However from about six weeks when he got more aware of his surroundings he wouldn’t settle on it any more so now he has his naps upstairs in his bedside crib with the monitor on and I don’t use it now so I’m glad I only bought a cheap one!

Ours was a lifesaver (at the time advice was that the sleepyhead was breathable enough for overnight use but other pods were not - I know advice has now changed) we did use it at night along with the snuzpod crib. We got it when she was two weeks and it was obvious we didn't have a 'good sleeper'.

We did have some issues once she grew out of it, and tried the larger size but then just ended up pretty much co-sleeping with the cot attached to the bed instead.

I was much happier doing safe cosleeping at 6 months plus than I would have been when she was a newborn though.

It was a lifesaver in the early days, but it only lasted for 6 weeks, rather than the 8 months they advertise! DS was born late March, and by mid May it was too hot at night for him to be comfortable - he felt sweaty and took forever to settle. By the time the weather was cooler, he'd massively outgrown it.

Admittedly, he is a huge baby (98th centile since birth).

Not sure if that helps you at all, but worth taking into consideration as sounds like you are due around the same time of year that I was.

Second sleepyhead post I've seen today.

I use one for my 5 month old and have since he was about a month old. He loves it. When he outgrows it in a couple of months I'll probably get the next size even though it's 💰💰

Thank you for your responses! I think I might look in to getting one if the budget allows for it!

Not a SIDS risk, that is sleep positioners which are entirely different.

I thought they were a fad before we bought ours but now couldn’t live without it! DS just point blank refused to go in his Moses basket and won’t sleep unless he is in my bed so we bought it purely to make co-sleeping that bit safer. It has saved my sanity!

Only thing I will say is DS is only 11 weeks old and wasn’t huge at birth but has had some major growth spurts recently so is now the length of the sleepyhead deluxe. He won’t fit in it much longer so we’ve just bought the grand version.

We were gifted one by our elderly neighbour for dd and it was the best thing ever!!! I was unaware of the SIDS problems and I would put it in the crib when she was tiny and she slept in it pretty much all the time until she grew out of it at 6mnths

I haven't needed one but my DS will sleep in his rocker chair for daytime naps, on my lap in the c-shaped breastfeeding pillow, on our bed, and in his bedside crib. You may be lucky!

Yes for us. Only way we got even a bit of sleep!

We didnt need one it from my friend who had one she said wait till baby arrives, if baby doesn't sleep then worth the money as she found the only place baby would sleep was her arms and despite the sids risk it was better that baby fell asleep in that than her falling asleep holding him, however if baby sleeps.without no need for the spend on it.

We got the grande size when DD was a bit older and it didn’t make any difference - we were also worried that when our DD was old enough to stand up in her cot, she could climb onto the side of the sleepyhead and was more likely to be able to fall out of the cot as she was higher up, we spent approx £180 on the sleepyhead grande and it was a waste of money for us!

Maybe wait until baby arrives- I had my eye on the Purflo version but never got round to getting it. Turned out dd didn’t need it, and settled fine in the bedside crib or pram carrycot straightaway.

I was looking into getting the Sleepyhead for DC2 but I was put off by the price- not just the ~£150 for the initial nest, but then another £180 for the Grande version. The replacement covers are obscenely expensive as well. It would break my heart to spend upwards of £300 on glorified pillows, but I know if DC2 is a terrible sleeper I’ll try anything!

@outpinked The advice has changed, the Lullaby Trust advises against all pods and nests. Like other posters have said though, you just need to weigh it up against other risks.

My LO hated it, just would not settle. He would lay in it when awake for short periods but would not sleep in it.
As he’s grown it’s quite evident from his sleep positions he likes to spread out.

Lots of babies like them and some don’t, it only ends up being a waste of money if yours is one who just wont settle in it. You won’t know that until they arrive unfortunately!

I used it for my dd. She outgrew it in 3 months and I didn't upgrade since she settled well eventually in the snuzpod

I'm not sure I'd recommend it if you have a bassinet but absence one, it's good for the living room. I used to put my dd in it for daytime naps on the sofa . At 6 months she still can't roll over so I had no concerns about doing that even though the instructions say not to put babies on an elevated surface

I bought a second hand one before my baby arrived and it was a life saver!

I travelled a lot when he was young and it made for a brilliant portable bed too. I could fit it in my suitcase.

And as I ended up co-sleeping a lot it felt like the safest way for me as I sleep deeply and roll around a lot in my sleep.

Ive not got one but my baby loves being swaddled than then a blanket rolled in to a tube ans tucked around his head and shoulders, i imagine its a simular feeling, the midwives at hospital showed me

We used ours constantly for the first 6 months with both babies then sold it on for £80. Well worth the money IMO.