Sleepyhead deluxe is it safe?

[Toz13]

Hi I'm 28 weeks pregnant and contemplating buying one of the sleepyhead baby pillows. They seem very practical and a great idea for a baby. However my friend who is a midwife says they are not safe?! As they can increase SIDS and another friend who worked at mamas and papas stated it's just a fashionable hence why mamas and papas don't sell them.

I'm interested in everyone's experience with them. Is it a must have? Or a must avoid?

Thanks in advance x

Couldn't have done without it for my baby. Went three days of no sleep, sent DH on a mercy mission to John Lewis and he was brilliant after that x

I don't understand the criticsim of them if they are used properly. I loved mine for DS. He slept in it, during the day until he was 6 months and too big for it.

Babies are supposed to be with you for 6 months anyway, so I was always around to keep an eye on him, him hear me breathing etc.

They arent meant for sleep over night and we didnt use it for that. He slept in a moses basket in our room until 7 months.

If used properly, i.e. during the day when baby should be with you constantly, then it is a god send!

When using these products it’s important to distinguish between supervised and unsupervised sleep.

Unsupervised sleep should take place in a cot, with a firm mattress and nothing else.

Supervised sleep can be a bit more flexible-because it’s supervised and you can intervene if you spot the signs something is untoward.

I baby wore a lot when my DS is a newborn. That’s considered safe but Co-sleeping on the sofa isn’t. The difference is supervision!

So I would say these products are fine if they help you, so long as you’re aware of their limitations and restrictions around their use.

Congratulations! They are not recommended. I’d personally rather have a baby who didn’t sleep much at all than one that didn’t wake up.. harsh but true.

However I tell my ladies in classes the truth, but tell them it’s their baby and their choices, as long as I’ve given the facts. As with so many things in parenting-they need to make their own minds up what works for them and their family.

I don’t know of any who have gone and purchased one after finding out the risks however.

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

X

I don't think you need to buy one just yet as they are really expensive, but they do work very well for some babies. You might be lucky and have a baby that sleeps well and doesn't need it.

As a PP says, you aren't supposed to leave babies under 6 months alone to sleep anyway.

Having a baby sleeping lying flat in a cot or Moses basket has been deemed ‘safest’ because research has shown that it reduces SIDS. That doesn’t make other ways of sleeping ‘not safe’. I think your your friend is using the wrong type of language, as do many people. One thing being ‘safest’ does not make all other options ‘unsafe’ or ‘dangerous.’ I say that having never used one - I would see how you get on without one, as being ‘safest’ is preferable in my opinion, but if you find you end up needing it to help your DC sleep better, I don’t see the issue in having one.

They are rarely on sale anywhere so the prices is pretty consistent...for this reason I'd wait until baby is here and see if you actually need one?

We waited until our DS was born. Went two weeks with him in his snuzpod and then after his refusal to day nap anywhere, caved and bought one and wouldn't be without it.

But my close friend also had a baby who slept anywhere and didn't need any help so it would have been a waste of money.

I dread the day DS grows out of his as not sure what I'll do!!

It is safest to have only a mattress in the crib, that doesn't make a sleepyhead unsafe. There have been no deaths associated with them. They are breathable etc.

It's risk management - I couldn't put my baby down for weeks, I was constantly falling asleep holding her. That is less safe than a sleepyhead so I bought one.

I would wait until baby is here - we were one of the lucky ones and baby slept pretty much anywhere - really hoping that continues!
What I will say though is I’ve found sticking to the regulations 100% is so so difficult. Obviously each parent has to decide what “risks” they are willing to take - but with newborns it’s sometimes a case of doing whatever it takes to survive! 🙈
Regulations literally change all the time - go back 20 years or so and mums were being told to place their babies to sleep face down in their own bedrooms from day one. In other countries co sleeping is recommended.
I would never do anything which I felt would put my baby in danger but have I bent the “rules”? Oh yes.

Hi there

Sorry to ask a question that might be on another thread but alot of my friends have been recommending the Sleepyhead and now concerned seeing the link shared. They said its good to use this during the day time to put and just put it on the floor - but i have stone flooring so seems like a bad plan? First baby so all very new, would we be better just getting a moses basket that moves about? Thanks

Justtheonethen - hello! I’ve just been reading this post about sleepyheads and seen your comment, this is the exact situation I am having since he hit 4 months old (slept great before, hello regression) and we tried him in his sleepyhead last night and he slept amazing! How long did you go on to use yours for? X

Look at Purflo. Its basically the same thing and cheaper. I used one. My DS slept really well in it.