Sleepyhead alternative

[lucyFTM]

Hi,

Working my way through a list of baby stuff & couldn't believe how much a sleepyhead was?!
My friend loved hers & said she used it loads but does anyone have any cheaper alternatives that they would recommend?

Thanks

I used a babymoove cosydream I think it was called, DS loved it and much cheaper and less bulky

I looked at one but they’re really not recommended by medical professionals. They increase the risk of SIDS. I wouldn’t bother getting anything like that, babies don’t need them

I really liked the look of them too until I saw the lullaby trust doesn’t recommend.

I had a purflo nest which we used for supervised daytime naps for the first couple of months.

@lucyFTM We were really swaying over whether to get one or not. Purely to be used for fully supervised naps during the day if we’re visiting family etc - will not be used unsupervised or in crib or cot, or much at all in our house if I’m honest 🙈 Seen so many people recommend them but didn’t know if I could justify the price for what we wanted it for. Was in TKMaxx this week and they had them in their baby section for £99 but then down to £70 in clearance so just went for it 🙈

I didn’t feel comfortable using any kind of nest, but we used Love To Dream swaddles which were great. Worth considering.

3 week old here. I was vehemently against a sleepyhead given the SIDS risk and the cost (!) but we’ve realised a cosy place for supervised daytime naps is essential to avoid DD only sleeping in arms (I’m not wild about daytime naps being upstairs when I’m pottering around). We’ve got an amazon cheaply which is doing the job nicely : Baby Nest Lounger Co Sleeper for Newborn Portable Bassinet Bed Soft Organic Cotton Easy to Clean Babies Crib Large Size(0~12months) www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07JBJLQTQ/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_HcOvFbS03BJZ6?tag=mumsnetforu03-21

Same as Fizzingwhizzbee123 we brought the love to dream swaddles, they worked so well we didn’t need the sleepyhead and we didn’t have to bother with any wrapping, or baby wriggling out of them. You can even change the baby with it on. Very much worth the money and much cheaper than the sleepyhead.

Another word of warning about them - beside potential safety risks, I've heard of people really struggling to wean their babies off them. Before you know it, you've bought the toddler-sized version and you're taking a mattress on holiday with you 😅 Like another PP said, I'd wait until your baby is born and see if you need it. My daughter was happy to be put down in her moses basket (I think I'm lucky there!) and I'm glad I saved myself the money.

Just remember they go against safe sleeping guidelines and are not recommended by the lullaby trust. If you use one it should be for supervised daytime sleeping only and never overnight or unsupervised.

Sleepyheads apparently fine

Any other knock off carries the SIDS risk!

@mybobowler We just had the bigger one and packed it on every holiday - your comment made me chuckle as this was us! She wouldn't transition to a cot from the crib next to me, went from sleeping through to waking after 15/20 mins and having to co sleep - first night with big sleepyhead, she slept 8 hours solid and 12 after that so it came everywhere for a couple of years and sleep was always fantastic! Even when she had to stay in hospital as a two year old, she wouldn't settle, so asked my husband to bring it in and she was out for the night as soon as it arrived, despite lights coming on, loads of noise and alarms beeping. I loved it!

I bought babymoov doomoo cocoon

@flatwhite99

Sleepyheads apparently fine

Any other knock off carries the SIDS risk!

Nope sleepyhead also state in their instructions for supervised sleep only

Thankyou everyone! All helpful opinions.
I think I will wait until baby is here & then reassess. I liked the idea of them as they seem more secure for a tiny baby but if there's safety concerns then it's not worth the risk.

@lucyFTM one thing I would recommend, if you're using a pram carrycot, is a BabyMoov cosymorpho (think that's what it's called?). DD was prem and very small, and it was a bit of support and comfort around her to stop her from rolling around in the pram! It also relieved pressure on the back of her head. I never let her sleep unsupervised in it, so no safety concerns.

@Mybobowler ah looks really good! Thankyou

@flatwhite99 I don’t think that’s correct.

I had a poddle pod, it was a complete life saver. I didn't have to wean the boy off it.

@lucyFTM to be honest all of them require supervised day time sleeping including the sleepyhead. Everyone I know has always used one or an equivalent with no problem and if anything it's helped their babies sleep a lot better during the day. The risks are tiny but of course these companies have to highlight these risks. It's totally up to you though you should do what you feel comfortable with x

I never understand the hostility towards sleepyheads on mn. If used for supervised sleeping, which should be all sleeping up until 6 months, they are perfectly safe. Loved mine, DS loved it and he transitioned to a cot fine. He slept at night in his moses basket.

If the adult is sleeping, it's not supervised sleep. You need to be watching then and aware of their position, it also helps if you know what you're looking for, most people don't (baby in a chin on chest position, baby with face too close to pillow so they are "rebreathing" CO2)

The sleepyhead was renamed for the European Market. In the US it was called Dock-a-Tot and was implicated in several deaths.

If used for supervised sleeping, which should be all sleeping up until 6 months so you supervised all sleeping for the first 6 months of your babies life?

I wouldn’t have one, I think they have become a must have item but I can’t understand why people would risk it, you aren’t even meant to have soft toys in a Moses basket. From 6 months on they can roll and my children loved to push themselves up the bed, I wouldn’t want anything other than their sleeping bag or a cellular blanket (when tiny) in with them. No one realistically sits and watches their baby sleep even if it’s in the daytime, you’ll be making drinks, eating, doing things around the house etc, napping yourself even. Supervised sleeping is just a clever way for the people who make them to get around the fact that they aren’t safe.