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Pregnancy

Talk about every stage of pregnancy, from early symptoms to preparing for birth.

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Original poster

Sleepy head - is it worth it?

38 replies

RA010 · 08/08/2021 11:21

I'm 37 weeks pregnant and I already have a next to me crib and a Moses basket but my friends keep telling me to also get a sleepy head to put in the next to me crib and cot bed.
I've looked at the reviews but I don't want to waste money if there is no need for one. Plus they're very pricey! Any advice would be appreciated!

OP posts:

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20viona · 08/08/2021 11:22

Purflo nest is cheaper, breathable and bigger so lasts longer. Used ours for months then put the stuffing under the sheet in the cot to transition wouldn't be without it.

Chocolatebuttercream · 08/08/2021 11:28

They are unsafe and recommended against by the NHS and Lullabye Trust as they significantly increase the risk of infant death. I don't want to be 'that' poster but it wasn't clear if knew that or not

Sidneysussex · 08/08/2021 11:29

Unsafe. Do not buy one

nutellamagnet · 08/08/2021 11:30

I had one for both my boys but never in the crib or cot. I had it on the floor or on the bed where it wasn't bunched up, and my babies only slept in it while I was awake and able to watch them.

It was invaluable - one of the best buys I made - but I'd never have put my baby in one in a cot overnight no matter how many people do.

NameChange30 · 08/08/2021 11:32

It depends.

When I had DC1, there were no safety warnings about unsupervised sleeping. He was a terrible sleeper and would only sleep on us and then wake up as soon as we put him down. So I bought a sleepyhead in desperation. It helped a lot. It was a bit tricky to wean him off it. So we held onto it but decided to try not using it with DC2.

By the time DC2 was born, the recommendation was not to use a sleepyhead or similar product, so that confirmed our decision to try not using it. (I still hung onto it though just in case!) We did manage without. I got some "Love to Dream" swaddles and she slept well in those.

I sold the sleepyhead so you could see if you could find a second hand one to try. I don't think it would be worth buying new tbh.

EmergencyHydrangea · 08/08/2021 11:34

They are not safe.

Pinkflipflop85 · 08/08/2021 11:39

They are not safe for overnight/unsupervised sleep.

Loads of people will come along to tell you that their baby was fine etc but you have to weigh up the risk and whether you could live with the consequences if something awful did happen.

ArchbishopOfBanterbury · 08/08/2021 11:44

We decided against one, because if baby had settled well in it for naps, I know I'd have been tempted to use it overnight, and then unsupervised. Too tempting to take risks, when you're sleep deprived and stressed with a newborn. It's not worth it!
Even for naps, you want to leave the room occasionally to get a cuppa/have a wee, and would have to move baby from the sleepyhead before you did.
More hassle than it's worth.

H8theW8 · 08/08/2021 11:45

@nutellamagnet

I had one for both my boys but never in the crib or cot. I had it on the floor or on the bed where it wasn't bunched up, and my babies only slept in it while I was awake and able to watch them.

It was invaluable - one of the best buys I made - but I'd never have put my baby in one in a cot overnight no matter how many people do.

I could have written this myself! Although mine was a cheaper version, £40 from Amazon.

Floofsquidge · 08/08/2021 11:49

Daytime supervised naps yes they're great, but in cot overnight absolutely no way. Babies don't need anything in the cot except themselves and a sleeping bag.
I had a cheaper alternative to sleepyhead - pureflo sleep nest, same job, fraction of the cost.

c307 · 08/08/2021 12:18

I bought one then resold it once I found out how bad they are for babies, totally not worth the risk in my eyes. Even for day time napping as they can massively increase baby's temperature just being in it

Rmw99 · 08/08/2021 12:29

I had one with my first, back then it wasn't classed as unsafe and we used it all the time - naps and night time. She loved it and settled it in so well. Now they are classed as unsafe I won't be purchasing it this time round as much as I loved it with my first its not worth the risk and then to only use it for supervised naps I think your setting yourself up to fail as baby will no doubt love it and then will be hard to settle without it when it comes to night time although I will say it came in handy for when we went to others houses baby could just chill in there. X

denshort · 08/08/2021 12:57

Daytime supervised naps they are great for early on. Weaning them off it can be a challenge hunt mine was a godsend in the first few weeks.

Amichelle84 · 08/08/2021 13:19

We were gifted one and found it super handy for sofa day time naps or taking with us if we were visiting people so he had somewhere comfy to nap.

Wouldnt use it for unsupervised naps or in a cot etc.

Lapsidasicle · 08/08/2021 13:21

Why would you preemptively buy one if you might not need it. A sleepyhead is for those who are desperate and have tried everything else!

beepingel · 08/08/2021 15:01

100% my Best Buy. Love it.

latesummerearlyautumn · 08/08/2021 15:03

Technically not endorsed by the lullaby trust but many babies just won’t sleep in the way they recommend, so …

Cocoonababy nests can be really good for daytime naps. I liked the Purflo. Have the toddler one now ds is eight months.

Chanel05 · 08/08/2021 15:49

I had one and gave it away before baby was born. Too much of a risk for me.

BrushMySmush · 08/08/2021 21:31

We only got the sleepyhead grande but wasn’t keen to use one for a newborn. All my NCT class did I believe.

We bought the grande because her sleep had been rubbish. It worked for a week or so and then back to usual 😂

MyMabel · 08/08/2021 21:43

Great for supervised quick naps or anti-roll off the sofa device while making a cuppa..

Dangerous to use for unsupervised sleep I.e in the next to me while your asleep.

Plus, I do feel like if you get a baby in a routine of constantly sleeping in a nest, the transition to a cot/toddler bed in the future will be harder work. That’s just my thought train though unsure if there’s any legitimacy to that.

I would follow the lullaby trust.

abbs1 · 08/08/2021 21:46

Please dont buy one they arent safe. Ive heard a few scary stories of babies almost being lost to SIDS from these. My little boy just slept in his cot from day 1 in our bedroom and was fine.

Itsbeen84yearss · 08/08/2021 21:47

Love them. Had one with both of mine. Just used a breathing monitor and same room as me until seven months. Extreme exhaustion will result in baby being put in much more dangerous sleeping situations than putting them in a sleepyhead. You do the safest thing out of the options available. If baby will sleep in a sleepyhead in a cot next to me. I’d think that was safer than in bed with exhausted parents. We’ve had so much use out of ours and their great for creating familiarity when you go away.

Itsbeen84yearss · 08/08/2021 21:49

That being said there’s no harm seeing if your baby will sleep without it before you but one. You might have one of those magical sleeping babies I’ve heard tell of

123feraverto · 08/08/2021 21:51

I bought one haven't used it at all
Downstairs she's either on me , bouncy chair or play mat.

Upstairs again either on me or in the cot

FishfingerFlinger · 08/08/2021 21:59

I’m glad they weren’t generally considered unsafe a few years ago as I genuinely don’t know how I would have survived without it.

As with posters above, it was much safer than any other available option for a baby that otherwise would not tolerate being put down. Before I got the sleepyhead I was sleeping propped up on a pillow with the baby on my chest which was obviously not safe but I was at my wits end.

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