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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:

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

messybun101 · 08/08/2021 23:20

My midwife was here on Tuesday and seen my next to me crib in the living room. She started telling me about these pillows that are now being linked to cor death. I picked up a sleepyhead given to me by a friend, she said 'that's the one!'
After talking, she explains if you need to pop baby down for a quick minute to nip to the next room or something then fine but there should be nothing with them in the cot

LemonWeb · 08/08/2021 23:29

Babies cry and fuss. Perhaps this product will make your baby cry and fuss a bit less, but on the other hand it increases the risk of SIDS. I avoided this sort of thing for my dc for that reason.

Senorasurf · 08/08/2021 23:31

I was so on the verge of buying one when pregnant with ds. I didn't bother and am so glad I didn't waste the money.
My logic was if I desperately needed one due to baby not sleeping, I could order one on next day delivery anyway.

Fiddlersgreen · 08/08/2021 23:45

They’ve ALWAYS been considered unsafe by the lullaby trust!
I worked in a nursery store for nearly 20 years and were always told to have nothing in the cot with the baby

Squibble84 · 08/08/2021 23:53

I bought one in desperation for dd a couple of years ago as she had severe silent reflux and would/could not sleep flat in a cot. It was a lifesaver as she settled so well in it. I only used it in the day when I could supervise however I didn’t sleep for the first 9 months as apart from the sleepyhead, dd would only sleep if held upright! It was hellish and I almost caved so many times and used it overnight but never risked it.

Itsbeen84yearss · 09/08/2021 08:34

As previous poster said babies often won’t sleep in the recommended ‘safe’ way. I’m a worrier myself so I used it overnight with a motion sensor mat and a snuza hero on my baby’s nappy. Cellular blankets only and in same room as me. It’s very easier for posters to say I didn’t risk it if baby was happy sleeping in a crib. Other people saying their babies slept upright on them instead ?? Don’t see how that’s safer than having them in a sleepy head. Nor is it safe to be handling a baby on months of sleep deprivation. My mother dropped my sister when she was a baby in the middle of the night through sheer exhaustion, she stopped breathing and we had to go by ambulance to hospital.

NautaOcts · 09/08/2021 08:38

Was worth it for me (6 years ago - wasn’t aware they were advised against at that time) and you can sell them on so recoup some of the money.

If there is an equivalent that makes baby feel more enclosed but is considered safer then I’d get that

Squibble84 · 09/08/2021 09:29

@Itsbeen84yearss I don’t think you can really judge what someone else has done unless you know their specific situation and circumstances. DD slept upright on me and and DH as we slept in shifts, so we stayed awake whilst we held her, just as safe as if we were holding her in the day. Unless you’ve had a baby with severe silent reflux and had many trips to see paediatric gastroenterologists and a baby that never stops screaming in pain, it’s impossible to know what you would do to comfort them.

SillyBry · 09/08/2021 10:13

When my first was born, they were all the rage. No knowledge that they were unsafe at that point and everyone told me that she "wouldn't sleep without it". I just thought it was so much money for something that I didn't necessarily need - but live 1/2 a mile from John Lewis, so knew if I got desperate, I could get one quickly.
I never needed it... and if you do have one, there can be a struggle to wean them off sleeping in it/in a normal crib/cot.

I am due soon with no 2 and given that they are now no longer recommended as safe, I will be sticking without one :-)

Sunflowerx · 09/08/2021 10:41

Please don't listen to your friends. The cot bed/next to me is perfectly fine for baby to sleep in without anything extra for them to lie on as this can increase the risk of SIDS

Peachi82 · 09/08/2021 11:09

We had one with my son and we've used it from 4 to 6 months as we were travelling quite a lot then and he slept in it next to me. We didn't have a travel cot where we were going and I figured he's safer in there than with me in bed, where he can move under my blanket or get rolled over.
Not sure what we will do with number 2.

thesplashing · 09/08/2021 11:16

I loved it with my son, however there has been quite a few reported cases of the American version (doc a tot) leading to the deaths of children due to suffocation.

When my daughter was born there was one occasion where she was on her side in there very closely pressed to the side (I'd put her on her back) she was fine but it could have very easily become an obstruction to her breathing I believe if I had not been watching closely. I got rid right away.

I really wouldn't recommend now.

Itsbeen84yearss · 09/08/2021 11:22

@Squibble84 my first was exactly the baby you describe so I do know what I’m talking about. Of course some babies end up sleeping on their parents but that’s not deemed safe by the lullaby trust either. You do what you have to do

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