Sleepyheads - what are they all about/are they any good?

[thepatchworkcat]

Hi all. Currently pregnant with #2. DS is nearly 5 so it’s a fair old while since I’ve done the whole baby thing. Seen Sleepyheads mentioned in various places, not heard of them before. They look good but expensive!

Are they amazing? Is it something I should get? FWIW DS hated sleeping on his back as a newborn and rolled on his side as soon as he was able. Hated the Moses basket, liked sleeping on us. Sleepyhead looks useful if #2 is similar.

Would you recommend it? Thanks.

IT IS THE BEST THING I PURCHASED FOR BABY

Oh my such a quick and enthusiastic reply!

I Think my opinion is very rare but it did nothing for either of my twins.

Ok thanks. Could you both expand on why please?

@thepatchworkcat hehe! I’m a big fan

They just don't sleep any better with it than without.

they are banned in the us because they are not safe if used incorrectly.

Sorry cross post. My little one hated being on her back and hated being put down in general. It wasn’t like a magic thing but helped massively. Especially if I warmed the sleepyhead mattress, I was able to start putting her down for longer and longer. She slept on her side in it though as she just flat out refused to lie on her back and it felt safe as it’s very snug x

Loved ours. DS slept well in it (but may have been a good sleeper anyway) but I loved how portable it is. We used it for all daytime naps (on the sofa, dining room table, floor, wherever we were) then in the evening DH would stay up and do late night feed, settle him in the sleepyhead and carry him up and put him in the cot next to me without waking him. Used instead of a travel cot for the first few months, took it on holiday etc. Basically meant he always slept in the same 'bed' wherever we were.

but I loved how portable it is

Yes, this too!

We had them for our twins and they are great. They could nap in them on the sofa in the day and then at night the whole thing could be picked up and put in the cot or travel cot without waking them. They were also easy to take to other people’s houses for them to nap in there. They lasted us until they were about 8/9 months (much longer than a Moses basket would have). My son liked his so much he has the grand sized one (now aged 20 months). Totally recommend!

It’s AMAZING DD hated her Moses basked but slept great in her sleepyhead. DS would only sleep on his tummy as a baby so I bought it in hope that DD wouldn’t end up on her tummy to and it worked

PurplePillowCase are they not dock a tots in the US?

Brilliant. I had one for dc2 and so wish I'd got one for my first. The baby feels snuggled in them so settles better. Dc2 didn't like just being on his backr in the cot and had reflux but the sleepyhe ad on a cot wedge was brilliant. Also yes you can take it around the house for naps, with you if you stay away etc . He's frankly massive and still starts the night in it at 8 months .

Thanks everyone, bit of research required I think...

Yes @peachy94 and @PurplePillowCase they are just sold under a different brand name and not ‘banned’ at all. It’s really unhelpful to come on here throwing around false information, especially when the OP is looking for practical advice.

Looks like there have been some concerns here too with similar products but maybe not the sleepyhead itself... www.google.co.uk/amp/s/amp.theguardian.com/society/2017/oct/06/uk-retailers-halt-sale-of-baby-sleep-positioners-after-us-warning

My dd loves hers, still in it at 5.5 months. Putting her in her own room soon and will put that in her big cot so it will hopefully help the transition (she’s currently in a snuzpod next to my bed - another great purchase!)

Unpopular opinion but my DD hates it, so glad my SIL lent us hers and we didn't pay that much for one as she just refuses to even lay in it to play. She's nearly 12 weeks old and just won't have it!

Just for an opposing POV (well not really opposing)...we never got one for DD (3) and she slept fine. I mean not through the night from birth or anything, she would wake up to feed once until about 8m or so, but after the first 6 weeks or so she settled pretty well in her bedside cot or moses basket with a dummy. I was happy enough not spending the money.

Having said that I'm now expecting twins so never say never! Plus we are currently trying to get DD off the dummy so maybe if it meant the twins never needed a dummy I might be tempted! But still, cost x2, we really can't afford £250. And then you hear stories that you have to buy the next size up too because they won't sleep in a cot without being in a nest.
I would probably try rolled towels under the sheet before I committed to spending that. And though I know there have never been any awful news stories about the sleepyhead, honestly I just could never be 100% convinced of safety of putting anything at all in a newborn's bed compared to just a nice flat clear mattress. I'm sure if I was desperate enough I would, but I wouldn't personally buy one before the baby was here.

Sipperskipper Snuzpod looks good, thanks

Cheers everyone. Just running through in my mind all the difficulties we had with DS re sleeping/feeding etc and hoping to be prepared for similar! Of course we might get one of those mythical, angelic, placid babies this time that I keep hearing about...

There were a few threads about them recently

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/am_i_being_unreasonable/3053070-To-get-rid-of-the-sleepyhead

A family member recently asked us to buy one and after some research between the two of us, she decided against it in the end.

Oh thanks Briechoncheese hadn’t seen that, I’ll take a look

Wasn't shutting down your thread by the way! Just thought the discussion abouy their dangers was pertinent here.

Let us know what you decide. I'm TTC another and would love to know more.

We bought a Purflo Breathable nest which is very similar to the Sleepyhead (but doesn't have the price tag!). It was a lifesaver as my daughter refused to be put down and so the alternatives at the time were us falling asleep while she was on us (because we were so exhausted) or her sleeping on her tummy (which I really wasn't comfortable with). The nest was the safest of the 3 options and we used it until she was able to roll both ways. We had one difficult night when we took it away, after which she decided she was happiest rolling over onto her stomach and falling asleep, which she has done ever since.

With hindsight, I wish I had persevered with the swaddle - I wish I bought one of the special swaddles rather than using a large muslin and swaddled her tighter - she may have taken to it and allowed me to put her down on her back. If I have a second, that is what I plan to do and if the swaddle is still not successful, I will not hesitate to get the nest out and use it.

From the safety perspective, they were never advised by the Lullaby Trust to start with so its for us to assess the risk and use our judgement when deciding whether to use or not. They are not included in the recent USA FDA alert as they are not sleep positioners. If the alert is read in more detail, it can be seen that it is a small number of deaths over a long period relative to the number of people that have used such devices. Cot bumpers are far more dangerous (and still on sale from most retailers).