In partnership with Happiest Baby. Editor’s Note: We only select and work with partners that meet our quality standards, so you can rest assured we only endorse products we believe in.
Deciding what you need for a new baby can feel overwhelming. A lot of the stuff is honestly…unnecessary. However, some things, like bassinets, are must-haves. But with so many “must-have” options on the market, it’s nearly impossible to decide what to get.
With my oldest daughter, I thought I could get away with having her sleep in a pack and play. But a few weeks in, I realized I needed a bassinet. It was smaller, cozier and felt more womb-like than a pack and play.
I used the same bassinet for my first and second daughter who are 17.5 months apart. But when I had baby girl number three, seven years later, I needed a new bassinet. And over those seven years, so many new baby gear products have come out. That includes Happiest Baby’s SNOO Smart Sleeper, the bassinet that popped up over and over again in my research.
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Because SNOO was at the top of every best-of list, with thousands of five-star reviews, I couldn’t get it out of my head. It was the bassinet I wanted – the best of the best for my little girl. But with a sticker price of $1,695 I was having a hard time justifying the purchase. So, I turned to my village of moms. I asked all my friends who had babies within the last few years what bassinet to use. Almost every single one of them recommended SNOO. And, as if I needed another reason to buy SNOO, I saw celebs like Katherine McPhee, Chloe Sevigny, Jenna Dewan, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, and more using this stylish bed. Coupled with some of my favorite shows using SNOO, like This is Us and You, that’s when I knew I really needed to try it out for myself. Read on to see what I thought of the creme de la creme of baby bassinests.
EVERYONE Snoozes Better With SNOO
Happiest Baby, the company that makes SNOO, makes some bold claims about the bassinet, like it serves as an extra set of hands for parents, that it’s the most advanced bassinet on the market, and that it adds hours of sleep to baby’s routine. For a new parent, this all sounds like heaven, so I was eager to see if the bassinet lived up to the hype.
Honestly, my third daughter, who is the only one who used the SNOO because I didn’t know about it with my first two daughters, is my best sleeper (so far). She loved her bassinet from day one and easily slept three to four hour stretches right off the bat. Could she just be a good sleeper? Absolutely. But that combined with so many other parents' rave reviews for its ability to soothe fussy babies and help them sleep more soundly makes me believe the bassinet definitely has something to do with it.
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SNOO Stands Out… Here’s Why
So what makes SNOO stand out in such a crowded marketplace? SNOO is the first and only Infant Sleep System that has been granted De Novo approval by the FDA for its ability to keep sleeping babies safely on their back (For important safety information please click here). According to the National Institute of Health placing babies to sleep on the back is “the single most effective action that parents and caregivers can take to lower a baby’s risk of SIDS”. SNOO is also the only baby bassinet I found designed by a doctor! The unique rocking and sound features help soothe my baby quickly and I love that you can customize the rocking speeds based on your needs. With five levels of specifically designed sound and motion to soothe, you can adjust what you need based on the moment. That flexibility is key to navigating the roller coaster of newborn care. The five levels are as follows:
- Level 1: this is the baseline level and provides a gentle, swaying motion and low-level white noise
- Level 2: slightly increases the intensity of the motion and sound to help babies who are becoming more unsettled
- Level 3: a more rhythmic motion and louder white noise to help calm crying babies
- Level 4: provides faster motions and louder noises to help soothe very upset babies
- Level 5: the highest level which provides white noise akin to the deep rumbly noise you’d hear at an ultrasound and a strong jiggle back and forth (the platform only moves about a ¼ inch back and forth even at the highest level)
The app also has a Weaning setting which we used for the majority of our time with SNOO; that meant when our daughter cried or made a noise, SNOO gently rocked her back to sleep. Once she soothed, the movement stilled and she slept in a still bed, like she would in a crib.
I also loved the tracking abilities through the Happiest Baby App. I connected SNOO directly to my iPhone and could see when she woke up, when there was movement and when the SNOO was still. I sometimes slept through her little noises but the app tracking provided a clear picture of her sleeping habits and SNOO movement without having to see it in real time.
Additionally, with the SNOO Sack 5-Second Baby Swaddle that comes with SNOO (and features special safety wings which attach to the bassinet), I didn’t need to worry about my daughter rolling or ending up in an unsafe sleep position. Essentially, she was stuck on her back (which is the safest way for an infant to sleep). I was one of those parents who would wake up constantly to check if my babies were still on their backs, so knowing she wasn’t moving or rolling was a serious game-changer for my mental wellbeing.
And even when we used the swaddle in other settings, like my daughter’s crib – it worked its magic. The first night we swaddled her up in it in the crib, she slept through the night!
The Sixth S
The SNOO was invented by Dr. Harvey Karp, best known for his book “Happiest Baby on The Block” and the 5 S’s method for soothing a crying baby (Swaddle, Side-Stomach Position, Shush, Swing, and Suck). I’d argue SNOO is the sixth S in the method.
When we went through a bit of a sleep regression with naps, I took my daughter out of her crib and put her back into her SNOO. At one point, she was awake and fussy when I put her in the bassinet, but I needed 10 more minutes to literally finish writing this review you’re currently reading! I was hoping the SNOO would serve as my extra set of hands for those few moments. SNOO put her back to sleep and gave me the extra time I needed before feeding time!
To Buy Or To Rent? That Is The Question
With a price tag of $1,695 SNOO is one of the bigger baby gear investments you’ll make as a new parent. For a lot of parents, it’s unrealistic to pay that much out of pocket, which is why SNOO set up an affordable rental program. The rental program costs varies depending on how many months you want to rent it for; $159 a month if you want to go month to month or you can take advantage of the Newborn Special which gives you months 5 and 6 for $49. Each SNOO that’s rented is sanitized, fully refreshed and certified safe to reuse. Renting SNOO is an environmentally friendly and cost-effective option for families.
When deciding whether to buy or rent, you want to take into consideration whether you will be using the SNOO for another baby in the future; if you will, buying will likely make more sense. Also, SNOO has a great resale value and comes with a box for you to nicely pack it up.
Regardless of if you buy or rent, one thing is for certain; SNOO really is one of the best baby products out there. And I truly believe it’s worth it! That’s because you can’t put a price on sleep and peace of mind.
Get a 30 day no risk trial when you buy the SNOO directly from the Happiest Baby website.
Five More Things To Know About Happiest Baby’s SNOO:
- The SNOO is meant for babies ages zero to six months.
- In addition to the bassinet, Happiest Baby’s SNOO Sack Swaddle makes swaddling a piece of cake and has snaps at the shoulders for when you’re ready to transition your baby out of the swaddle.
- Happiest Baby also makes Sleepea, which is the same as SNOO Sack except for the fact that it doesn’t have the patented safety wings that attach to SNOO, because Sleepea is only for use outside of SNOO. It’s a great swaddle if you don’t own SNOO and need an easy, secure swaddle or if you are traveling without your SNOO! I asked a handful of moms what swaddle to get and they all said the Sleepea was their favorite.
- SNOO has leg lifters you can buy to elevate the head side of the bassinet in the event your baby needs to sleep on a bit of an angle because of congestion.
