SNOO Smart Sleeper Bassinet

Created by renowned pediatrician Dr. Harvey Karp and MIT-trained engineers, SNOO, quite simply, is the world’s smartest and safest baby bed that can add 1 to 2 hours of sleep each night for babies 0 to to 6 month olds. SNOO’s one-of-a-kind safe swaddling, gentle swaying, and all-night shushing was designed to mimic the soothing sensations of the womb, which activates Baby’s innate calming reflex—or nature’s “off switch” for crying and “on switch” for sleep. Plus, SNOO is responsive, meaning it automatically responds to Baby’s fussing with the just-right increase of shushing and motion to help lull your sweet pea back to sleep…often doing so in under a minute. Finally, SNOO’s unique 5-second swaddle not only keeps Baby cozy, it safely secures little ones on the back, preventing dangerous rolling. It’s so safe, in fact, that the Food and Drug Administration awarded SNOO breakthrough status, which means it’s been fast-tracked for evaluation as a medical device that can potentially help protect against the tragedy of infant sleep death (SIDS/SUIDS).

Is SNOO worth it?

If safety, peace of mind, better sleep, and your mental health are top priorities for you, then YES, SNOO is worth it! Pediatrician-designed SNOO allows babies to be safely swaddled on their backs—the safest sleep position—for up to six months, virtually eliminating the risk of dangerous rolling. At the same time, SNOO helps to chip away at the exhaustion of new parenthood that can damage your health, shorten your fuse, and increase your chance of postpartum depression.

Research has shown that babies who sleep in SNOO clock 1 to 2 more hours of sleep each night than other babies…and many sleep 9 hours or more by 2 to 3 months old. Plus, another study found that SNOO can help moms feel more rested and less likely to feel mentally stressed. Finally, research in the journal PLOS ONE concluded that swaddling, sound, and movement work equally well for soothing babies, whether it comes from SNOO or a loving adult…making SNOO a much-needed helper for parents whose “village” is too far away to offer middle-of-the-night soothing that allow weary parents to rest.

Benefits of SNOO Baby Bassinet

SNOO’s womb-like rocking, all-night white noise, and snug embrace of a safe swaddle is specially designed to calm fussing, reduce night waking, and improve sleep. In fact, SNOO has been shown to add 1 to 2 hours of baby sleep each night. And thanks to SNOO’s secure swaddle, which prevents dangerous rolling, parents rest easy. In short, SNOO:

• Securely swaddles Baby on the back to prevent rolling to an unsafe sleep position. Triggers the innate calming reflex, which is Baby’s “off switch” for crying and “on switch” for sleep.
• Adds roughly 1 to 2 hours sleep each night. And most SNOO babies sleep 9 hours or more by 2 to 3 months.
• Automatically responds and adjusts to your baby’s fussing with motion and sound, often calming babies in under a minute.
• Reduces the need for sleep training. SNOO’s weaning mode allows for a gentle transition to crib.
• Lessens parental stress. Research has shown that SNOO can help moms feel more rested and less likely to feel mentally stressed.

SNOO Smart Baby Bassinet Features

SNOO is not your average bassinet. In fact, it’s not even your average smart bassinet! SNOO is the first and only smart bassinet to include all of these sleep-promoting and safety features:

• Safe rocking: Babies love motion (after all, during their 9 months in the womb, they were gently rocked by every movement Mom makes). However, unlike baby swings that hold babies at an unsafe incline, SNOO provides babies a firm, flat surface as it rocks. Additionally, SNOO’s special swaddle keeps babies on their backs, so parents don’t have to worry that SNOO’s movement will nudge them into a risky position.
• All-night white noise: Research has shown that white noise can help 80% of babies fall asleep in just 5 minutes.
• Safe swaddling: SNOO’s easy 5-Second Swaddle is hip-safe, never unravels, keeps babies safely on the back, and features breathable mesh at the shoulders and legs to reduce risky overheating.
• Easy to customize: Thanks to the free SNOO app, you can adjust your bassinet's motion, sound, and cry sensitivity.
• Responsive: SNOO detects your baby’s cries and automatically responds with the just-right amount of white noise and rocking to soothe.
• Weaning mode: SNOO's gradual weaning feature makes for easy transition to the crib, helping to sidestep “cry it out” sleep training.
• Motion limiter: Here, you can restrict SNOO’s motion to the first two levels—perfect for preemie’s and brand-new babies.
• Dual mesh walls: SNOO’s hypoallergenic and chemical-free materials maximize comfort, safety, and breathability.
• Accessories included: Each SNOO comes with a water-resistant mattress, a fitted sheet, and three SNOO Sacks (S, M, L) made with organic cotton.
• Unlimited access to sleep consultants: Our trained sleep and SNOO experts are available to help you free of charge seven days a week.
• Control SNOO remotely: Download the free SNOO app to pick the best motion and white noise levels for your baby.
• Sleep tracker: View your baby’s sleep patterns—and track daily, weekly, monthly progress—with the SNOO Sleep Logs included in the free SNOO app.

While the term “smart” is sometimes used for any device that’s plugged in or has a connected app, simply being able to move, make noise, or operate remotely doesn’t make a bassinet smart! A “smart” sleeper relies on information from the user (aka your baby) to work more efficiently. SNOO, for instance, is designed to respond to your baby’s cries with a sophisticated algorithm that mimics the actions of an experienced caregiver. That means SNOO automatically chooses the best motion (a gentle rock for sleep, a slightly faster jiggle for fussing babies), as well as the best white noise (soothing rain for a sleeping baby, and louder womb-like sounds for an upset baby) to help calm your little one. And once your baby settles, SNOO reduces its response back to your selected baseline.

How is a Smart Sleeper better than baby rockers?

While baby swings and rockers are fantastic at calming babies—and allowing parents a short break—they’re not safe for babies to sleep in. The American Academy of Pediatrics notes that babies should never be placed on an incline to sleep and never sleep in a swing or baby rocker. That’s because a baby’s head can flop forward, possibly obstructing their airway, causing suffocation. And if left unrestrained, babies can roll over and asphyxiate.

With a smart sleeper like SNOO, Baby is safely rocked while in their own sleep space on a firm, flat surface, which is what’s recommended. But not all rocking bassinets are the same. In fact, once your little one starts wiggling and rolling, the motion of a rocking bassinet can make it easier for them to become trapped against one side, which is a clear suffocation risk. This, however, doesn’t occur with the award-winning and pediatrician-designed SNOO Smart Sleeper Bassinet. Here, secure swaddling is built into the rocking bassinet, which prevents rolling to an unsafe position during sleep.

There is no other bassinet like SNOO. When compared to other so-called smart bassinets, none of them can keep babies sleeping safely on their backs for all naps and nights. This makes it possible to keep your lovebug safely swaddled for up to 6 months. (When babies are not in SNOO, swaddling must stop once Baby begins to roll.) Plus, SNOO works all night long and automatically responds to baby’s cries with pediatrician-designed white noise and safe rocking specifically designed to soothe Baby back to sleep.

Pros and Cons of Traditional Baby Bassinets vs SNOO

A traditional baby bassinet features a safe, flat, firm sleep surface—which is ideal. And they’re compact enough to keep in your room, which is what the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends for at least your baby’s first six months. SNOO features these very same safe-sleep musts, plus some new ones. For instance, unlike traditional bassinets, SNOO keeps Baby securely swaddled on the back, which prevents risky rolling. At the same time, SNOO offers Baby white noise and gentle rocking all night long—both proven sleep-helpers. And SNOO is designed to automatically respond to Baby’s cries with the just-right increase of soothing sounds and motion, expertly lulling them back to sleep.

Baby sleep positioners—like baby nests, docks, pods, pillow loungers, and crib wedges—are unsafe! These products feature dangerous bolsters, wedges, or pillows that babies can roll onto—or turn into—and suffocate. (Babies are often not strong enough to get themselves back to a safe position once rolling into a dangerous spot.) While SNOO does keep babies positioned on the back, SNOO is not a sleep positioner. That’s because SNOO is free of pillows, cushions, or bolsters that are associated with suffocation deaths. In fact, SNOO keeps babies in the safest sleep position—on the back—which is recommended by pediatricians. (Back-sleeping is the American Academy of Pediatrics’ #1 safe sleep recommendation.)

It’s easy! Once you plug in and set up your smart sleeper, just follow these steps:

• Open the sack and inner bands and lay your baby down with their shoulders 2 to 3” higher than the neckline of the sack.
• Straighten each arm and snugly pull and secure the inner arm bands across Baby’s chest. The bottom edge should cover most of Baby’s hands, leaving just their fingers exposed. Next, secure the leg flap.
• Now, tug the top of the SNOO Sleep Sack up and over each shoulder and fully zip the sack. (The neckline should be well below your child’s chin.)

• When you lay Baby in SNOO, make sure their feet are at the end nearest to the power button.
• SNOO Sacks feature wings with a loop on each side. Slide the SNOO Sack’s loops onto SNOO’s safety clips on either side of the bassinet. (Do this whether SNOO is on or off.)

• Press the activity button on the front of SNOO. It’ll blink white for about a minute as SNOO “boots up.” Once it stops blinking, push the button again. This time, the light will turn blue and SNOO will turn on and begin gently rocking and playing white noise.
• When your baby fusses, SNOO waits a few seconds before responding, allowing them to self-soothe. If crying continues, SNOO’s gentle rocking gets slightly faster and the white noise gets a bit louder. SNOO then moves through four levels of increased sound and motion, until fussing stops. SNOO is designed to “time out,” turn off, and alert parents via the app after a couple minutes of continued crying, indicating that Baby likely needs a change, a feed, or extra comfort.

• To increase SNOO’s level of sound and motion, simply push SNOO’s activity button for several seconds. As you continue to push, the button will change color and SNOO will advance to the next level of sound and motion. (You can adjust SNOO’s sound and motion with SNOO’s mobile app, too.)
• You can reduce SNOO’s level of activity with SNOO’s mobile app. (To stop SNOO, push the activity button once.)
• SNOO has a special feature called Motion Limiter that allows parents to restrict SNOO’s motion to the first two levels (recommended for preemies). Go to the Settings icon of the SNOO app, click on your baby’s profile, and toggle Motion Limiter on and save. When Motion Limiter is on, you’ll see a M icon in the upper right corner.
• When Baby is just about ready to move to the crib, engage SNOO’s Weaning Mode, which offers Baby sleep-boosting sound all night—but no motion, unless upset. To turn on Weaning Mode, go to the Settings icon on SNOO’s app. Under the Modes category, toggle to Weaning. When the Weaning is on, a W icon will show in the screen's upper right corner.

When deciding between renting SNOO or buying SNOO, it’s smart to consider your space, your budget, and whether you think you’re going to have more babies. For instance, buying SNOO might be the best option if you’re hoping to pass the bassinet onto siblings, if you have the room to store SNOO between babies, and/or you don’t want to deal with the logistics of making a return. However, renting SNOO might be for you if you’re looking for flexibility, cost savings, and a more Earth-friendly option. That’s because renting SNOO…

• Is environmentally sound. Each SNOO rental is fully refreshed, sanitized, and certified 100% safe before being sent to its next home, ensuring less waste in landfills. (While you may think buying used is also environmentally smart, know that Consumer Reports advises against purchasing second-hand cribs and bassinets for safety reasons.)
• Offers flexibility. When renting SNOO, you can commit at your own pace and keep it as long as you need it (minimum rental period applies).
• Is more affordable. When going month-to-month, SNOO costs $159 a month or about $5 a day. (Plus, reconditioning and return fee.) Or, if you opt for our 6-month rental deal, you’ll rent SNOO for 6 months for just $594 (about $3.25/day)!
• Saves space. Renting means that you don’t need to make room to store your SNOO after your baby has moved on to the crib.