Like all bassinets, the SNOO is a small crib that parents can keep in their room, allowing them to sleep near their baby without being in the same bed. Unlike other bassinets, the SNOO has excellent technological features, including sound sensors, Wi-Fi speakers for white noise, and two robotic motors that gently rock your baby back to sleep when the sensors detect noise from the little one. Other features include a swaddle and strap system that prevent your baby from rolling over. Although you may feel some type of way about spending $1,356 for a tighter swaddle, there’s a bit more to the story.
SNOO’s Backstory
The SNOO Smart Sleeper Bassinet is the brainchild of Dr. Harvey Karp. If the name sounds familiar, that’s because Karp is a renowned pediatrician and author of The Happiest Baby on the Block.
Knowing that each year there are about 3,400 sudden unexpected infant deaths, or SUID, in the United States, Karp partnered with industrial designer Yves Behar to design what he envisioned as a new type of bassinet. Even though parents may not know who Behar is, they’re probably familiar with some of his biggest clients — SodaStream and Dyson.
Karp’s ultimate goal in creating the SNOO bassinet was for it to function as both a mother’s assistant and a sleep trainer. The SNOO was launched in 2016, and in 2020, the FDA awarded SNOO “Breakthrough Status.” This means it’s been fast-tracked for evaluation as a medical device that can potentially help protect against the tragedy of SUID, including sudden infant death syndrome, or SIDS.
But with a price tag near $1,400, the Rolls-Royce of bassinets is undoubtedly giving many parents pause. Not sure if the SNOO is right for you? We’ll take a closer look to see if it’s worth it.
So, What Exactly Is the SNOO?
The SNOO Smart Sleeper Bassinet is designed to mimic the soothing sensations of the womb. It’s a responsive bassinet that swaddles, rocks, and soothes your baby, ultimately activating the little one's innate calming reflex so you can get the necessary sleep you’re probably craving. According to the website, the SNOO can reduce parental stress and add one to two hours of sleep each night for babies up to 6 months old (or less than 25 pounds). When fully assembled, the SNOO itself weighs 38 pounds.
The App
Although parents can use the button on the base of the SNOO bassinet to start, stop, or change the rocking motion, they’ll get much more functionality through the app. Available for both Android and iOS phones, the app allows parents to set limits on rocking levels, adjust how quickly the SNOO responds to their baby’s cries, and control the volume level of the bassinet. The SNOO app also provides a detailed sleep log so you can track your baby’s daily, weekly, and monthly sleep patterns and progress.
How Does the SNOO Work?
At first glance, the SNOO may look like a regular bassinet, but if you pull back the curtains and peek under the covers, it’s outfitted with some pretty nifty technology from end to end. Three microphones, a speaker, and two motors all work in concert to rock your baby back to sleep at the first sign of trouble.
To turn on the smart bassinet, you’ll have to swaddle your baby in one of the SNOO’s sleep sacks and clip the sack into the sides of the bassinet. Although the primary function of the sleep sack is to prevent your baby from rolling over while sleeping, the SNOO won’t start unless the sleep sack is clipped into place.
Once your baby is securely tucked in, you can start the SNOO using the app on your phone or with a simple touch of a button near the base of the bassinet. Once engaged, the bassinet will begin to rock gently and play soft white noise that sounds like rainfall. If your baby begins to fuss, the sound sensors (aka built-in microphones) will pick up the cry, prompting the motors to intensify the rocking motion and to alter the white noise for additional calming.
If your baby continues to cry and fuss, the SNOO will gradually increase the intensity of the rocking and white noise until it reaches the highest level (5). If your baby quiets down by the time it reaches level 5, the bassinet will slowly taper off the rocking and white noise, ultimately reverting to your originally selected baseline level.
If your baby continues to cry after the SNOO reaches the highest level, this could be an indicator that your child is hungry or needs a diaper change. In that case, the SNOO will shut down and send an alert to your phone to notify you that your baby requires attention.
How Much Does the SNOO Cost?
The SNOO Smart Sleeper Bassinet costs $1,356. For many parents, that’s a steep price tag for a bassinet, so if you’re on the fence, it may be helpful to know what the $1,356 price tag gets you.
In addition to a 30-day, risk-free trial, your purchase will include:
- The SNOO Smart Sleeper
- Three organic cotton SNOO Sacks
- One organic cotton sheet
- A mattress and water-resistant cover
- Unlimited access to sleep consultants
- One-year limited warranty
You can also purchase optional extras, including:
- Extra SNOO sacks for $34.95
- Extra sheets (three-pack) for $59.85
- The Big Bundle, which includes an extra sleep sack of each size and two additional sheets, for $144.75
- Leg lifters for $19.95
- Low legs for $64.95 (to lower the height of the SNOO for those who need to peek over a platform bed)
The SNOO Rental Program
At just under $1,400, the SNOO bassinet is certainly a budget buster. But you’re in luck if you’d prefer to give it a test run, courtesy of the SNOO Smart Sleeper Rental Program. Currently, the program offers two options:
Basic: Rent the SNOO at $159 per month for at least one month.
Six-month special: Rent the SNOO for six months at $594 (six-month minimum).
Once you select which option is best for you, all you have to do is choose a delivery date, pay the first month’s fee, and set up auto payments. For each month that you keep the SNOO, your card will be charged automatically. When you no longer need the bassinet, you can send it back to Happiest Baby.
A SNOO rental comes with free shipping, but you’ll need to pay the rental fee upfront: $99.50 for cleaning and reconditioning, and a $99 refundable security deposit. And a word to the wise — hang on to the box that your SNOO was shipped in to make the return process easier.
Pros
- Meets safe sleep requirements
- Babies are swaddled to prevent rolling
- Potentially reduces the need for sleep training
- Reduces parental stress
- Potentially helps babies sleepin additional one to two hours nightly
Cons
- Expensive.
- Transient
- May inerfere with the development of parenting skills
- May impede baby's ability to self-sooth
The great thing about the SNOO is that it checks a lot of boxes for safe infant sleep as outlined by the American Academy of Pediatrics. The SNOO allows parents to sleep in the same room but not in the same bed as their baby. It also provides a firm, flat surface for an infant to sleep on safely. With the new swaddle blanket clipped into the sides, your baby will stay warm and on his back.
With the built-in white noise machine to mimic the womb and three levels of gentle rocking motion that alter in response to your baby’s fussiness, the SNOO is designed to help the infant learn to fall back asleep without your intervention. Moreover, SNOO has a weaning mode that stops the all-night rocking but keeps the white noise playing while your baby sleeps. With almost 2,000 five-star SNOO reviews on Happiest Baby, it appears that there are plenty of satisfied customers.
When it comes to downsides, however, the most powerful drawback is probably its cost. And remember, the SNOO’s recommended use is only from birth to 6 months of age (or less than 25 pounds), so for nearly $1,400, it’s quite a heavy spend for a product that doesn’t even last a full year.
The SNOO also may potentially interfere with the development of your parenting skills. Even though it can be helpful for a new mom to have a second set of hands to soothe her baby so she can catch another 40 winks, keep in mind that the beginning stages are a crucial time for bonding and developing maternal instincts.
In the first few months, you’ll want to learn how to figure out what your baby’s cries mean and to respond to body language. But if you’re relying on a machine to rock and soothe your infant, you might miss out on that. Ultimately, when your baby outgrows the SNOO, you may be at a loss and further behind the learning curve than you’d like.
Although there are tons of satisfied SNOO customers, there are also some less-than-glowing reviews that you might want to read before making your decision.
Is the SNOO Worth It?
As a responsive bassinet that shushes and rocks your baby back to sleep when stirring happens, the SNOO bassinet is a good idea in theory. And if it works as promised to give mother and baby an additional one to two hours of sleep per night, it might be worth its weight in gold for many.
Moreover, the fact that the SNOO swaddles your baby correctly and clicks into the side of the bassinet to prevent rolling over can give any new mom some much-needed peace of mind. But the key is if the SNOO actually works as intended.
The fact is, nature and evolution have been perfecting motherhood for eons. And at the end of the day, motherhood often means losing a little sleep to take care of a newborn. Caring for your baby with a hands-on approach from day one is crucial so you can learn how to interpret the cries and, perhaps most importantly, how to react to soothe the little one. When your baby reaches 6 months or 25 pounds, anything a parent was relying on the SNOO to do will quickly need to be employed.
It’s also important to keep in mind that every baby is different. Even within the same family, sleeping habits and temperament can change drastically from child to child. Parents prepping for their new arrival can read all the five-star reviews that exist, but there’s no guarantee that the SNOO will work for your baby’s specific needs when the time comes.
In our opinion, buying the SNOO bassinet may be a risky investment, but for those who do want to give the SNOO a go, the rental program might be the best bet. You’ll be able to dip your toes in the water for a monthly fee, and if it works for you and your baby, amazing! If it doesn’t, you can return the rental and move on with your life without regretting a $1,356 spend.
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