Sometimes you don’t know what you’re looking for because you don’t know the thing you actually need even exists. This was definitely the case with myself and the SNOO Smart Sleeper from Happiest Baby. I’ve worked in the baby industry for years developing and testing products and the SNOO definitely took me by surprise.
I discovered the SNOO when I was pregnant with Mimi and researching bassinet options. The SNOO consistently ranked highly in my research and I was immediately curious, especially when parents were dubbing it a ’24/7 babysitter’. When I decided to launch The Baby Edit and we surveyed thousands of Australian parents to find out their favourite bassinets, I was secretly hoping the SNOO would be in the top picks so I’d get the opportunity to test it and see if was really worth the price tag and hype.
What is the SNOO?
It’s the brain child of Dr. Harvey Karp, a top American paediatrician and author of The Happiest Baby on the Block. The SNOO was designed to imitate the sounds and motion of the womb.
My husband and I referred to the SNOO as the third parent because it can sense when your baby’s sleep is disrupted and soothe your bub back to sleep. It does this by automatically responding to your baby’s cries with white noise and a gentle rocking motion.
How does it work?
Everything about the SNOO is really considered and made for easy use. The set-up of the bassinet requires no major assembly and connecting the SNOO to your WiFi and SNOO app comes with super simple instructions. (Note: it does require a power outlet to function.)
In order to operate, pop your little one in their SNOO sack (like a swaddle bag) and then clip the sack into the bassinet. The SNOO will not work unless the sleeping sack is properly clipped in. Once clipped in, the SNOO will continuously rock and play white noise at the base level all night long. The SNOO sack also keeps your baby on their back all night.
If your bub starts to become unsettled the SNOO will automatically respond and increase the level of white noise and the rocking motion through multiple set levels. You can also control these settings remotely via the app if you’re in another room or configure your own personal setting. For instance, I never wanted my SNOO to go past Level 3.
Product lifespan
The SNOO is suitable for newborns up until your baby first starts showing signs of being able to roll. This will differ for every baby but on average happens around the four or five-month mark.
When Mimi started to get a bit active, it was time to start weaning her off bassinet sleeping and transition her to cot sleeping. I was a little nervous about how this would go, however, the SNOO made this process a lot easier as it comes with a weaning mode. On the weaning mode, the bassinet will only play white noise on the base level but will not rock (unless your baby cries and activates it).
The SNOO Sack
Every SNOO comes with a small, medium and large SNOO sack that can be used as your baby grows. I’d recommend having 2 or 3 of each, so when one is in the wash you have one ready to go.
The SNOO Sack promotes safe sleeping and is sort of like a swaddle sleep bag. It clips into the SNOO and prevents your baby from being able to roll over. The SNOO will not activate until the SNOO Sack is clipped in. Once it is clipped in, it will rock and play white noise all night long. I really liked this as a lot of other white noise machines I tested do not play throughout the entire night.
When it came to feeding in the middle of the night, I would remove Mimi from the bassinet in her SNOO sack. Once she’d finished (usually asleep) it was sometimes fiddly to clip the sack back in without trying to wake her up.
Key takeaways after testing the SNOO
I know it’s a big call but I can honestly say that the SNOO is one of my all time favourite baby products. The quality is amazing, the technology is brilliant and it looks beautiful in my bedroom. It really is an incredible product and one that I struggle to find any major downsides.
Yes, it’s expensive but I think the cost is justified by the high level of quality and technology that you get. They have really good resale value too and since you will likely be using it for only 6 months per child, the bassinet is likely to still be in good condition if you decided to sell it.
In my experience, the SNOO was definitely helpful with settling Mimi and would regularly settle her without me needing to step in. She wasn’t a particularly bad sleeper and didn’t suffer from colic, so I can’t comment if it would help under these circumstances.
I loved that it played white noise all night long as not all white machines do this. My husband and I even felt it helped with our own sleep.
I liked that the SNOO app would alert me when Mimi was unsettled and that I could control the level of white noise and motion remotely (usually while watching TV downstairs).
I thought it was sometimes tricky to clip in the SNOO Sack but loved that it gave me peace of mind that Mimi was sleeping safely in the middle of the bassinet and on her back throughout the night.
At one point I did have a bad back and I found it hard to lift her in and out. I actually used a bedside sleeper for a few weeks which was easier to only lift her slightly up and across onto me for night feeds.
All in all, if the SNOO is within your budget or something a group of friends or family might chip in for as a baby shower gift, I would definitely recommend this product. In the end I think anything that’s got potential to give you even 20 minutes extra sleep a night is well worth giving it a shot. You definitely won’t be disappointed.
The SNOO Smart Baby Sleeper was tested by Emily and her daughter Mimi. We requested a sample for testing purposes after the results of our 2022 Best of Bassinets were in. Photography by Bri Hammond, produced by The Baby Edit. You can watch our video review of it here.
This is general information only. If you need personal, health, medical or technical advice when it comes to your growing family, please seek out a professional.