Disclaimer: NHS advice states that a flat, firm surface is always the safest environment for your baby to sleep. For more on safe sleep practices, head here.
In the early days I found it so difficult to put the baby down, he was a total Velcro baby and needed to be held for all naps. I was getting very little sleep, and having a baby glued to me cluster feeding day and night was utterly exhausting and I would have so loved to have been able to put him down without him waking up. I babywore a lot using a sling, but there is only so much you can do with a baby attached. When I needed to cook, or do any housework I really struggled when I was at home alone, but the Sleepyhead was a total game-changer. I could finally put him down for longer than a minute without him getting upset, and I felt like I was regaining my freedom.
The Sleepyhead deluxe+ sleep pod is so brilliant at cocooning the baby that I can see how it would have come in most handy when the Moro reflex (startle reflex when their arms kinda jump) was strongest. I love the Sleepyhead because it mimics being held by gentling cushioning the baby, without swaddling. It has been perfect for daytime naps, somewhere safe to contain the baby next to me on the sofa or under his play gym on the floor, or on the bed whilst I’m reading or watching endless biscuit decorating videos on Instagram. It has allowed me to get shit done and not feel like I am stuck on the sofa making an endless mental to-do list and feeling miserable because I cannot accomplish any of it. Being a first-time mum is so totally overwhelming and relentless and the Sleepyhead has made it considerably less difficult.
Aesthetically, the scandi designed Sleepyhead is beautiful. It is super comfy for the baby and looks gorgeous too. It is available in a huge variety of different prints for the covers, mine is marble. For a product that is so functional, it is lovely that it still looks good. I would say it is definitely worth investing in a spare cover, I wash ours regularly because the baby spits up, or it just gets a bit grubby. I’m too chicken to risk it shrinking in the tumble dryer and the cover is out of action for a couple of days when left to air dry, rendering the Sleepyhead unusable. This is bearable if you have a baby that will contentedly nap elsewhere but if you are reliant on the pod you will not want to be without it.
Human babies somehow managed to sleep for millennia without sleep pods, or at least the babies slept and maybe their mothers did not! For anyone thinking that the Sleepyhead is a fad, a modern must-have that is not a necessity, I think you need to remind yourself that historically, babies will have co-slept a lot more than they do now.
You may be worried about making a rod for your back, some babies may feel so snuggly and cosy in the Sleepyhead that they do not want to nap anywhere else. This has not been my personal experience and I have been very lucky that Cassius will happily sleep in his pram, the car, the sling, on anyone holding him at the time…I must confess that I took the sleepyhead away with us when we went to the seaside for a few nights and I am trying to shoehorn it into a suitcase for our first family holiday abroad because I am not willing to be parted with my nap time safety blanket.
I wish I had used the Sleepyhead from birth. When I was pregnant and conducting my thorough research into all things baby, the sleepyhead often cropped up as a recommended product but I was very wary after reading the Lullaby Trust advice on sleep pods. As I understand, the biggest risk of using pods or other sleep aid/cushion type products is that the baby will overheat so bear this in mind when weighing up whether you want to invest. I have been super careful monitoring the room temperature and always make sure the baby is dressed appropriately and have been confident in using the sleepyhead during the day.
You are probably looking at the photos and thinking it just looks like an overpriced cushion, and you wouldn’t be wrong. The price point is a little high but I think it is well worth it for the peace of mind of knowing that baby is safely ensconced and that gives me 5 minutes to go to the loo, run the hoover round or check Twitter. I’m not looking forward to having to wean him off this wonder product when he outgrows it and I’ve got my beady little eye on the Sleepyhead Grande because it looks like it will help with the transition to the cot bed in his own room.
While you're here why not sign up for the YBC Club for the best baby discounts?
