And just like that, our little baby boy Atlas is six months old. If you were to ask us what our #1 item on our baby registry was, hands down, it would be our SNOO bassinet. In our Snoo review article, we’re going to go over everything you need to know about the SNOO and why the SNOO is worth every penny (there is an affordable rental option).
Shortly after we found out we were pregnant, we were full-on researching everything baby, making sure we had the best & safest baby products on the market. Early on, we heard about the SNOO smart sleeper and were intrigued. It sounded too good to be true. So we read review after review. After a ton of research, we knew the SNOO smart sleeper was the best bassinet for our son.
If you’re like us and doing a ton of research and looking for a review from real parents that used it with two babies exclusively for six months, you’re in the right place. We waited to write our review until we used it for several months. We wanted to see how our son slept in the SNOO through different ages. How he sleeps in his SNOO now at five months compared to five weeks is way different – and longer, LOL. All right, let’s dive into why the SNOO is the best bassinet on the market.
**Update May 2020- We used the SNOO for six months with our son and then transitioned him to the crib. See below how our transition process went. Those that are nervous about purchasing the SNOO because they are afraid of the transition DON’T BE!
**Update April 2022 – We welcomed baby #2 in July 2021, and she is living the Snoo life as well. She was sleeping 6-9 hours STRAIGHT at six weeks old and at ten weeks old 10+ hours straight. Once again, the Snoo worked its magic on our baby. We transitioned her out of the Snoo at seven months, no problem.
What is the SNOO, and How Does it Work?
The SNOO is a bassinet that can be used for babies 0-6 months. We started using our SNOO right after we got home from the hospital. When you first see the SNOO, you’ll think, wow, it’s modern and really pretty, which it is, but what you can’t see is what really sets it apart.
The SNOO is an electronic bassinet that replicates a womb-like environment that gently rocks your baby while providing a soothing white noise.
The SNOO smart sleeper has built-in sound sensors that increase & decrease the intensity of the bassinet’s motion based on your baby’s noises. For example, if your baby starts fussing, the motion and sound will increase, and once the baby is calmed, it will reduce it.
If your baby is unable to be calmed, the SNOO will turn off if crying lasts over 3 minutes and alert you that your baby needs your attention. We had our SNOO right next to our bed and only had this alert once when he was napped, and the app promptly alerted us.
It’s super easy to use the SNOO. You just place your baby in the SNOO Sack (which is an easy-to-use swaddle), zip it up, and slide the SNOO sack on the sides of the SNOO bassinet.
This feature is so that your baby cannot roll over, as we all know, babies are supposed to sleep on their backs to reduce SIDS. Then, you turn on the SNOO either on the front of the bassinet or on the app. If you don’t have the SNOO sack attached correctly, it will not let you turn on the SNOO. This is a safety feature.
If you’ve ever seen night nurses in movies and always thought that would be amazing – just think of the SNOO as your personal mini night nurse. The SNOO is another set of hands that we parents always wish we have.
Click here to see what breast pumps your insurance covers
Who Created the SNOO Bassinet?
The inventor of the Snoo is Dr. Harvey Karp, who is a world-renowned pediatrician. He is well known for his book & video, The Happiest Baby on the Block. Dr. Harvey Karp teamed up with industrial designer Yves Behar and engineers to design what is now the SNOO smart sleeper.
As mentioned above, the bassinet works with the SNOO sack, which is also patented as the “5-second swaddle” as it is a secure sleeper that keeps babies on their backs, therefore making it “the safest baby bed ever made.”
Elvie vs. Elvie Stride – Which is better
Our Personal & Honest SNOO Review
As we mentioned above, we’ve been using the SNOO bassinet right away with our son. When you order the bassinet, you can set your delivery date to time with your due date. The reason to do this is the 30-day no-risk trial starts on delivery, so you’ll want to set your delivery as close to your due date as possible.
Well, for us, we were due December 7th with a scheduled C-Section of December 2nd, so I had set my delivery to November 29th. Well…our little one made an early arrival and was born on November 12th. I was able to reach out to Happiest Baby, and they moved up my delivery date. Our SNOO arrived on November 19th. Our son has slept every night in it since he was one week old.
He took to it right away, and we had no issues. It honestly was such a lifesaver for all those middle-of-the-night feedings. He was up every two hours like clockwork the first few weeks, and after feeding, we would just have to lay him down in the SNOO, and it would rock him to sleep. We have chatted with friends that talk about rocking their babies back to sleep after every feed. We NEVER had to do this.
As he got older, the feedings started to spread out, and the SNOO continued to put him to sleep for us and soothe him if he woke up in the middle of the night for no reason. We both can’t imagine life without this bassinet.
If you’ve read any of our other articles on this website, you know we love to travel. We were waiting for Atlas to get his two-month vaccinations and then take him on his first international trip. At two weeks old, he got his passport photos, and a month later, he had his first passport. His first trip was at three months old when we spent a month in Mexico. Did we bring his SNOO? Heck yes! We brought his SNOO with us. More below on traveling with the snoo below.
Before that international trip, we had taken trips to our cabin four hours away, and every time we packed the SNOO in the trunk. Our cabin doesn’t have WIFI, but that doesn’t matter. The SNOO still works. It just can’t connect to the app. When we traveled to NYC for a conference when Atlas was ten weeks old, we brought his SNOO to his grandparents for the night. Yes, it was just one night, but it’s his bed, and he sleeps so well in it.
Is the SNOO Worth it?
If you were searching for a SNOO review, odds are this is what you really want to know. How much is sleep worth to you? Can you even put a price tag on sleep when you have a newborn?
For us, $1,695 is worth every penny for the amount of extra sleep we have gotten because of the SNOO. If you spread out the cost over the course of several months and possibly several children, it’s not that bad at all.
Happiest Baby has several sales a year; they often have 20% off sales, and we’ve seen up to 40% off during Black Friday Sales. Click here for the current price and specials. We suggest following them on social media or signing up for their newsletter to make sure you see any promotions.
What Ages is the SNOO Smart Sleeper for?
You can start using the SNOO right from birth up to about six months old. The exact age when you should transition your baby from the SNOO to a crib varies from child to child. They suggest once your baby can get up on their hands and knees, it’s time to move to a traditional crib.
We used the SNOO from one week old until six months old with our son. With our daughter we used the Snoo at three days old until seven months old.
Does the SNOO Actually Work?
Yes, the SNOO bassinet works. Your child will sleep better, and so will you. When looking up SNOO reviews, this was what I wanted to know, does this magical bassinet really deliver what it promises? Yes, it does, and we can’t recommend it enough.
People often talk about 3-4 month sleep regression, and we didn’t have any sleep regression. Maybe we just have a really good baby, or maybe it was the SNOO.
How Much Does the SNOO Smart Sleeper Cost?
The retail price of the SNOO bassinet is $1,695 (it was previously $1,395). As we mentioned above, there is often a sale of at least 20% off every few months. At the time of writing this SNOO review article, the current SNOO promotion is 20% off, bringing the cost down to $1,271.25.
The resale value is really good on an SNOO as well. So when your children have outgrown it, you can sell it to recover a majority of your costs. There is a medical and military discount available for 20% off, which cannot be combined with any other promotion.
Remember, there is a 30-day risk-free trial. If for whatever reason, the SNOO bassinet isn’t for you, you can return it. Once you try it out, you won’t even consider returning it.
SNOO Rental Program
If you are unsure about purchasing, we suggest trying out the SNOO rental program. For under $5 a day, you can rent the SNOO bassinet. There is a one-month minimum rental, and it includes free shipping both ways.! Snoo rental cost is $149 a month for months 1-4 and $30 a month for months 5-6.
The SNOO rental program is a good option no matter what your situation. For many, it’s that they aren’t planning on having any more children, and for others, the purchase price is out of their budget.
What’s Included in the SNOO Rental?
Besides the bassinet, each SNOO rental comes with two brand new SNOO sacks for you to keep, organic cotton fitted sheet and a mattress for you to keep. We, however, suggest purchasing an additional fitted sheet and one additional SNOO sack for each size. Leaks and blowouts happen, and you’ll be happy to have a spare set.
Few Things to Know about the SNOO Rental Program
- Free shipping (additional fees for Hawaii & Alaska)
- Return shipping fee $59.50 (additional fees for Hawaii & Alaska)
- The initial charge is the first-month payment and an $89.50 reconditioning fee
- $99 refundable security deposit
- Cancel whenever you want (one-month minimum rental)
- Refund of any unused days in your last month
- Each rental SNOO is sanitized, ultra-hot-steam cleaned, vacuumed, and fully tested after each use
The SNOO 30-Day Risk-Free Trial
If you choose to purchase a SNOO, it comes with a 30-day risk-free trial. The 30 days start on the day of delivery. If for whatever reason, you don’t love the SNOO, you can return it for a full refund. You won’t have to pay a dime. Shipping both ways is free.
SNOO App
If you’ve been following the Happiest Baby on Instagram, you’ve seen them share customers’ daily logs. We remember seeing how many hours babies were sleeping and knowing we had to have this bassinet. You’ll find these logs as well as be able to control the SNOO from the app. We primarily use the app.
SNOO Sleep Consult
If you are having issues with getting your little one to have long sleep segments, you can reach out and have a sleep consult. We opted to have a sleep consult when our son was two months old. The sleep consultant had some great tips that helped us stretch out a few more hours with a few simple changes, and they followed up to see how things are going.
How Many SNOO Sacks Should You Have?
This depends on how often you do laundry and if your child has several leaks/blowouts. We had two sizes of each and a total of two fitted sheets. Usually, if I had a leak, I did wash that day and threw on my backup. We personally never needed more than two of each size.
The best bang for your buck would be to purchase the Big Bundle here, this includes two extra fitted sheets and 3 SNOO sacks (small, medium, and large for $123.90, but watch for specials right now is $79.95.
- Small SNOO sack 5-12 lbs
- Medium SNOO sack 12-18 lbs
- Large SNOO sack 18-25 lbs
Traveling with the SNOO
We recently spent a month in Mexico, and our son was 3.5 months old when we left. We knew the SNOO was coming with us. That wasn’t even a question. We contacted Happiest Baby with the best ways to check it, and they suggested checking it in its original packaging.
We had a direct flight going to Mexico and a layover on the way home. Our SNOO traveled fine and is in perfect condition. One thing to note is we had to explain what was in the box, as the airlines were confused about why we were checking a large box. We did not have to put it in oversized luggage, and if you can avoid oversized luggage, it’s better.
When we left Mexico, they tried telling us we couldn’t check shipping boxes, but after explaining what was in the box and talking with their supervisors, we were fine. Our SNOO weighed 54lbs, and that was with the power cord in another bag. We don’t really see how you could get it under the 50lbs. Thankfully we have status with the airline, and they didn’t make us pay the overweight baggage fees, but this could happen to you.
Snoo Smart Sleeper FAQ
Is SNOO safe?
Happiest Baby markets the SNOO bassinet as the “safest baby bed ever made.” It safely keeps babies on their back in the safest sleep position, and the SNOO sack keeps them swaddled safely without any material covering their nose or mouth.
Is SNOO Safe for Newborns?
We started using SNOO with our son at one week old, and it is marketed for safe use from birth to six months old. We would have started on day one, but he was 3.5 weeks premature, and we had to contact SNOO to change the delivery date to ASAP.
Our daughter slept in the SNOO on day one home from the hospital, which was four days old.
Is the Snoo FDA approved?
The SNOO has been accepted to the FDA’s Breakthrough Device program. The FDA is currently evaluating SNOO’s potential to prevent SIDS/SUID, which kills roughly 3,600 US babies a year. We will keep you posted once SNOO receives FDA approval.
Does the SNOO Ever Stop Moving?
No, the SNOO will not stop moving if your child is sleeping/calm. It will be on the baseline level, which is a gentle rocking motion. It will continue to move all night unless your baby is crying longer than 3 minutes or you turn off the SNOO yourself.
If you have your SNOO setting to weaning mode on the app, then the SNOO will not have motion all night. Only the sound will play all night, but if your baby fuses, it will respond with sound and motion.
Does the SNOO Make Noise All Night Long?
Yes, it will make noise all night long. When your baby is calm and sleeping, it will play a quiet white noise. The noise and motion will increase once the sensors hear crying.
Should my baby nap in the SNOO?
Happiest Baby recommends using the SNOO for both nighttime sleep and naps. We made the mistake of not using it for our naps in the first two months.
Can you use SNOO without WIFI?
Yes, you can use the SNOO smart sleeper without WIFI; however, you won’t be able to connect to the app. You’ll have to manually turn it on and off from the base.
What to Wear Under a SNOO Sack?
We have our heat set to 71°F at night and put our son in a white onesie and a long sleeve pajama under his SNOO sack. During his daytime naps, he sleeps in whatever clothing he was wearing (pants and a top). We just avoid hoods. We only wear bamboo pajamas because they are so soft and breathable (and great for eczema/sensitive skin). Here is why we love bamboo and are our favorite bamboo baby clothing brands.
Is the SNOO Loud?
We don’t think it’s loud at all. On the app, there are some volume settings where you can choose your starting level and soothing level volumes. We have ours both set at normal.
How Much Does the SNOO Bassinet Weigh?
The SNOO bassinet weighs 38lbs when fully assembled. If you are traveling with a SNOO we suggest using the original packaging. When we checked our SNOO, it weighed 54lbs. This is probably the only con of the SNOO.
SNOO Transition to Crib
Before you start the transition process, I suggest getting some sort of transition sack. We used the Zipadee-Zip transition sack. You can purchase them here. In the SNOO Moms Facebook group, this was the most recommended transition sack.
At five months, we started taking naps in the crib in the Zipadee-Zip. We wanted to get him used to the crib and thought slowly making the move would be best. We started weaning our son from the SNOO right after he turned five months old. We knew our biggest challenge was letting his arms out of the swaddle. And it was….
During the SNOO transition process, we started with one arm out like in the above photo. Halfway through night one, we gave up and swaddled him back up. We tried again the next night, it wasn’t a great night, but we stuck with it. We did four nights with one arm out and then decided to just move him to the crib and see how it goes.
It went way better in the crib at night than I imagined. We were using the Zipadee-Zip sack, which kept his arms & legs contained enough yet still move. We used the Zipadee-Zip for just under two months. Now he sleeps in the crib with nothing extra!
We turned on the weaning mode, which only turns on motion when your child starts fussing. This helps prepare your child for the crib. We only used the weaning mode for one week before fully transitioning to the crib.
The Snoo transition to a crib was just as easy with our daughter. With her transitioned her around 7 months old. She was sleeping so good in the Snoo, that we put off doing it.
We’d love to hear your SNOO review of how it worked for your family, and if you have any tips or tricks, we could share. We know we’ll be using the SNOO bassinet for our next child! If you have any questions that weren’t answered in this SNOO review article, leave them below, and we’ll make sure to comment back.
Make sure to check out our Doona travel stroller review and the Elvie Stride breast pump review. We couldn’t live with either of those baby products either. We are all about making our life easier!
Oh, and don’t forget to read our Guide on how to get a free breast pump through insurance. If you end up like us and have your kids back to back, you will be in the market for a double stroller. The Zoe Twin double stroller is the best for travel and everyday errands.
