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The SNOO Bassinet:
The SNOO is a bassinet created by the Happiest Baby on the Block author Harvey Karp. You can strap your baby into its swaddle and it provides responsive motion and sound to soothe your baby.
A Night Nurse/Baby Nurse:
Night nurse/baby nurse is old-fashioned term for a newborn care specialist, postpartum doula or generally a person that provides overnight care for a newborn. If this person has an actual medical degree [RN, LPN] then they can call themselves a night nurse! If they do not have a medical degree they should go by the title of their training. If they have no training the most popular term is Night Nanny. References to the term night nurse in this article are purely for ease for the reader. Read more about what a night support person does here.
Sleep Safety: SNOO vs Night Nurse
SNOO and Sleep Safety:
The SNOO claims to be a SIDS reducer. This is probably accurate because babies that are laid flat on their backs, in a well ventilated area with nothing else in their crib have lower risks of dying from SIDS. However, there is nothing safety-wise that sets the SNOO apart from any other flat, sturdy bassinet or crib. Babies don’t require to be velcroed into their sleeping position. It’s a fun feature for parents that have fear of their newborns rolling onto their bellies early. However, it isn’t a necessity by any means and babies are perfectly safe in any other bassinet or crib that meets CPSC standards.
Night Nurses, Sleep Safety and Reducing the Risk of SIDS:
Overnight support may also reduce the risk of SIDS mainly because they should be trained in safe sleep practices and should help advise parents in how to set up a safe sleep environment. In addition, a well rested, healthy, sober individual in the room with your baby will be attuned to their breathing and other noises that they make, and will be more likely to notice a change in your baby’s breathing patterns.
Night support will also notice the temperature and air quality in the room, as well as be responsive to your baby’s temperature and appearance. [A SNOO cannot recognize that a baby might be overheated.]
Cost: SNOO Bassinet vs Night Nurse
SNOO:
The cost of the SNOO varies over time so we recommend you check it out here: SNOO COST.
Night Nurse:
A night nurse cost VASTLY varies based on your location and their experience. You can expect to pay between $30-$70 an hour for singletons. [As of September, 2024]. *These are not rates through our agency, but rather a general average* A typical minimum overnight shift is 8 hours [10pm-6am].
Cost comparison:
Not everyone can afford a night nurse, but everyone deserves sleep! Renting the SNOO can be a way to have a “helper” to soothe your baby, without actually paying for another warm body to be there.
The SNOO can also be utilized for daytime. However, not all babies respond well to the SNOO. An investment in the SNOO doesn’t guarantee you any more rest than a regular bassinet or crib. They claim an added hour of sleep every night, but we’ve worked with dozens of families that use the SNOO and that isn’t always the case!
Quality of Infant Sleep: SNOO vs Night Nurse
How well do babies sleep in the SNOO?
Some parents swear by the SNOO. We have found many of these parents to be online. Most of the parents that we work with don’t actually notice that much of a difference in the quality of their baby’s sleep in the SNOO vs without. We rarely have parents that dislike the SNOO. It’s a great bassinet, but it doesn’t magically change their baby’s sleep.
Additionally, SNOO claims that babies don’t get “addicted” to the constant motion, and this is simply just not true. Our sleep training department makes a killing helping to decondition older babies off of the SNOO.
We generally recommend using the SNOO only on weaning mode after week 6
How well do babies sleep with a Night Nurse?
Our qualified Newborn Care Specialists at Nightingale Night Nurses want to help your baby achieve long stretches of quality sleep independently throughout the night, as quickly and efficiently as possible.
We definitely utilize sound machines and the famous “crib wiggle” to achieve this sometimes [Just like the SNOO]! However, our methods are individualized to the baby as well as to the current moment/situation. We aren’t just there to get you more sleep that night, we want to be setting up valuable sleep habits for the nights and weeks to come! Sustainability is our goal.
Please keep in mind that many other night nurses or Postpartum Doulas will not sleep condition your baby. They may essentially be a human SNOO who shushes and holds your baby throughout the night. This still has a better result for guaranteeing the parent rest overnight if the baby still needs to be held/changed/given a pacifier ect.
Do you need a SNOO or a Night Nurse? What we recommend:
If you can afford in-home night nursing support, we highly recommend it! [Although clearly we are bias!]
Especially for the first month home, it can be a tiresome and difficult transition. If you have an overabundance of money you want to spend and you want to get the SNOO and have a night nurse, we won’t tell you not to. As an agency that provides in-home overnight support we find that a lot of parents get the SNOO in addition to us coming into their home.
When we are caring for your baby consistently [4 nights a week plus] we typically do not utilize the SNOO’s motion unless directly asked by parents. We will use it as a bassinet with a swaddle but we do not turn it on. Our job is to attend to your body with a caring, interactive human touch as well as avoid creating un-ideal habits. If we are there less than 4 nights a week we will use the SNOO to mimic how you are utilizing it on your nights so as not to confuse your baby.
If you can only afford to rent the SNOO that might be something to consider! Anything that can help parents get more sleep is something we are into. We would recommend it for the first two months.
Bottom line. If you get the SNOO we recommend keeping it off at night, or on weaning mode. Meaning that when your baby wakes up it wiggles them and shushes them to help them go back to sleep. And/or only keep it on during the first 6 weeks before habits and preferences begin to solidify. We recommend using it as a tool. So if you really need to take a shower or if you need a good night sleep then turn that puppy on!…That being said, the SNOO does not guarantee a baby that sleeps any better than in a plain old bassinet.
Interested in learning more about night nurse support in your area?
