SNOO vs mamaRoo Bassinet - Smart Bassinet Comparison
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When we found out we were pregnant my husband and I were incredibly excited, but also nervous. We knew there would be so much that would be changing. Like the majority of soon-to-be Moms and Dads, one of our biggest concerns was sleep! Or lack thereof! I can’t tell you how many people warned us “get your sleep now, you’re going to need it when the baby comes.” All of the parents I’ve spoken to say that one of the most difficult aspects of being a new parent is the lack of sleep. Whether it’s functioning on little to no sleep, getting baby to fall asleep, or getting baby to stay asleep. Like most first-time parents I wanted to be as prepared as possible for E’s arrival, so I asked all of my friends who had kids what their number one sleep hack was.
We knew that we would be following all of the safe sleep guidelines and that Eli would be sleeping in a bassinet in our room for the first few months. My friend Kyra highly suggested looking into a smart bassinet. She used the SNOO bassinet with her twins and swears that it changed their lives in the newborn stage. There are a few options currently available for smart bassinets, bassinets that rock the baby, or play white noise to help soothe baby to sleep. We did extensive research and were able to narrow it down to two options, the 4moms mamaRoo sleep bassinet and the SNOO smart sleeper. I wanted to share my research in hopes that it helps you too!
Functionality
The SNOO looks like a traditional bassinet, but what makes the SNOO a “smart” bassinet is that it comes equipped with sound sensors, wifi, speakers that deliver varying types of white noise, and a robotic motor that rocks your baby at different levels of intensity based on any noise the baby makes. The SNOO is lined with a swaddle and strap system that swaddles comfortably and will keep your baby from rolling over. The SNOO sound sensors pick up on the baby’s cries, starts gently rocking and playing white noise to help you baby soothe themselves. The sound and rocking gradually increase based on how upset the baby is but is equipped with an automatic shut-off after 3 minutes sensing that that the baby needs to be comforted, changed, or fed. The clips on the side of the SNOO make it easy to remove your baby, still swaddled, from the bassinet to feed and comfort as needed.
Once the SNOO is connected to your wifi it will automatically work it’s magic. The SNOO does connect to an app on your phone that gives daily reports summarizing how well baby baby slept during naps and overnight. The app allows gives you control over things like the rocking, with a motion limiter for parents who want a slightly more gentle approach, control over the volume of the white noise, and other features. The app also sends you an alert if it does reach the automatic shut-off point, notifying you to go an care for your child.
The mamaRoo bassinet is a similar product to the SNOO in that it is a smart bassinet offering white noise options and movement to help soothe baby to sleep. The mamaRoo offers 4 built-in white noise sounds and 5 different styles of movement to fit what your baby prefers. The mamaRoo also offers a height adjustment option for the bassinet which helps with the visibility of the baby in the bassinet. The mamaRoo does not have sound sensors, so it requires parents to choose the sound and motion options. These options can either be chosen via buttons on the machine or through a Bluetooth-connected app. The sounds and motion will not change based on how the baby responds, but a timer can be set so the sound/motion will turn off after an interval. The mamaRoo does follow safe sleep protocols with a firm, flat bassinet basket with breathable sides, but does not offer a clip-in swaddle option to ensure that baby remains on his or her back while they sleep.
Design
When it comes to design of SNOO vs. mamaRoo, they are quite similiar. Both offer a fairly clean and modern appearance. The SNOO is slightly more sleek looking with one button, hairpin legs, and a wooden base.
The mamaRoo is slightly more modern looking with its panel of controls and white plastic legs. I personally think either can fit seamlessly into any room design, whether it be your bedroom or the nursery!
Photo courtesy of 4Moms.com
I will say that neither of these designs are very travel friendly. They both breakdown into somewhat smaller pieces, but are still heavy and bulky even for road trips. If you travel frequently I would plan on having a travel bassinet or pack n play option with a white noise machine.
Additional Features
When looking into these machines there are so many features to take into consideration. They have so many similarities, but what sets the SNOO vs mamaRoo bassinets apart?
One of the nice additional features that the mamaRoo has to offer is a storage basket that can easily snap into the base of the bassinet to offer a storage solution for additional sheets, diapers or whatever else you may need in the middle of the night. I know when my son was a newborn and still staying in our bedroom we kept a small basket around so we wouldn’t need to go into the nursery for every midnight diaper change. Having a basket attached to the bassinet would have helped all the nights I spent hunting in the dark for the basket of wipes or diapers.
As I mentioned before, the mamaRoo offers a height adjustment on the bassinet to help parents see baby no matter the height of their bed. While this is not a feature of the SNOO, they have released the SNOO low legs that bring the bassinet closer to the ground for parents with platform beds. Snoo also released the SNOO leg lifters that raise the head of the bassinet on a “slight, safe incline” to help babies who suffer from congestion or acid reflux.
Cost
Always one of the biggest considerations when making any purchase is the cost. With the mamaRoo and the SNOO, this is where you will find the biggest discrepancy.
The mamaRoo sleep bassinet costs $449.99. This cost includes the bassinet, one grey bassinet sheet and a 30 day money back guarantee. When you place your purchase through the 4Moms website, they also offer access to their Newborn Sleep Class by Dream Baby Sleep®, and offer a payment plan option.
WARNING: I want to prepare you all for the sticker shock that I felt when I saw how much the SNOO costs …. $1,595. This cost includes one SNOO bassinet sheet, three SNOO sleep sacks (S, M, L) and a 30 day money back guarantee. If you purchase through Amazon there is also a payment plan option. Happiest Baby also offers offers a SNOO rental program for parents that want to utalize the SNOO but aren’t prepared to pull the trigger on such a large purchase. SNOO rental is offered for a monthly fee of $159 a month or a “newborn special” for $159 a month for the first 4 months and $49 a month for months 5-6.
THE WINNER
After considering all of the pros and cons of both machines my husband and I decided to purchase the SNOO. This decision was not one we came to easily, especially with the price tag. Ultimately, our decision came down to three things.
SNOO’s sound sensors make it so that the baby’s cries dictate how much rocking and white noise they receive. When your baby is calm, the rocking will be gentle and the white noise will be much quieter. During the “weaning phase” the white noise will stay on, but the rocking will stop, to help get your baby ready for a transition to a crib. The white noise remaining on low during these times helped so that E was able to sleep in a quieter environment, but not be disrupted by noises going on around him. These sensors also provide a ton of feedback to help you understand how your baby is sleeping.
Back is best! As someone who works in pediatrics, I know how very important it is for baby to sleep on their back as a newborn. The SNOOs clip-in sleep sack is the first of its kind that guarantees baby stays on their back, which for me offered a huge peace of mind. I could sleep better knowing that baby was safely asleep on his back and his chance of SIDS was significantly decreased for that fact.
We knew we were planning on having more than one child. I think if we had planned on only having one the price tag would have been much harder to swallow and we would have either chosen to rent a SNOO or gone with an alternative. Knowing that this is a piece of equipment that would help not only with baby’s sleep (SNOO adds 1-2+ hours of sleep!) but ours as well for at least 12 months (6 months x 2 babies) made the cost/benefit a little more tolerable.
Now the big question is, was it worth it?! Absolutely! We had a fantastic experience with the SNOO. I know some people who transitioned to the SNOO as a last resort after realizing how difficult it can be to get baby to stay asleep, but we utilized the SNOO from the day we brought E home. If you have read my recent post about the book 12 hours by 12 weeks, I contribute my son’s great sleeping habits to the SNOO and that sleep training system. The SNOO weaning feature also made the transition from the SNOO to his crib a breeze! I really can’t brag about this thing enough!
I will say that the only downside to the SNOO in our case is it’s portability. I travel frequently, often for a week at a time and when E was a newborn I would take him with me. I did not want to mess anything up when I had a great thing going, so I would deconstruct and pack the SNOO in the car. It was heavy, bulky and took up most of my trunk space, but I made it work!
If you have a little one who is struggling with sleep, or if you’re a soon to be parent who wants to be ahead of the sleep game, try the SNOO! Katie and I both used it and absolutely loved it. If you’ve used the SNOO bassinet, mamaRoo bassinet, or something similar please share your experience! We’d love to hear it.
