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webma
08-22-2001, 11:01 AM
http://www.babyhammocks.com/


Has anyone ever used an Amby Natures Nest Baby Hammock or known someone who has? They sound good and I'm thinking about buying one in lieu of a crib. I think I'd prefer a hammock to a crib. They run about $200 once you factor in the shipping from Austraila.

spotgirl
09-14-2001, 01:12 PM
I've never seen those before and the novelty of the baby hammock makes me very skeptical as to its safety. That's a lot of fabric right around baby's face. There's also no way of finding out what specific safety issues there might be with this kind of product, being so "one-of-a-kind." My fear of SIDS would prevent me from purchasing anything out of the ordinary for baby to sleep in. I would also worry about it tipping over.

Also, with no changeable sheets, I would think that wets and blowouts would be particularily inconvenient in something like this, especially in the middle of the night.

The website does not provide enough practical information that I would feel safe using something like this in lieu of a standard crib, but that's just my two cents. HTH!

Ann

webma
09-20-2001, 08:31 AM
I'm skeptical too and that's why I'm asking but the website does address some the things you mentioned. It talks about SIDS and that the design makes it very hard for a baby to turn over off his back. If you look at the other pictures the fabric isn't right off the face and it's a netting. The base is about 2 1/2 feet wide and it's been tested by several countries and passed anti-topple and CO2 tests.
And there are replacement sheets sold in a two pack for about 11 bucks.

I'd just like to have someone who's used it confirm all this since the maker has a vested interest. It's widely used in Austraila in hospitals and day care and my searching has verified that that is true per other sources beyond the maker's website.

skootch
11-20-2001, 11:02 PM
Hello,

You've got my curiousity piqued! And I'm wondering if you have learned anything more about the baby hammock or if you have indeed decided to use it yourself? I'm wondering if it's a good alternative for me as well.

Diana

webma
11-29-2001, 08:13 PM
Unfortunately, I wasn't able to get any feedback on the hammock
from someone who actually has used one. I especially wanted info on any climb out problems and how long the baby used it . The website suggested 18 months which is equivalent to a crib.

Not using a crib seems to cross the line into heresy for many American parents. Luckily my daughter is a very good sleeper so we're thinking of using the playpen as soon as she grows out of the bassinet which will be in a couple of months. If that doesn't work out, the hammock will my pick.

skootch
11-29-2001, 11:48 PM
hello again.

Thanks for letting me know where you're at in the decision making process. I was wondering wether it would be easy for a child to climb out of the hammock too.

A close friend of mine lives in Sydney and being that the product is from Australia I sent an email to her to see if it's something that is commonly used or if she knows anyone with any feedback ( she isn't a mom herself, but I figure she'll know someone who is :>)

I'll let you know if I do hear anything.

Diana

skootch
12-03-2001, 12:49 PM
Hi there,

My friend over in Australia didn't know anyone who had used the hammock but did talk to a representative from the company, and what follows is the information she got from him. Just in case it's helpful I thought I'd pass it on. I'm still undecided myself. Diana


Hammocks the blue and raw cotton ones are both pure cotton; the white one is polycotton. All are washable wash them once a fortnight, more if the baby throws up on it. You can order fitted sheets to put on mattress this is optional. The hammock has a mattress and mattress cover (this is part of the standard hammock) all this is shown on the internet picture. No one can guarantee that a baby cant climb out of it, but we get very few reports of babies climbing out of it. Unlike a cot, in a hammock they only sleep in it. Because they are conditioned therefore just to sleep in it and not to play in it, they usually fall asleep easily when they are put into it. The hammock hangs about 10cm off the ground, so if a baby were to fall out of it, it is not a far fall. Some parents put a little mattress under the hammock, just to be on the safe side. It is like a womb, so the babies feel more secure and tend to sleep better. In an inquiry made into baby injuries from furniture over the past 12 years, there is not one report of injury from hammock use (about 10,000 hammocks are in use around Australia). It is suitable from birth to 12 months or more. My baby slept in it for 2 years. After that they progress into a bed. All this info is on the internet in the FAQ page. Most of the major hospitals in Australia use this in their nurseries. SIDS Victoria we were the only bed they wanted in their SIDS exhibition, because babies are so happy to sleep in them. Eg. Babies can sleep on their back in it. If you have any further questions, feel free to email us. Our email address is on the website. He also said that they've only just started bringing them into the US, so thats why they are not yet well known over there.

Yoshi mom
03-01-2002, 04:42 AM
Just an update to this. I was also very interested in this product but was unable to find any info or reviews of it other than on the Amby web site. I sent the inventor an e-mail asking if the product had ever been reviewed by a consumer's organization or parent's group that made the report available in the public domain, and here's his response:

*****
Sorry, I don't think any product is reviewed in any consumer's association unless
1. There is a complain about the product
2. The manufacturer specifically ask for the product review.

We have been selling the hammock for the last 13 years and we have not one single complain about the product :-)

Regards

Ambrose CS Hooi
www.babyhammocks.com
[email protected]
******

In other words, no. I refuse to believe that a "revolutionary" product that has supposedly been such a great success in Australia has failed to generate a single drop of free press. Needless to say, I also passed on this "wonderful" invention.

raynjen
03-12-2002, 12:15 PM
I did a LOT of research on this product - we ended up not using it because my husband couldn't get past the "different" factor. What I did was go to the comments page on the website and got email addresses for American clients, I then wrote and asked how they felt about the product now after using it awhile. All the responses I got (and two of them were from doctors) were incredibly positive. Also I found through my research that this product has passed much more stringent tests than any American ones (specifically a Canadian SIDS test, a Japanese baby product standards test, and European tests.) Hope this helps.
Jen

KathyO
03-12-2002, 05:55 PM
Two friends with a preemie baby just got one too. They've only had it for a couple of days, but I was there when they first put him in it. He immediately stopped fussing and was instantly quiet, and started making his little gurgly "happy noises". Having seen it, I am much more confident that it would cradle a baby safely and comfortably, and with ample air flow in and around it.

After the hours of colic we went through with baby number one, I am looking forward to borrowing this for our baby number two (assuming we get up the nerve to get pregnant again!! Not to mention the energy!!)

KathyO

Yoshi mom
03-16-2002, 04:49 AM
Hi Kathy,

How did your friends hear about the baby hammock? Was it recommended to them by their doctor?

Honestly, I really would like to get one of these before my DS arrives if I could find any information that did not source from the Amby site.

Thanks!

KathyO
03-16-2002, 09:14 PM
I'm afraid we can't steer you to anything new... they found it at a consignment shop, and after reading through the web site, decided to buy it.

I understand your frustration with the reply to your request for consumer organization reviews from Amby - I wonder if maybe there's a bit of misunderstanding. In Canada (and perhaps in Australia), most consumer advocacy groups do not go out reviewing products unless there is a consumer groundswell demanding it. They are more likely to be involved in inquiries into questionable or harmful products - a good example is the Public Interest Research Groups (PIRGs) who pushed research into, and ultimately won the banning of, diethylstilbestrol (DES), when it was shown to cause reproductive abnormalities in the children of mothers who used it. When I just want reviews of products, I always end up looking at an American source for the information.

It sounds like you really like the product - why not print off some of the specs and photos off the site and show them to your doctor, and see what he/she thinks? (Keep in mind that some of the photo gallery photos show older models of the hammock.)

Best,

KathyO

KathyO
04-04-2002, 12:02 AM
I realize that this is just one couple's experience, but I thought I'd pass on part of the e-mail that my friends sent me after using the Nature's Nest Hammock for a month:

**********************
Thought I would drop you a note to say how much Emery is enjoying the
swinging gizmo. He's in it right now, gurgling away to himself and generally
having fun. It's been a real sanity saver at mealtimes too as he generally
falls fast asleep within 30 seconds of being deposited therein.

The cat, not wanting to miss out on any new and interesting places to snooze
of course, gave it a go the other day as well. Poor thing totally
underestimated the various weight and balance calculations involved in
boarding. No sooner did her front paws land on the edge than up it zipped,
taking one very surprised cat for a very short ride before depositing her on
ass on the floor. She has not shown the slightest inclination to try again.
************************

Just for the record, Emery is now three months old (born two months' premature) and had never settled well in the Moses basket they were using before they got the hammock. I don't know if ALL babies love this thing, but he sure does.

Best,

KathyO

gdota
04-08-2002, 03:34 PM
I am also very interested in the baby hammock... please let us know what you decide! It sounds like a great solution for us as I can't co-sleep (I'm a light sleeper and get even less sleep than when baby slept in his own bed - right next to ours, of course!) but I want the baby next to our bed for as long as possible, and we don't have a lot of space. We're even considering selling my son's old crib in place of the hammock.

Have you tried to get the free video they offer on the site? I don't know if it's for Australia/ NZ only or for around the world....

-gabrielle

Yoshi mom
04-14-2002, 03:49 AM
I haven't ordered the video. I'm going to show the specs to our pediatrician (as soon as we select one!) and see what he or she thinks. I'll let you know.

emilia
04-15-2002, 11:25 PM
Hello

I am a Sydney mum of a lovely 6 and 12 year old now and recall the use of the hammock with great joy. Many years have passed, but I still remember clearly the days and evenings when I said to myself how lucky I was to have seen the ad for the Natures Nest Baby Hammock not long after it started being manufactured. I remember having a long conversation with Ambrose who was very helpful and when he told me the story of his own daughter I didnt need much more convincing.

I recall too being hesitant before purchasing, because of the previously stated "different factor" and even asked nurses in the hospital whether it was ok. You see I wanted to bring the new hammock I bought to the hospital to get their "approval" and to also get my baby to enjoy the hammock from day one. Well, the reaction of the nurses was so positive, I know for a fact that the hospital bought dozens of hammocks since then as a service to the mums.

Lots of other hospitals have used the hammocks throughout Australia. I believe its done a world of good for "special care" and drug dependent babies in some hospitals. Hammocks have also been used in a number of child care centres and I have a friend that is a Director of a centre that has said to me she could not cope without them.

I saw the hammock after i bought it featured on a science program here called "Beyond 2000" in about 1992 and I understand that many hundreds were sold since then. This wasnt "paid editorial" and the producers of the show could see the benefits of the hammock.

I believe that having used the hammock, there were no real safety issues and I have read of studies that see a positive correlation between hammock use and child development. SIDS is a big thing in Australia and I believe no baby has suffered this whilst in the hammock.

Seeing my daughters' obvious comfort in the hammock even on those "rough nights" was proof enough that my purchase was well worth it. I brought the hammock with me to friends places too. A couple of my friends who have also used the hammock have said similar things.

So I would not have hesitation in recommending the hammock to any parent who wants the best for their baby (and also a good nights sleep!)

Cheers all

Emilia

gdota
04-23-2002, 09:43 PM
Well, after thinking about this product, doing some research, and (most important!) getting the personal opinions of the people I most respect - friends and family - we have decided to purchase a baby hammock. And thank you Emilia for your post above!

We did get a video from the owner, Ambrose. It came within a week of requesting it, along with a brochure. The video highlights a few candian news spots (both national and local) which talked about the baby hammock. As Emilia stated above, these were not paid endorsments, but people who were very happy with their hammocks.

So far the company has provided me with wonderful service - sending the video (in correct format, no less!) overseas, answering all of my questions with a 1 day turnaround, even checking to make sure I had not placed an order earlier in the month (guess my name sounded familiar after my asking all those buggy questions. LOL!)

The reasons we chose to get the hammock:

1. We like the idea of a hammock-style sleep. We use a sling for babies in our family, and it seemed that the transition from womb to sling to hammock would be negligable, as compared to back sleeping on a hard surface. We do not co-sleep, for personal reasons, but pretty much follow every other aspect of attachment parenting. In fact, one of our friends (a co-sleeping family) said she's use the hammock for daytime naps if she had known about it earlier.

2. Size! We can fit a baby hammock in our bedroom next to the bed without having to rearrange all of the furniture! We would have needed to do some major changes had we used a crib in a "sidecar" arrangement. Same for the In Arms Reach co-sleeper.
The Baby Bunk was another possible option, but once again, I preferred the softness and shape of the hammock.

3. The hammock can go up to 29 lbs with 1 spring - more with 2. Our son was 9 lbs at birth, and I expect this baby will be big also. Arms Reach and other bassinettes only went to 18 - 20 lbs. My son was 19.5 lbs at 4 months!

Since our baby is not due until the end of July, I won't be able to actually test it as a nighttime sleeping option until then. However, I promise I will post back with the pros and the cons once we've tried it out. It may be someting for the Fields to test drive in the next version of baby bargains.

Until then -

gabrielle

Yoshi mom
05-10-2002, 04:28 AM
Well, we finally talked to a pediatrician, and we've decided not to purchase the hammock. Mostly it came down to the nervousness of first-time parents, I guess. None of the "experts" in our life - our pediatrician, midwife, or child birth educator - had ever heard of the product, and our pediatrician in particular pointed out that you really don't know the true safety record of an item until it's reached the 10,000+ units sold mark.

Good luck, Gabrielle. Please do let us know how it works out for you and your family. It still sounds like a great product.

Catherine226
08-17-2002, 08:59 PM
After reading these posts and checking out the website, I decided to purchase a baby hammock. My first son didn't sleep so well at night, so I purchased a baby hammock in anticipation that my second son might also be difficult (I would pay just about anything for more sleep).

After about three months, I have barely used the hammock. At first, my son slept best with us in our bed. He wouldn't sleep any more than about 45 minutes in the hammock. After a few weeks, we had no trouble transitioning him to the pack n play at the foot of our bed or his own crib (lucky us, he was sleeping through the night at only two weeks).

The spring motion or swinging of the hammock seemed to do very little to calm him. Also, it was kind of a pain to get him in and out of it (you pretty much have to crawl inside it yourself).

Another drawback is that the mattress is not washer-friendly. It has a cover, but it fits so tight that I'm afraid if I take it off to wash it, I will never get it back on again. The sheets I bought with it were pretty thin, so I covered the mattress with a couple T-shirts. My son's diaper seemed to leak more often in the hammock, perhaps because his bottom was elevated a bit.

I will say in the hammock's defense that it is portable and it appears safe. Just because my son didn't take to it, doesn't mean it's not a good product (my sons didn't like pacifiers either, but they work great for lots of babies). But in summary, for me it wasn't worth the $200 bucks and I do regret purchasing it.

With that said, anybody want to purchase a slightly used baby hammock? I'll make you a great deal. :-)


Catherine

Callie_B
08-19-2002, 05:10 PM
I live in the U.S. and we have used a baby hammock exclusively for the last 5 months of my 10-month-old daughter's life. We love it! It's lightweight, easy to travel with, doesn't take up much room, and the baby loves sleeping in it. The fabric sides are mostly mesh and breathable -- definitely easier to breathe through than a crib bumper! My daughter didn't like the hammock the first few times we tried her in it. We gave up on it for a little while and she slept in a cosleeper next to our bed. But one day I put her down in the hammock when she was about 5 months old and she drifted off to sleep and slept through the night every night in it.

However, she's going through a crabby bedtime phase right now, and a few days ago she threw a major tantrum because she didn't want to go to sleep. She was so angry that she managed to get herself onto her hands and knees and then thrust her head and shoulders out the back of the hammock. I don't think she would have hurt herself if she had fallen because it's so low to the ground. This is the first time she's ever been able to get off her back in the hammock. Usually, she just makes it bounce and sway and goes right to sleep.


Australian safety standards are very high for baby equipment, and the hammock meets or exceeds them. I did a lot of research and felt very confident that she was safe in it. Despite my daughter's gymnastic feat the other night, I highly recommend the hammock, especially for younger babies.


P.S. We have washed the mattress cover and put it back on many times without a problem. It fits very snugly (as it should, for safety), so I can see how it might appear that it won't go back on the mattress, but it does. We ordered a second hammock (not the frame, just the hammock part itself) so that we had a back-up to use when the other is being washed. Having a second one comes in handy when your baby throws up all over everything, or has a bad diaper leak.

corky
08-19-2002, 07:39 PM
Hi Catherine

I'm interested in buying the hammock. I've sent you a few emails but I'm not sure how it all works on this site. If you are truly interested in selling it you can contact me at [email protected] .

I think it might work for us since I am planning to travel alot in the months after birth.

Corky

Catherine226
08-21-2002, 08:39 PM
I'm so glad to hear that someone has had a good experience with the baby hammock. I was feeling a little duped by my nesting instinct.

To the person that emailed me tonight: Right now I have an agreement with Corinna to buy the hammock (sorry you didn't give me your email address to reply in private). But thanks for your interest!

Catherine

mama2be
08-25-2002, 05:49 PM
I have never heard of this before...but I am buying one from everything I hear on here about them...I am facinated by the concept and the mobility!!!

Micahsmom
01-13-2003, 12:43 AM
The hammock is wonderful! Micah has slept in one since he was four days old (now seven months and some change). My mom and in-laws thought i was crazy, but it's the only way to get him to sleep. i can see that it wouldn't work for every baby, i'm just glad that it worked for us!