baby sleep positioners

[kjack]

Are these really necessary? They look like a good idea, but then again, I'm not really sure.

Anyone have experience with these items?

Thanks!

Kathy

[flagger]

Well a newborn doesn't really move that much, I think money would be better spent elsewhere.

By the time they can roll over themselves is usually when most pediatricians will tell you the risks are lower. Plus you need your sleep too and will go crazy waking up every hour to turn your child over.

[August Mom]

Are they necessary? No. But, I really liked using one with DS. You would be surprised how much a tiny baby can wiggle around. I found the sleep positioner especially useful around the time that DS was learning to roll. It kept him from getting stuck in a position that he couldn't get out of, thus waking him up, frustrating him, leading to crying and leading to waking me up. I actually had removed the sleep positioner from the crib and that point and put it back in to help with our rolling problem. I must say that it improved the sleep of all of us. Also, when DS was a newborn, we needed to elevate the mattress of the bassinet slightly. Without the sleep positioner, he slide down the slope of the mattress and into the bottom side of the bassinet. The sleep positioner helped hold him in the middle of the mattress.

Some people love these things and some don't. On the plus side, they are relatively inexpensive - $10-15 - so if you try one and don't like it, you aren't out that much.

Also, if you plan to swaddle a lot, a sleep positioner may not be that useful for you because the swaddling will contain the baby (I think). We were never able to swaddle tightly enough to achieve that effect. I would be interested to know if those who swaddled well also used a sleep positioner.

HTH

[Karenn]

I agree with August Mom. We used a sleep positioner and found it very useful. Also, we did swaddle, and the sleep positioner would help keep the swaddle in place. However, it's not an essential item.

[annex]

I wouldn't buy one unless you find out you have a need for it after the baby comes. In our case, we discovered we had a baby who wouldn't sleep anywhere but in our arms, or right next to us. We ended up buying a sleep positioner to use in between my husband and I in bed. For a couple of weeks, it was a lifesaver in letting us get over our fears of rolling over on her, her rolling into us, etc. Eventually, though, she got too squirmy to enjoy being trapped in it.

[JElaineB]

I did not plan on using a sleep positioner. However, when my son was born he would not sleep unless being held. This made for a rough few days (and nights). At his first doctor's appt. my ped recommended a sleep positioner and I bought one right away. It was like a miracle. The baby actually slept in the crib or bassinett using the sleep positioner! So, while they probably aren't necessary for some babies, for my son it was essential! He outgrew it after about two months when he started to kick himself out of it at night. At that point I took it away and he was ok sleeping on his own.

Jennifer
mom to Jacob 9/27/02

[luvbeinmama]

I thought they were a waste of money until DD came along. She loves to sleep on her side and really doesn't like to sleep on her back much. So when we had trouble getting her to sleep early on, I bought one and it was WONDERFUL! I stopped using it when she started rolling over. I never did use one with DS because he loved sleeping on his back. I would hold off on buying one until you can determine if you need it.

[vikivoly]

They're only good for newborns. I didn't have one for DD, but wish I would have. At around 2 months I noticed her head was getting a flat spot on the one side. (This is called plagiocephaly - there's a good thread on this site). She always kept her head turned to the right side. My Dr. suggested repositioning her with a sleep positioner. By the time I got the positioner, she was too big and the positioner didn't hold her in place.

[amp]

Haven't used one. Haven't missed it.

[pritchettzoo]

We didn't have one, but DD already can roll from her back to her side. DH saw one at TJ Maxx for $3.99 (this was late last week), and it was too cheap not to try. So far it has worked well to keep her on her back, and it prolongs the life of her swaddle.

Anna
Gracie (9/16/03)

[lanan76]

Hi Vicki,

A quick request - we are in the same situation: our DH is 8 weeks old and has quite noticable plagiocephaly. We are looking into getting a sleep positioner urgently. However, I am also curious, is your DD's flat spot better -- the ped told us that as the baby grows, this should get better.

Thanks in advance to your reply
Nandini

[vikivoly]

Nandini,

I emailed you. Let me know if you didn't get it.

[Melanie]

We bought one to try to help Ds feel closed-in as a newborn, to sleep better. It didn't work. I even bought the one with the soft little head-pillow from One Step Ahead...still didn't work. He wouldn't sleep well flat. Oh well...it was one of the cheaper baby gear mistakes we made. ;-)