UPDATED. Why get a Rock n Play sleeper?

[daniele_ut]

DS2 slept in the Rock N Play from the day he came home from the hospital until he started rolling over at 4 months old and became a tummy sleeper in his crib. He slept SO well in it but he'd only nap for short periods in the swing or the bouncer.

Honestly, if I could go back in time I'd have left him in the RNP longer since he started nightwaking again when we were done with it!

[flashy09]

Ok, so the portability issue. Do you mean you brought it to different places (like I could bring it to work when I bring the baby with for him/her to sleep)? Or just moving it around the house? We have 3 rooms in our house where the baby might sleep, all adjacent to each other, so there's not much need for something super portable.

Both for me. It fits in a big suitcase (took it overseas) or in the backseat and it's very, very light. So it's obviously also super easy to move around the house - lighter than the FP bouncer I have.

[bostonsmama]

Ditto all the above. We loved ours. DD looked like a coke addict with white crust all over her mouth, nose, face, hands, the sheets when we got her from her crib...she puked like crazy...in her sleep. When a friend lent us her spare, we got so much more sleep, she puked LESS (not none), and we loved how light and portable it was. We didn't move it around the house much (b/c we set it up under the wall-mounted video monitor), but when we traveled across country for a month in a hotel (and from there, weekends at the in-laws), it fit perfectly into a large suitcase when disassembled. My friend used it next to her bed for middle of the night feeds. I loved that there was less risk of SIDS or suffocation (just guessing here) than sleeping in a bouncy seat or swing. We wanted to co-sleep, but w/ DD's colic and reflux, there was no way. This item brought harmony to the house. FWIW, we hardly used the swing, but mostly b/c Weissbluth said motion sleep was junk sleep...and the second the rocking stopped she woke up screaming. So, we just put her to sleep in the RNP. It's not really on the same playing field as a swing. It's a BED! I cried so hard when she finally figured out how to roll over in it at 4.5 months. I literally had an anxiety attack, went out and bought the angelcare monitor and roughed out 2 BAD weeks transitioning to her crib....but it's been smooth ever since.

[AngB]

DS2 slept in the Rock N Play from the day he came home from the hospital until he started rolling over at 4 months old and became a tummy sleeper in his crib. He slept SO well in it but he'd only nap for short periods in the swing or the bouncer.

Honestly, if I could go back in time I'd have left him in the RNP longer since he started nightwaking again when we were done with it!

Me too. DS has never slept as well as he did in the days of the RnP.

[Katigre]

Ok, this is all really helpful info! It sounds like something that might not be as good of a fit for us but will depend a lot on the baby. I'll definitely keep it in mind as something to get if we're having sleep issues in the early months. I don't have an issue with motion-inducing sleep for infants since we do lots of naps in baby carriers, but if our baby doen't take to the swing then I'll get this.

[Katigre]

UPDATE: I ended up buying the Rock n Play last month because I realized we didn't have room for the swing in our house anymore (under 800 sq ft, and the former 'swing space' is now our homeschool supplies/book table area).

YOU GUYS WERE SO RIGHT - IT IS AWESOME. DS2 is napping in it right now and I have never had a child who willingly napped in anything but a swing or in-arms/baby carrier in their early weeks. I love how I can push it from room to room easily, that the kids can move it from room to room for me if need be, and that it can be right next to our bed at night (where it holds diapering supplies).

Thanks again for the recommendation to get it!

[AnnieW625]

I tested DD2 in it in BRUS and she was instantly happy. I did this when she was two months old and I wish I would have known about it sooner. I got the Nap Nanny instead because I felt we'd end up getting more use out of it, but yeah the RNP thing is awesome and will be my go to gift for new moms or even moms with second kids.