Safety is one of the most important factors when you come to a device for your baby, especially a bassinet. The SNOO smart sleeper is known as “world's safest infant bed” but some parents still worry about its safety.
When talking about the SNOO bassinet, sometimes you may hear people ask “Is the SNOO safe?". Some parents worry that this smart device may cause some negative effects to their baby like addiction or radiation.
However, there is no evidence to prove that the SNOO bassinet is unsafe. In this article, we will explain more for you about the SNOO smart sleeper and answer some major concerns about its safety.
What Is The SNOO Bassinet?
The SNOO smart sleeper is a high-technology bassinet, which can provide a safe sleeping environment for your baby. The bassinet was invented by Dr. Karp - a well-known pediatrician and book author of “The Happiest Baby on the Block''
The SNOO applies the theory of re-creating a life inside the womb so your infant will feel familiar and easy to sleep in. When you put the baby on and turn the bassinet on, it will rock the baby gently to sleep while playing white-noise sound. It also automatically changes the motions and sounds to fit the baby's demands.
Below are some pros and cons of this bassinet that parents should know before buying or renting it.
Pros of SNOO
Firstly, the SNOO is popular for how effective it is in calming the babies back to sleep. It helps both baby and parents sleep more, which is better for their health in the long term. It does not mean the SNOO is a magical device, but you can rely on it if your baby only needs a light touch or motion to go back to sleep at midnight.
Sleeping in an environment that feels more like in the womb with the white-noise sound and motion will be helpful for the baby's sleep training. Your baby needs time to learn and adapt to the outside world in the very first months. The SNOO bassinet may reduce the cry-it-out moments in this sleep training process.
The SNOO bassinet applies cry detection technology to recognize your baby's cry and fuss. Then it will automatically change the level of motions and sound to soothe the baby to sleep. If it circles through 5 soothing levels but the baby still cries, the bassinet will alert the parents.
One special feature of the SNOO bassinet is that you must swaddle your baby and fully insert the swaddle wings over the safety clips before using it. This feature helps to keep the baby in the swaddle, with their backs lying on the bassinet while sleeping.
This bassinet can be controlled from a short distance or in another room by a mobile phone app. It allows you to pick the best motion and sound settings for your baby. This app also can collect data on your baby's sleeping habits so you can see the trends and development.
The elegant design is one of many reasons people love the SNOO bassinet. It has a nice contemporary Danish design that can complement any type of interior decoration. All the details of the SNOO bassinet are sturdy and work flawlessly.
Even though the price of this bassinet is quite high, the SNOO smart sleeper can be considered an excellent investment. It can help you and your baby have better sleep, which is important for your health and the baby's long-term development. After using the SNOO bassinet, you can store it for the second child, resell or let someone rent it.
Cons of SNOO
One biggest con of the SNOO bassinet is its price tag. It is around $1500, which is quite high for the budget of most families. I think we all agree that every baby’s items do cost a lot, so investing in a smart bassinet at a high price tag will not be an easy decision for us.
However, if you want to try this bassinet, you can look for a low-cost option in the SNOO rental programs. Especially in case you are not sure about its effectiveness or only need it for a short period.
Even though the SNOO bassinet is loved by thousands of parents in the world, no one can guarantee it can work well for every baby. The manufacturer Happiest Baby provides many instructions and tips for you to use the bassinet, but I think you can read many reviews on their websites that some babies just do not like being swaddled or the motions and sounds.
Can SNOO Be Harmful To Your Baby?
Safety concerns about the SNOO bassinet are what many parents worry about. Below, we will analyze some main worries about the SNOO smart sleeper’s safety that we heard on some parenting forums.
Addicted to SNOO
Many parents said that they worry their babies will become addicted to the SNOO smart sleeper. The bassinet provides a special sleeping environment for the babies so they can have a longer sleep. But can the baby fall asleep if they could not be in the SNOO bassinet?
Addicted to the bassinet may cause parents some problems traveling with the babies. However, the manufacturer states that there is no significant problem for the baby to sleep in a normal crib if you have a short vacation. And in case you have a long vacation, you can rent an SNOO bassinet to your location.
The bassinet is only for the baby under 6 months old or who haven't stood up on their hands and knees yet. You need to think about switching from the SNOO bassinet to a normal crib.
The SNOO bassinet also offers the weaning feature for parents to do with the transition to a standard crib. In the weaning mode, the bassinet will only soothe the baby to sleep by the white-noise sound without the motion. You can look for more information about this weaning process on the Happiest Baby's website.
Swaddled baby
The SNOO’s manufacturer recommends using its swaddle for the baby the entire time, up to 6 months old. It emulates the baby's position inside the womb so it can feel more comfortable. They even advise that swaddling can be helpful for 4-month sleep “regression".
However, the American Academy of Pediatrics said that you should stop swaddling the baby as soon as they show any signs of trying to roll over. And many babies start to roll over at around 2-3 months of age. Does this conflict with the instruction and theory of the SNOO bassinet?
Actually, the manufacturer designed the SNOO to prevent the risk of babies from rolling into a risky position. It only turns on and works if you already swaddled the baby with the safety clips on. The swaddle wings are attached to the bassinet to keep the baby on the back during sleep.
Therefore, you don't need to worry about this risk. It will be hard, even impossible for the baby to roll over during sleep with the SNOO bassinet.
EMF Radiation
When parents hear about smart bassinets or any wirelessly connected device, we are always concerned about the EMF Radiation called Radio Frequency Radiation. It may be associated with many potential dangers (causing biological damage) to the baby but many companies never mention it.
However, the Happiest Baby company is different when addressing this issue during the manufacturing process. They tried their best to eliminate the potentially harmful effects to babies of EMF radiation from their bassinet.
Firstly, the manufacturer already minimizes the radiation exposure from the device itself. The Wifi SAR (Specific absorption rate) of the SNOO smart sleeper has been tested and meets the FCC requirements (Federal Communications Commission)
In addition, their website states that 99.9% of Wifi radiation is blocked by a special metal shield built in the SNOO smart sleeper. It doesn't absorb the radiation but is like a physical barrier between your baby and the source of the radiation.
If you still worry about the radiation, you can turn off the wi-fi connectivity of the bassinet. This will disable the ability to control the bassinet through the mobile app but helps you to lower the radiation. The SNOO bassinet can still detect the baby's fussing and automatically change the levels of motion and sound.
Hacking
You need to connect the SNOO Wifi system if you want to pair it with the SNOO mobile app. Therefore some people worry that bad people can hack the bassinet through the Wi-fi network.
This concern was raised by the cybersecurity firm Red Balloon in 2019. However, when receiving this alert, the Happiest Baby quickly patched the vulnerability and updated it for all units.
No real-life hacking case on the SNOO bassinet is reported. And actually, we think hacking is a concern shared with all connected devices and online services, not just the SNOO bassinet.
The risk of hacking is low, but you can disconnect it from Wi-fi if the problem still concerns you. This may not be convenient because you can not control the bassinet through the apps and have updates about the baby's sleeping habits. Instead, you can operate other functions of the bassinet as normal through the control button on the front.
FAQ
Now, we will answer some commonly asked questions from you about the safety of the SNOO bassinet.
Is SNOO safe for the baby's brain?
Yes, it is.
Firstly, the SNOO's motion is designed to re-create life inside the womb, so even its highest levels of motion and sound are perfectly safe. At the highest speed, the SNOO’s platform only moves back and forth by ¼ inch.
In addition, as we explained above, even though the bassinet releases the radiation, the amount is minimized to not affect the baby’s brain. You can also disconnect the Wi-fi network to reduce the amount of EMF Radiation
Is the SNOO FDA approved?
Recently, the SNOO Smart Sleeper bassinet was accepted into the FDA's breakthrough devices program. It is undergoing review as a potentially life-saving device capable of preventing the leading causes of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS).
Has SNOO had any deaths?
No death case is reported in tens of thousands of babies have logged into the SNOO data system. With cry detection technology and preventing rolling features, the SNOO bassinet helps to stop the common cause of death of babies. This bassinet is considered the safest smart bassinet on the market.
Closing
In conclusion, the SNOO bassinet is one of the most secure and safest smart bassinets you can find on the market. The manufacturer puts a lot of effort into creating a safe sleeping environment for your babies. We hope this article will help to answer the question “is the SNOO safe?” and comfort your concerns about the safety of this bassinet.