Reflections on the Snoo
I get asked about the Snoo a lot in my newborn sleep class. It feels past time I have a blog post summing up my standard answer.
Parents hear great things about the Snoo, and it’s easy to wonder if it’s the answer they are looking for. However, it’s worth thinking critically about the snoo as a tool before deciding if it’s a good option for your family.
Warning, I have a lot of thoughts on the Snoo! But before we dive in, I want to remind you of a few things. The snoo is a tool and an intervention, and like all tools or interventions, it has pros and cons. For some families, it may be the tool that allows everyone to keep their sanity, and for others, it may create more problems than it solves.
I’ll be blunt, I’m not a huge fan of the snoo, although I understand why parents like it. Essentially, it’s trying to replicate the soothing baby would get from a parent/other adult, but when parents don’t have extra support, I see the appeal. While I’m not a fan, I also understand how hard it is to parent a baby with not enough support. I’ve also seen families where the snoo was the best option given the big picture situation. As with all things in parenting, there isn’t going to be one right answer.
The top reasons I’m not a fan of the snoo….
It’s a tight, restrictive swaddle. Babies can’t adjust their body at all in it and that concerns me as far as reflex integration goes. A baby in a normal swaddle has more ability to adjust their body during the night. Reflexes integrate by movement.
It’s a very specific sleep environment. A lot of families have trouble moving away from the snoo so while it might make sleep easier in the early months that can catch up with you when you are moving away from it. Of course, that’s not all babies, but it’s a decent number.
The motion and sound are intense. There are different settings, but it’s something to be aware of.
Babies are meant to have interaction with their parents at night. The snoo is designed to take the place of comfort. Ideally, families would have multiple other adults to support a newborn, but most of us don’t have that type of support. So, I can understand the need for the snoo to take some of that need off the parents, but don’t forget that touch, interaction, and comfort from a human are an essential part of development, even at night.
It has the potential to interfere with responsive, cue-based feeding. This is particularly important in the early months, and for babies who the snoo does promote those long sleep stretches of 6-8 hours that many parents are hoping for. Again, this varies from baby to baby and parent to parent if/how much of a problem it is.
I think it’s reasonable to be cautious about all the wireless devices that are directly on baby or that they are in. We have no idea what negative effects they have. There are a lot of voices suggesting that EMFs from wireless devices interfere with sleep quality at all ages.
Parents expect snoo quality sleep to continue after the snoo. I see a lot of parents shocked when their baby’s sleep returns to a more normal pattern after they stop using the snoo. Remember the snoo is an intervention. How your baby sleeps in the snoo is not their “normal” sleep. It’s their sleep with snoo support.
My advice for parents who want to use the snoo is not to use it for all their sleep. Make sure that baby can sleep in a more normal environment part of the time. Keep an eye on how long baby sleeps at night, and if they are going long, consider making sure you get a feed in at a more realistic interval. It’s one thing for a baby to give you longer stretches on their own. It’s another thing for baby gear to promote longer sleep stretches.
Remember, this is not about judgement if you used the snoo and felt it was helpful. It’s simply about considering the pros and cons of a sleep tool so you can make an informed decision.