Why I Don't Recommend the SNOO: A Pediatric Physical Therapist's Perspective
As a pediatric physical therapist, my primary goal is to support the healthy development of infants and young children. Quality and quantity of movement AND sleep are important factors to consider for the most optimal development of an infant. While the SNOO Smart Sleeper has gained popularity among parents looking for a high-tech solution to soothe their babies, there are several reasons why I am hesitant to recommend it.
Before reading further, I would like my audience to note that I am not a therapist who works in “absolutes.” I rarely tell parents to “never” do something unless of course it is a safety issue.
If you’re not familiar with the SNOO, it is a bassinet that uses motion, white noise, and swaddling to calm and soothe infants to promote longer stretches of sleeping time. It claims to help babies sleep better and reduce the incidence of sleep-related issues. While these promises are attractive to sleep-deprived parents, there are several aspects of the SNOO that warrant careful consideration.
Concerns About the SNOO
1. Over-Reliance on Technology: Both the baby and parent can become reliant on the “bells and whistles” to help the baby to calm and be ready to sleep. In an ideal world, the parent will learn how to best soothe their child to get ready for night time sleep and develop a routine that works for everyone. Once the routine is developed and practiced, the baby will respond by calming their little nervous system to get ready for sleep. The Snoo stops this ideal process by soothing the baby using technology rather than human touch and connection.
2. Hinders Parent-Infant Attunement: The development of parent/infant attunement is the act of the parent noticing and responding to their baby’s needs. Since the Snoo automatically shushes and rocks the baby if they wake in the night, it diminishes the parent’s ability to develop their understanding of their baby’s different cries during night-time wakings. We want moms and babies to sleep well at night, however it is developmentally appropriate for babies under the age of 6 months to be waking 1-3 times/night depending on age of the infant and other factors like weight gain, and feeding efficiency.
3. Limited Movement which affects Development: The swaddle on the snoo is the tightest, most restrictive swaddle I have seen. The way that the swaddle adheres to the bassinet diminishes the amount of “wiggling” the baby can do during use. A more traditional swaddle allows more trunk movement/wiggling despite the arms being restricted in movement.
The lack of movement can cause babies to develop or exacerbate asymmetries in mobility, strength, and milestone achievement. Less active motion leads to poor development period. Not to mention the SNOO is recommended for babies up to 6 months. 6 MONTHS!!! This is an extremely long time to be swaddling and missing out on active movement.
4. Limited movement which affects head shape: The limited movement addressed in #3 can also affect an infant’s head shape development. Simply put, a baby’s head develops in response to brain and cranial growth and time spent under pressure. The pressure is the baby’s head position during sleep (and awake times, but we are just discussing sleep posture in this post). If you want to read more about head shape, head over to my blog post HERE (link baby’s head shape is like a pumpkin blog post)
5. Cost and Accessibility: The SNOO is very pricey!
The SNOO is an expensive piece of equipment, which may not be accessible to all families.
Alternatives to the SNOO
1. Responsive Parenting: Parents respond when their little one wakes at night, understands their needs and cues better and meets the baby’s needs throughout the first (at least) 6 months of age. In an ideal world, the baby’s nervous system is regulated and parent and baby can work together for longer sleep stretches at night.
2. Safe Sleep Practices: Swaddling is a safe sleep practice, however only up until the baby is showing signs of rolling. This is typically around 3 months of age but can be earlier or slightly later. Every child is unique in their needs, however the SNOO recommends swaddling up to 6 months of age. Typically once a baby begins to roll they get into a comfy position on their own to sleep and oftentimes it is on their tummy or side! This is perfectly fine since the baby can freely move without a swaddle and can get in/out of positions independently.
3. Gradual Longer Sleep Stretches: Sleep training gets a bad reputation, but it is really dependent on the parent’s wishes and the baby’s temperament. There are gentle approaches that do not include the “cry it out” method. I personally did a non “cry it out” method that allowed me to gently help my little one gradually sleep longer stretches over the first 6 months of age.
4. Daytime floor play: It is important for all babies to get adequate playtime on the floor to move freely and develop muscle strength, coordination, and motor milestones as expected for their age. Swaddling a baby during night time sleep for the first 2-3 months is not typically the cause of delayed motor milestone achievement as long as the baby is moving freely on the floor during the daytime.
Some providers who work with infants are very against swaddling due to the restricted movement, however I am a firm believer that sleep is one of the most important aspects to physical and mental health for the whole family. Considering safe sleep practices, motor milestones, and quality of sleep, I believe there is a balance that can be found here. Some babies do well without swaddling and some really require a swaddle to sleep longer than 45 minute stretches. The Snoo is absolutely not necessary for expecting or new parents to purchase for the sake of having a “good sleeper.” A generic bedside bassinet will be a great, safe place for an infant to sleep in during nighttime sleep.
