Fisher-Price Newborn Rock 'n Play Sleeper???

sarahice · March 2011

Has anyone used this? I just bought this this weekend and planned on having the baby sleep in it in our room at first. Then my mom said she didn't think it looked safe (because the baby should lay flat while sleeping). I was just wondering if anyone had used this instead of a bassinet? Bad idea? TIA!

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002M77N22/ref=ord_cart_shr?ie=UTF8&m=ATVPDKIKX0DER

andigurl · March 2011

I would say about 8 of my friends have had children in the past year, and 7 of the 8 have used this and sworn by it. It is the one thing that I don't want to live without once the baby comes. I've babysat 3 of the babies on a regular basis and they have all used it for sleeping/napping/hanging out until they are about 5-7 months.

CariannelovesTim · March 2011

My siil used it for my youngest nephew He's 4 months old now and it gave him flat head so my sil called the company and was told not to use it anymore and that they would refund her money.

jordanjamison99 · March 2011

I purchased one of these and tested it on my bestie's baby, and he LOVED it. I was a little hesitant to buy one, but the reviews were good and I figured it would be easy to transport between our house and grandma's house. I actually like the fact that the seat is at an incline. It's not as big of an incline as you think. My mom wasn't too sure about it, either, but she approves now

You may not like, but for me, it's been kid tested and mother (to-be) approved

kikijbunny · March 2011

Funny, I was just researching this. It looks great and has gotten excellent reviews overall, though if you look at the 1-star reviews there is some concern about it A few users feel that due to the hard backing of the sleeper, it caused their babies to suffer from flathead (and shortened neck muscles due to the way the baby curls up in it), but it's hard to tell whether the rocker caused this to happen or if the children affected were predisposed (i.e., that would have happened to them in a crib, car seat, etc. anyway).

I was initially completely sold on it, but decided to take it off my registry and plan to use either our crib or pack 'n play for the baby to sleep in instead, mostly because these reviews left enough doubt in my head.

I'd be interested in hearing others' thoughts, especially if anyone on the board has used it!

ETA: ah, others have responded while I was composing this... glad to see some others have had good experiences with it. I'm torn. It is supposed to be really good if the baby suffers from reflux (due to the incline).

AnneShirleyBlythe · March 2011

CariannelovesTim:
My siil used it for my youngest nephew He's 4 months old now and it gave him flat head so my sil called the company and was told not to use it anymore and that they would refund her money.

It really surprises me that they are refunding her money. Bouncers, cribs, P&P's, swings, and carseats can all give flat head if you don't give enough tummy time/don't alternate which side their head faces, etc. AFAIK none of them give refunds for flat spots.

elisbu · March 2011

I got this at my shower this weekend, and I am so excited!!

DH and I will keep in out bedroom at night. To get LO used to sleeping flat I will have her nap in her crib, during the day.

As for babies that get flt heads, if you put a baby in a crib or flat pack-n-play for too long, this will happen too, I wouldn't point the finger at WHAT the child is laying on, and worry more about how often the child is lying down?

kikijbunny · March 2011

elisbu:
I got this at my shower this weekend, and I am so excited!!

DH and I will keep in out bedroom at night. To get LO used to sleeping flat I will have her nap in her crib, during the day.

As for babies that get flt heads, if you put a baby in a crib or flat pack-n-play for too long, this will happen too, I wouldn't point the finger at WHAT the child is laying on, and worry more about how often the child is lying down?

I like your idea of alternating from the rocker to the crib during the day. I think the issue some of the folks with bad reviews were pointing out is that newborns will sleep 14-16 hours of the day, so they're laying down a ton. But makes sense to me that if the baby has more than one place to sleep, and the parents monitor baby's position, there'd be less concern. Would a technique like that help against flathead?

andigurl · March 2011

Regarding the flat head issue, wouldn't it be more likely in a crib or flat sleeper? Gravity/physics would make me assume if I was laying flat there would be more weight on the back of my head then if it was on an incline. More weight is on the babys butt in the RNP because of the incline then on the back of the head...just a thought.

kikijbunny · March 2011

andigurl:
Regarding the flat head issue, wouldn't it be more likely in a crib or flat sleeper? Gravity/physics would make me assume if I was laying flat there would be more weight on the back of my head then if it was on an incline. More weight is on the babys butt in the RNP because of the incline then on the back of the head...just a thought.

Yeah, that does makes sense, but I hear the padding is harder on the Rocker than a crib mattress. Perhaps that's the difference?

AnneShirleyBlythe · March 2011

kikijbunny:
andigurl:
Regarding the flat head issue, wouldn't it be more likely in a crib or flat sleeper? Gravity/physics would make me assume if I was laying flat there would be more weight on the back of my head then if it was on an incline. More weight is on the babys butt in the RNP because of the incline then on the back of the head...just a thought.
Yeah, that does makes sense, but I hear the padding is harder on the Rocker than a crib mattress. Perhaps that's the difference?

Not ours, that is for sure. Crib mattresses are supposed to be very firm. The padding for the rocker is less hard than the crib or the swing, IMO.

elisbu · March 2011

kikijbunny:
elisbu:

I like your idea of alternating from the rocker to the crib during the day. I think the issue some of the folks with bad reviews were pointing out is that newborns will sleep 14-16 hours of the day, so they're laying down a ton. But makes sense to me that if the baby has more than one place to sleep, and the parents monitor baby's position, there'd be less concern. Would a technique like that help against flathead?

I think just keeping things alternated will help. Of course, I had a friend whos LO would ONLY sleep in his carseat, and when it's 4 AM and your baby has been crying for hours, we will probably to do anything for sleep!
So I will never say never, but switching between the crib/rock-n-sleeper (that is of course, if anyone can tear her from my arms!!) is my plan!

Also like PP said, Tummy Time has A LOT to do with it too. Swings, bouncers, pack-n plays, cribs.....etc, should not be all our LO's do. Even newborns can have 5-15 minutes of tummy time twice a day, and it should increase by the time they are 6-8 weeks to 30-45 minutes twice a day. Plus tummy time stimulates lots of other developmental needs.

pam1005 · March 2011

AnneShirleyBlythe:
CariannelovesTim:
My siil used it for my youngest nephew He's 4 months old now and it gave him flat head so my sil called the company and was told not to use it anymore and that they would refund her money.

It really surprises me that they are refunding her money. Bouncers, cribs, P&P's, swings, and carseats can all give flat head if you don't give enough tummy time/don't alternate which side their head faces, etc. AFAIK none of them give refunds for flat spots.

I also want to add that I think some babies are just bound to end up with a flat spot. DS always turned his head to the right no matter what we did. He loved tummy time after a while and I wore him a lot, so he really was only on his back for naps and night sleeping. He still ended up with a flat spot. There are lots of factors that play into flat spots.... I highly doubt the rock n play is any firmer than a pack n play mattress.

On that note I bought a rock n play and have several friends who swear by them and my pedi also recommended it. DS had acid reflux and this would have allowed him to sleep much better. I think they are a great baby item and they are not on their stomach, so the sleeping is considered safe. I can't wait to use it.

jess0530 · March 2011

My sister got us two for Christmas and we were planning to use them when the babies arrive but since our babies are hugged so tight up against each other now we figured they wouldn't sleep well if we seperated them right away.

My sister actually borrowed one of them to use when my niece had a cold and a few other times when they were traveling. She said my niece slept great in it and absolutely loved it. -The reason she borrowed our instead of just buying one for herself was because my niece would have outgrown it by the time my girls arrive so we just "share" one.

AnneShirleyBlythe · March 2011

pam1005:
AnneShirleyBlythe:
CariannelovesTim:
My siil used it for my youngest nephew He's 4 months old now and it gave him flat head so my sil called the company and was told not to use it anymore and that they would refund her money.

It really surprises me that they are refunding her money. Bouncers, cribs, P&P's, swings, and carseats can all give flat head if you don't give enough tummy time/don't alternate which side their head faces, etc. AFAIK none of them give refunds for flat spots.
I also want to add that I think some babies are just bound to end up with a flat spot. DS always turned his head to the right no matter what we did. He loved tummy time after a while and I wore him a lot, so he really was only on his back for naps. He still ended up with a flat spot. There are lots of factors that play into flat spots.... I highly doubt the rock n play is any firmer than a pack n play mattress.
On that note I bought a rock n play and have several friends who swear by them and my pedi also recommended it. DS had acid reflux and this would have allowed him to sleep much better. I think they are a great baby item and they are not on their stomach, so the sleeping is considered safe.

ITA some babies really are prone to them. I had him in the Moby/Ergo/etc. a lot as well so his head was not flat all the time but it really is unavoidable sometimes. (Jack liked his head to one side as well, even when being carried!)

kikijbunny · March 2011

AnneShirleyBlythe:
kikijbunny:
andigurl:
Regarding the flat head issue, wouldn't it be more likely in a crib or flat sleeper? Gravity/physics would make me assume if I was laying flat there would be more weight on the back of my head then if it was on an incline. More weight is on the babys butt in the RNP because of the incline then on the back of the head...just a thought.
Yeah, that does makes sense, but I hear the padding is harder on the Rocker than a crib mattress. Perhaps that's the difference?
Not ours, that is for sure. Crib mattresses are supposed to be very firm. The padding for the rocker is less hard than the crib or the swing, IMO.

Ok, good to know!

kikijbunny · March 2011

elisbu:
kikijbunny:
elisbu:

I like your idea of alternating from the rocker to the crib during the day. I think the issue some of the folks with bad reviews were pointing out is that newborns will sleep 14-16 hours of the day, so they're laying down a ton. But makes sense to me that if the baby has more than one place to sleep, and the parents monitor baby's position, there'd be less concern. Would a technique like that help against flathead?

I think just keeping things alternated will help. Of course, I had a friend whos LO would ONLY sleep in his carseat, and when it's 4 AM and your baby has been crying for hours, we will probably to do anything for sleep!
So I will never say never, but switching between the crib/rock-n-sleeper (that is of course, if anyone can tear her from my arms!!) is my plan!

Also like PP said, Tummy Time has A LOT to do with it too. Swings, bouncers, pack-n plays, cribs.....etc, should not be all our LO's do. Even newborns can have 5-15 minutes of tummy time twice a day, and it should increase by the time they are 6-8 weeks to 30-45 minutes twice a day. Plus tummy time stimulates lots of other developmental needs.

Thanks, yes, planning to do tons of tummy time... kind of worried about flathead (if you can't tell). I don't know if the RNP users whose children got flathead weren't doing enough tummy time, or whether their kids were predisposed. I love the idea of this rocker but I think I've spooked myself out of it. But in the end, variety does seem to be key! Aargh, there is so much to learn and watch out for... can be overwhelming at times. Glad this board is here!

sarahice · March 2011

Thank you all for your responses. It seems like if I alternate her between this, the crib and the PnP she should be ok. This is my first baby and like everyone else I don't want to mess up Smile

Thanks for the feedback! I feel better now.

kacelle · March 2011

We've registered for one, after reading tons of great reviews. LO will be sleeping in the bassinet feature of our PnP for the first few months, but I think the RnP will be nice to have since it can be easily moved throughout our home.

MrsPLW71 · March 2011

kikijbunny:

Funny, I was just researching this. It looks great and has gotten excellent reviews overall, though if you look at the 1-star reviews there is some concern about it A few users feel that due to the hard backing of the sleeper, it caused their babies to suffer from flathead (and shortened neck muscles due to the way the baby curls up in it), but it's hard to tell whether the rocker caused this to happen or if the children affected were predisposed (i.e., that would have happened to them in a crib, car seat, etc. anyway).

I was initially completely sold on it, but decided to take it off my registry and plan to use either our crib or pack 'n play for the baby to sleep in instead, mostly because these reviews left enough doubt in my head.

I'd be interested in hearing others' thoughts, especially if anyone on the board has used it!

ETA: ah, others have responded while I was composing this... glad to see some others have had good experiences with it. I'm torn. It is supposed to be really good if the baby suffers from reflux (due to the incline).

kiki,

Here is the PnP we are getting, it can be zippered into an incline for reflux or colds:

https://www.target.com/Bright-Starts-InGenuity-Inclined-Sleeping/dp/B0032AYB9G/ref=br_1_1?ie=UTF8&id=Bright%20Starts%20InGenuity%20Inclined%20Sleeping&node=1041924&searchSize=90&searchView=grid3&searchPage=1&sr=1-1&qid=1296911561&rh=target_com_brand-bin%3ABright%20Starts&searchBinNameList=target_com_brand-bin%2Ctarget_com_primary_color-bin%2Cprice&searchRank=pmrank&frombrowse=1

kikijbunny · March 2011

MrsPLW71:
kikijbunny:

Funny, I was just researching this. It looks great and has gotten excellent reviews overall, though if you look at the 1-star reviews there is some concern about it A few users feel that due to the hard backing of the sleeper, it caused their babies to suffer from flathead (and shortened neck muscles due to the way the baby curls up in it), but it's hard to tell whether the rocker caused this to happen or if the children affected were predisposed (i.e., that would have happened to them in a crib, car seat, etc. anyway).

I was initially completely sold on it, but decided to take it off my registry and plan to use either our crib or pack 'n play for the baby to sleep in instead, mostly because these reviews left enough doubt in my head.

I'd be interested in hearing others' thoughts, especially if anyone on the board has used it!

ETA: ah, others have responded while I was composing this... glad to see some others have had good experiences with it. I'm torn. It is supposed to be really good if the baby suffers from reflux (due to the incline).

kiki,

Here is the PnP we are getting, it can be zippered into an incline for reflux or colds:

https://www.target.com/Bright-Starts-InGenuity-Inclined-Sleeping/dp/B0032AYB9G/ref=br_1_1?ie=UTF8&id=Bright%20Starts%20InGenuity%20Inclined%20Sleeping&node=1041924&searchSize=90&searchView=grid3&searchPage=1&sr=1-1&qid=1296911561&rh=target_com_brand-bin%3ABright%20Starts&searchBinNameList=target_com_brand-bin%2Ctarget_com_primary_color-bin%2Cprice&searchRank=pmrank&frombrowse=1

That's pretty neat... I didn't know they made PnP's like that - thanks!

tokenhoser · March 2011

I think I'm going to buy the Rock n Play. From the complaints I've read, sometimes the head padding shifts, leaving your baby's head on a hard plastic surface just under the cover. So it's a good idea to pay attention, and to make sure there is a padding under the head.

As for worrying about creating little sleep monsters, I think anything that works for the first 6-8 weeks is fair game. After that, they get a bit more self aware and you start forming routines and associations. Yes, I've been reading baby sleep theory books again.

AZ123 · March 2011

I didn't have it with my first but will use it for my second. I like the fact that it is inclined sleeping, which really helps if you have a gassy baby (which I did). I also like the fact that it is portable and so you can put it quickly in the bathroom while you take a shower, etc.

I will do like I did with my first and have the baby nap in the crib in their room and then sleep at night in the FB Rock n Play sleeper in our room. I think it is a good idea to get them used to their crib as soon as possible. It also frees up our room so I can fold laundry, make the bed, etc. while the baby is sleeping.

kdelynko · March 2011

I don't think a baby has to lay flat when sleeping. I have a friend who used this because her baby had bad reflux and couldn't lay flat - we were going to get it, but opted for the P&P and bouncer instead. We are going to try using the crib instead of cosleeping, so we will see how that goes -- we might be heading to Babies R Us right away to get one if we change our minds.

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