Shnuggle Air Bedside Crib – Review!

A true convert to the Shnuggle bath (we have the baby bath AND the toddler bath) , I hadn’t realised with my others what a game changer it is but with Posie and Raffie it’s made bath time super easy, fun and poses great longevity for the product as well as versatility (camping was a breeze). I wrote about it a while back but today I want to tell you all about another of the Shnuggle products we love (I mean, actually, there are a fair few Shnuggle faves if I’m honest, the Shnuggle Moonlight, Shnuggle Wearable Baby Towel and Yoga Mat are also highly rated here but for now…) the Snhuggle Air Bedside Crib.

It’s super neat and has made a real difference to our sleep. Seriously, and this comes form a Mum who has NEVER had a baby sleep in a cot or a crib for longer than about 10 minutes, Full stop.

Florence, my first, was tricky about sleep from the off. As a first baby I’d assumed she would just, you know, go in her Moses basket but I found out, less than 24 hours after she was born, that she very definitely had other ideas. I struggled for the first two weeks not daring to deviate from any advice and I religiously put her down in the Moses basket every time she fell asleep. It was ridiculously hard as she would wake up the minute I did that and though I’d do all sorts to get her to go in it like leaving over it with a boob out feeding her until she dropped off the nipple, lowering her ever so gently and peeling my body away from hers, leaving her to cry for a while… Nothing worked. She had stamina from day one and knew what she wanted. She’d cry and not even slightly waiver, she would ping her eyes open as soon as I removed the last finger that was touching her and then that was that. A fortnight in and I was exhausted. Exhausted with it all as I had mastitis from not being able to get her to latch properly, I needed antibiotics and was just on my last legs. I’d walk all day with her in the buggy (when she’d allow that, she preferred the sling) and in the evenings Jonny would take her for a drive so that I could try and sleep for an hour. Of course I couldn’t, my new baby was out in a car without me and I couldn’t see her. It was HARD WORK and I began to notice that she would only really stay asleep when attached to me. If I sat down on the bed next to her Moses basket, while still holding her having given up on the transfer, she would snuggle in and sleep. At that point I brought her in my bed and just lived through the worry as I was living (or trying to sleep) against all advice.

I had one arm crooked and out with her nestled on it like a chick under a wing and Jonny would say in the middle of the night if he came anywhere near her I’d kick him away, even if I was sleeping too. Over time I became more confident with this arrangement (I had to) and we slipped into co-sleeping as a necessity and act of survival. It was beautiful actually and I preferred it too. She stayed in my bed until her baby brother Jimmy came along and then he took the space while she was ready to go into a toddler bed. And they all did that after, in with me until the next one came along and feeding all night while I at least got some sleep. I wouldn’t change it but getting to Posie, my last (probably) and I wondered how long she’d be in with us as frankly, it could be years. If anything she’s more adamant that she stays with me, more determined to not sleep anywhere else (car seats and buggies don’t even work ever so slightly and I have to carry her in a sling with me at all times or she simply screams (the car seat), wriggles free and tries to jump out (the buggy). At 4 months in the bassinet she would turn on her tummy (also her preferred sleep position and there’s nothing I can do about it as she just turns right back over every time I replace her on her back) and flip a leg over trying to get out. I strap her in in the seat now and though on the tightest setting she manages to get her arms out, then stands up and releases a leg before I allow the second leg to go the same way, pick her up and put her in the sling. Told you, determination.

So this time, fourth time in an army of co-sleeping products (I used a Dock-A-Tot with Raffie, and this makes me feel safer so of course we use it for her too) and an arsenal of knowledge on what works for us, I wanted to try a bedside crib. Just to see… To see if she would sleep in it, allow me a bit of space in the bed and for there to be at least some part of the night I could deeply sleep and not always be with one eye half open. I’ve not slept properly for over a decade, which is fine, I’m kind of used to it now, but just one last try couldn’t hurt at finding a solution.

The Shnuggle Air Bedside Crib fixes right next to my bed and though they advise to have the side zipped up during the night, so that she is in a separate space of her own but with the ability for a quick unzip and easy reach when needed, I made the personal decision to just use it as an extension of my bed and never put the side up. I must stress Shnuggle do not recommend this but as with everything parenting related you do have to always do what works best for you. For me, this method is like having an extra big bed with sides all around so that she can’t fall out but still being a separate space of her own.

To begin with it didn’t work well, she was like a tiny little dot in the crib which is big enough for a toddler sized person (in this house of small people it is) and she wasn’t keen on being in there. I added that swine Ewan the Dream Sheep (many people I know swear by his hypnotic charms it has to be said) who for us made a liar out of himself. she no more goes to sleep because of him than anything else but over time we found things which have helped like the Zed from Rockit Rocker. We have a Rockit Rocker which in all honestly doesn’t do much for us as she won’t go in the buggy… Go figure, but this Zed really unobtrusively does seem to soothe with a slight vibration all night long. I get very panicked when it runs out of batteries and wouldn’t be without it but still I’d say she is much better at using it in MY bed rather than hers. Eventually I added the Dock-A-Tot, which is a nest (formerly known as a Sleepyhead) and I think she feels far more cucooned and held from being in it, which, has finally meant she will sleep in her crib. As she gets bigger, and she’s probably nearly there to be honest, I will take the nest away and hopefully she will feel so comfotable in her crib that she won’t miss it. And when she gets too big for the crib we can buy the cot conversion kit which will turn it into a cot. Perfection!

Does Posie sleep in this religiously? No… I’ll be honest she doesn’t. She feeds to sleep and I move her into it, so that I can still have a hand on her because just like her big sister she needs the contact. We then sleep like that for a good couple of hours before she wakes for a feed and comes in with me. Sometimes I will put her back again and we do the same before she comes in with me for the rest of the sleep but either way it’s really enabled me to sleep longer, better and deeper even if only for a couple of hours at a time. She is so comfortable in there that sometimes I even manage to transfer her into it when having a day time nap, not holding onto her at all and then I can get jobs done (or just sit down) for half an hour which is the limit on any napping she does. Once a day. I mean, what can I say, my children just don’t need sleep!

Would I be without it? No! This is the most sleep I’ve had in years and I really don’t want her to grow out of it so it’s perfect that there’s a conversion kit we can make into a proper cot and have her in our room, in that, for longer. She has a cot in her room of course but that’s just for aesthetics, I have no doubt she will never sleep in that until we convert it to a bed for her. but there we are. This is a great middle ground and great help!

Features: The crib has mesh sides which mean even when the side is up next to the bed you can see the baby. It allows for airflow to be maximised as the sides are breathable as well as the ability to see in and out. The mattress is made from a hypo-allergenic fibre, providing 50% more breathability than standard foam mattresses. (Tested to BS EN ISO 9237-1995 for air permeability) and is included with the crib – sheets bought separately. The conversion kit obviously needs a new mattress which is also an extra purchase but not bank breaking at £50. There is also the ability to incline the crib so that when they have a cold, colic, reflux etc this can be eased. I remember propping Florence up with a pillow (REALLY not advised) and this makes that a lot easier!

Now, the crib is recommended to only 6 months, 9kg or when they can roll over. Posie is not at the weight limit but can actually stand up in the crib now which isn’t the best but I feel personally comfortable with it and as she’s so tiny in stature I’m happy to keep going for a while yet before we go in for the conversion kit. However, when making that initial purchase you can buy the whole bundle as one which makes it a little cheaper so I’d definitely go for that option.

I’m definitely an advocate for co-sleeping, it’s the only thing I know how to do with my children but this does give me such a boost of sleep and really, the best of both worlds at times. Shnuggle make thoughtful products with a lot of real knowledge behind what parents and babies need rather than simply what will look nice – though their products combine both very stylishly. The crib is unobtrusive and looks great in our room. It also has a super handy shelf underneath it where I usually keep nappies and wipes and spare bedding. Thumbs up yet again Shnuggle, thumbs up – Now we just have to convert it and see how that pans out. Will she continue to sleep solo for any of the night? We will see!

We were gifted our Shnuggle Air Bedside Crib.