For This Military Mum of 3, SNOO Was a Must-Have
Photo: Twenty20
Before Aimee Lorge had her third baby, she was faced with a common modern parenting dilemma: She needed to find a place for her baby to sleep that was safe and would actually help everyone get ZZZ’s. She knew from experience that this hasn’t always been a simple ask.
Aimee’s first child was a tough sleeper, who would typically only snooze in the car. “I always said we needed a self-driving car, so we could both sleep in it. He just needed that feeling of movement. We had items that vibrated, but they never seemed to do it for him,” she says.
Her exhaustion was exacerbated by the fact that her husband, who is an active-duty member of the Navy, was overseas for the first four months of her son’s life. “I had help from family, but at night, it was just me and my son. Sometimes the nights were so long,” she remembers.
Like many sleep-deprived parents, Aimee turned to an inclined sleeper to help her first two babies get some rest. By the time she became pregnant with her third child, inclined sleepers had been recalled. “Now we know they’re unsafe, but back then, you could still buy them, and that’s the only thing he would sleep in,” she says.
Given the sleeping challenges she’d had previously, Aimee wondered what she’d do this time around. Then, she met SNOO.
One of Aimee’s friends, who had previously relied on an inclined sleeper as well, decided to get SNOO as a safer alternative.
“When I saw her SNOO, I could see how it was really conducive to sleep because my kids tended to like some movement,” Aimee says. “She also showed me how the swaddle clicked into place. I liked how the sides were so breathable and how the baby can’t roll over when clipped in there. The whole thing felt really safe for me.”
However, despite being intrigued by SNOO, Aimee held off initially. She put her newborn daughter in a basic bassinet during their first night home from the hospital.
“It was a hard night,” Aimee remembers. The next day, she and her husband decided that with three little kids, sleep was too important to pass up. And, once they saw Happiest Baby’s promotion they were sold.
Aimee’s daughter liked SNOO right away. “Within the first week, we noticed that her sleep—and our sleep—improved,” Aimee says. Now, at 5 months, Aimee’s daughter sleeps in 7 to 8 hour stretches at night.
SNOO’s safety features helped cement Aimee’s enthusiasm. And as the mum to two curious toddlers, Aimee has special appreciation for SNOO’s sturdiness.
“My 3- and 2-year-old want to be near the baby and want to hang onto the bassinet,” she says. “The basic bassinet we got before SNOO seemed to be very flimsy. One thing I like about SNOO is that it’s sturdy, so when they try to look over the edge, I’m not worried they’re going to pull it over with the baby in it.”
Aimee only wishes she’d had SNOO when she was alone with her first child.
“It would have made such a difference because sleep impacts your quality of life and mental health so, so much,” she says. “The first couple of months are so very hard, and if you’re doing it for the first time and you’re far away from your support system, anything you can do to have a little more time for self-care—to take a shower, to get a little more sleep, to step out of room to get coffee—and to feel confident that the baby is in a safe environment, I think that’s worthwhile.”
Even though Aimee’s husband is home now, she still values the extra support SNOO provides.
“Both my husband and I work. For working parents, where both people need to face the day and be productive, it’s a great thing to have to ensure that you can get a little more sleep,” she says.
Needless to say, Aimee isn’t looking forward to the day her daughter graduates from SNOO.
“Before we had our first kid, we read the book, we watched the video, and I went to a Happiest Baby class—we totally believe in it. I’m really thankful for the products Happiest Baby produces,” she says. “I’m really happy with SNOO, and I’ll be sad when my daughter grows out of it.”
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