A comfortable newborn nest with added health benefits to reduce Plagiocephaly, reflux and colic - but it comes with a large price tag. Expensive, needs special fitted sheets, restrictions on what cots/ cribs can be used with. We all want our newborns to sleep well and to be safe and comfy at the same time. French company Red Castle believes it has the perfect product for that - the Cocoonababy. Interestingly Red Castle claim the baby nest helps newborns make the transition from womb to world super easily, due to its ergonomic design, making it perfect for your baby’s emotional and physical well-being. It also claims to promote better and longer sleep cycles, improve digestion and reduce incidences of reflux. The parenting brand itself is large and sells a vast range of baby products including car seats, strollers, baby carriers and blankets. But the Cocoonababy is clearly its most popular product and one of the best-selling infant shells on the market. However, it faces some stiff competition in the form of the Enfant Terrible Sleepyhead Deluxe Pod (£99), Quietmark MIRACLE Baby Sleep-trainer (£100) and Purflo Bed Nest (£49.99).
And at £129.95 the Cocoonababy is one of the most expensive on the market. While that’s a big claim and really, there isn’t a way to measure it, the Cocoonababy does seem really comfortable for my newborn son Rafferty. He definitely looks very snug and contented while he’s in the nest, he sinks down into it and it molds around him. But as there is also a firm base in the nest it also offers support and looks like he is very protected in it. The wedge allows his legs to bend towards him in a very comfortable way and he certainly looks happier than when he's on a regular mattress. You can buy the Cocoonababy from the John Lewis, JoJo Maman Bebe or Amazon.Not only is he cradled in a very comfortable position. It offers the right support for his head and his legs look well supported as well. Rafferty’s sleep cycles are still a bit unpredictable so it's hard to assess if he sleeps better in this, but given how snug and comfortable he is in it, I would assume he does.
I found it useful to use in the daytime instead of a moses basket as it’s light-weight and easy to move around the house so I can have him napping in whichever room I’m in. As far as this is an expert review, this is something that’s difficult to measure without being medical professional. After sleeping on the mattress for two weeks my son didn’t get Plagiocephaly. I think that’s because of the way the mattress curves down to support his body and the head. And there is certainly less pressure on the back of the his head than there would be by using a flat mattress so it would make sense that it would help relieve it. I know from having suffered reflux myself that lying totally flat makes it worse so it makes sense that having the head tilted slightly upwards would make a baby with reflux more comfortable. I can’t really answer this, as I haven’t had a colic-y baby. But as it’s done what it said it will in other respects, I don’t doubt it would help relieve it.
No, you can’t, the Cocoonababy is meant to be used on the floor or in a cot. And it’s worth noting the top of the Cocoonababy needs to sit 20cm lower than the top of the cot you are using. Given its 19cm height, this rules out using it in moses baskets or smaller cribs such as the one we are using with our newborn, a gliding crib from John Lewis. From a practical point of view, I don’t have room for a large cot next to my bed so it means when I tried to use it at night my son was actually sleeping further away from me than he would be in the gliding cot, on a normal mattress, which was frustrating at night. While I think it’s a great product, I have preferred using a regular mattress with my gliding cot at night, while using the Cocoonababy for naps during the day. Anyone who has endured sleepless nights with a newborn will tell you that you can’t put a price on a good night’s sleep, however at £129.95, it is expensive. It comes with a fitted sheet which is machine washable at 30 degrees, however if you want spare sheets which is quite likely, you need to buy the ones that specifically fit it which cost £19.95 each.
You can also buy a machine washable protective cover, which is £24.95. You can also purchase a high waisted sleeping bag called a Cocobag, which costs £19.95 for the lightweight version and £23.95 for the quilted one. So while it’s a great product, it’s definitely not a cheap option, especially as it’s only likely to last until your baby is around four-months-old. A great – if expensive – option to help your baby to sleep well, but make sure you research how it must be used and that it would work for you before buying. It’s important to consider the size of cot you would need to use with it and whether you would be able to fit it in a cot next to your bed. 13 Infant Deaths Tied to Sleep Positioners Officials Warn Sleep Positioners Pose Suffocation Risk Nov. 21, 2012 -- A product marketed to help keep babies safe while they sleep may have the opposite effect. At least 13 infants have died since 1997 while lying in sleep positioners or sleep wedges, a new CDC report shows.
The products often claim to reduce the risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). Researchers found all but one of the deaths involved infants aged 3 months or less. Most of the infants were placed on their sides to sleep in the sleep positioner, and many were later found lying on their stomachs. Most of the infants suffocated after rolling onto their stomachs from a side-facing position. The FDA has never approved any infant sleep positioner to prevent or reduce the risk of SIDS. Officials are urging parents to follow these safety steps: Stop using sleep positioners. Using a sleep positioner to hold an infant on his or her back for sleep is dangerous and unnecessary. Never put pillows, wedges, comforters, or quilts under an infant in a crib or bassinet. Always put an infant to sleep on his or her back at night and at nap time to reduce the risk of SIDS. A few infant sleep positioners have been cleared by the FDA to treat specific medical conditions, such as gastroesophageal reflux.
Officials say these sleep positioners should only be used by prescription. New Warning for Sleep Positioners There are two main types of infant sleep positioners. One is a flat mat with a side bolster. The other is an inclined wedge mat with side bolsters. The FDA and U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) also issued a warning against the use of sleep positioners in 2010. In this latest report, researchers from the CDC, FDA, and CPSC reviewed data on deaths related to infant sleep positioners from January 1997 to March 2011. The results showed 13 deaths. The victims ranged in age from 21 days to 4 months. Four of the infants had been born prematurely and three were one of a set of twins. Four of the 13 infants also had recent respiratory symptoms, such as a cold. “At least nine of the infants were placed on their sides (and one prone), raising the concern that the 'back-to-sleep' message to position infants on their backs is either not being heard or not being followed,” researcher Brenda Lawrence, MD, of the FDA, writes in the CDC report.