Questions for those who have used a baby hammock.

[Jac]

I am considering getting a baby hammock for my 2 month old who loves movement for sleeping. Just wondering how long you used one for (ie how old was your baby?) and did you have difficulty sleeping them in a cot after using the hammock?
My bub will only sleep "on the go" (car, pram, sling) during the day so this is when I was thinking the hammock might work. For some reason she sleeps ok in the bassinette overnight when I eventually get her to sleep (takes 1-2hrs to settle her to sleep there at night). Thoughts anyone?

Oh, and which brand is best? Are the ones on ebay ok?

TIA

[aimz78]

hi jac,
i have an amby hammock which we absolutely love. We got it when dd was around 4 months old. We are still going strong at almost 8 months. Not sure about the transition to cot but i figure we will cross that bridge when the time comes (hoping to keep her in the hammock for as long as we can). With the settling, they make it a lot easier them with the jiggling or swinging motion of the hammock, a lot quicker than rocking/patting in arms (saves your back, too!) There is a thread about this in the gentle parenting, comforted sleeping section.
HTH

[jackrose]

Our DD was in the hammock from 5 weeks to 8 months.

The only reason we had to move on from the hammock was that at that stage she began to try to roll in her sleep to sleep on her tummy. She would toss and turn and end up all tangled in an attempt to get on to her front. I was hoping to make it a little longer, but never the less, she transferred to the cot without any major dramas - I think she was happy to be able to roll around!

I believe the one's on ebay are fine, someone did mention a problem with a snapping spring recently so it is worth making sure it comes from a reputable dealer.

I got my hammock from Natures sway - a really beautifully made hammock which takes a babies weight up to 15kg. This is certainly something to look for, some hammocks do not have such high weight ranges and your little one might outgrow it before she is ready to move on! A mother in my group had this problem with a smaller hammock, her daughter was too long and too heavy for the hammock by 6 months and a friend of mine bought the miyo hammock and her son was out of it by 4 months due to the fact that the hammock touched the ground with him in it at that age (not an overly heavy baby, just a bad design)

I have heard good things about the amby hammock, but from research I have done and my own experience - Natures sway all the way for me!

You may wish to try renting for a little bit rather than buying one to help you decide.

Edit: And I should add - loved it, loved it, loved it!! DD was a champion sleeper for us in the hammock!

[Ozziehoffy]

We had an Amby hammock and I loved it sooooo much! Oskar slept through the night really well in it, it looks quite comfy lol. He was in it until around 6 months and that was only because he started to roll around too much in his sleep. Had no probs transitioning him to the cot cos he used to sleep on our bed or cot a lot during the day as he just never liked the hammock in the day, only at night. He was ready to have more room to move around I think.

[~Trish~]

The thread on baby hammocks is HERE.

I used one for DS1 up until he was nearly 2! He never rolled in it and never tried to get out of it so he was safe. He flat out refused to sleep in his cot so it was the only thing that worked for us. He transitioned to a toddler bed with no issues at all. My sister used it for both her bubs with no issues transitioning to a cot. Her DS was transitioned at 6 months and her DD at 10 months with no dramas whatsoever.

I have an Amby hammock and highly recommend them. They are sturdy and really well made. It was the best thing we could have bought!

[thepixie]

Yep another happy hammock user here! We have an Amby and DD loves it! Just put her down in it awake half an hour ago and she was asleep in five minutes, happy as a clam!

[sweetpea678]

Another one here with the amby hammock got it when bub was 9 weeks old, and she learnt to self settle in three days in it, she is nearly 5 months and still in it. Hoping she will stay in it till 2yrs. Big imporvment for me is she will now sleep in pram and car, it has helped her learn to sleep.

Also went away recently took it with us so easy to pack and unpack had it set up with in 5min, so she could sleep after an 9hour trip, she slept realy well. Best thing I brought, beside my ergo baby carrier.