Baby Hammocks # 2

Hello any experienced Amby Natures Nest hammock users! I have just set up my hammock and have a few questions - these all relate to using it for a newborn:

• The instructions says to use a Cuddle Snuggler for infants. I was going to buy one from the shop I got the hammock from, but the lady said I wouldn't need it. Any suggestions?
• Sheets - I didn't buy Amby sheets as I read someone's post saying the quality wasn't great. But bassinet sheets are too short. Did you use anything under bubs?
• The instructions says not to use plastic lining on mattress - does that mean don't use a mattress protector of any sort?
• I've read its good to wrap /swaddle bubs but the instructions says to wrap loosley with cover or quilt (leaving arms free). What did you do?

I've set up the hammock beside the bed and am hoping bubs loves it!

Cheers

Numa :)

Yay for getting an Amby! I'm sure you and your bub will love it :). I hope I can help answer your questions!

1. I never used a snuggler for my DS, but he was 10 weeks old when we started using it. I still think you could get away without one, you wouldn't be using it for long.

2. I didn't use Amby sheets, I just used the cover that's already on the mattress and washed it frequently. If I needed to use something else, I just used a cot sheet folded around it.

3. I didn't use a mattress protector, I think that's what they are referring to? You can wash the entire mattress if you need to. I used to put a cloth flat nappy under DS's head because he used to be very spewy.

4. I'm not sure why it says not to wrap your bub? I used to fully wrap DS all the time in his Amby when he was little! Maybe it's incase they accidently roll over? By then you'd stop wrapping your bub anyway.

I hope this helps!

My bub started in mine at 8 weeks with no snugglers. She never liked being wrapped so never did, i only use the cover that came with it, i also made one myself. I also wrap a cloth nappy around the top bit where bubs head is as she dribbles and is sweaty.

She is 6 months now and still going in it realy well. She can roll on the floor but does not do it in the hammock.

I used a snuggler with DD but she grew out of it ... maybe around 12 weeks?
used the Amby sheets but I rarely need to wash them cause I use a cloth flat nappy under her and then a folded wrap over that. nothing has ever got through the defences yet, touch wood! And DD has been wrapped every night and still is (although she has one arm out now).
As for the jump thing I thought it was a bit of a waste.... :rolleyes: tried it at 3 months because she seemed to want to stand all the time, she was far too little for it. Tried it again yesterday, she enjoyed it for a few minutes and then wanted to get out. As someone else mentioned its a PITA to get bub in and out of. so I wouldn't bother.

just wanted to let you know- there's a lady on ebay who sells fitted sheets (sort of like pillow covers) specifically fitted to amby baby hammocks.i haven't purchased any yet, but they look really good. i might give her a try once bubs is here.

I didn't know there was a cuddler thing?? lol. Didn't use anything like that.

Sheet, nope, just did like the others did with a cloth nappy.

Wrapped, yep no probs at all and when it was winter he had blankets as well. He never liked his arms wrapped so we used to wrap from under his arms anyway.

No mattress protector... BUT you can just get a bassinette one and put it on the bottom part where bubs bottom half of the body is I guess if you wanted to. I'm unsure if the reason they say not to is to do with air circulation or not??

We didn't use ours much, but when we did we just did the cloth nappy as well, instead of a sheet.
we got the snuggler (DH wanted too, I didn't) and we actually ended up using it with DS in his bassinette. we found that if we put it around him, he wasnt waking up as soon as we put him down, as much. I think he like the 'snugness' of it, probably made him feel like he was still being cuddled/held in a way.

Our jump jump arrived a couple of days ago, and DH set it up last night. I was out, but he said he did need DD to help him put DS in, she pulled him feet through i think? He absolutely loved it though.

Nic

Thanks for your replies everyone - very helpful! :D

Hi amby fans! Any thoughts on this?
we love our amby. DD is 10months now and cosleeps part time when she wakes in the night. She now seems to have a preference to sleeping on her side which i think could be making her a bit uncomfortable and waking up more frequently during the night. Is it time to transition her?

Hi Aimz78,

I can't really help with weather bub is outgrowing your hammock, my bub is nearly 7 months and has gone threw frequent waking at times for about a week when she learns a new thing but then settles again. She actually will roll to her side in tha hammock and sleeps qiuet well like that, it just means the hammock is on a slight angle. I know I am dreading the transition as bub sleeps either in her hammock or on my back in a carrier she wont even fall asleep bf in bed with me. I amactually hoping she manages to stay in hers till around 2.

I have been thinking about this too lately.... not sure when to transition. I asked my stepmum who used hammocks with all of her kids and she said when they can pull themselves up to a sitting position... that would be soon for Reaghan I think sweetpea? I guess because then they can kind of topple over the end. The Bear wants her to stay in it till she is 2 but she is so big in it now, I think we will need to move to a cot soon... :think:

Each bub is different, with Oskar he was around 6 months and it was because he wanted to roll over in his sleep, he mainly sleeps on his tummy which is just like me. So, I would say that if she's waking more frequently and wanting to sleep on her side then it might be time... you say she partly co sleeps, so she should be pretty good on the transition as she's used to a bed anyway. I didn't have any problems with Oskar transitioning at all.

There are others on BB who's bubs have been in hammocks a LOT longer than Oskar was... I don't know if their kiddies were pulling themselves up or just waking more or what, hopefully some more people will pop in to help :D

So DD has started rolling over in her sleep, ends up on her side, kind of twisted, and can't get back. She wakes up crying and I need to turn her back over. I guess this means it's time for a cot?

hi girls
i need to pick your brains about a few things! hope that's ok :)
ok, i've never used a hammock before and don't know anyone that has one, but i have bought an amby hammock for my new baby (due in 2 days).
my questions are- do i still wrap him before i put him in it? do i use it for day sleeps and night time?

ThePixie - If you feel uncomfortable with your DD in the hammock (it sounds like she might be!) then I suppose it might be time to try to cot. Has she been rolling over in it for long? She might be just working it all out and may stop rolling in it soon?

Rainforest - Not long until you get to use your hammock! I always wrapped my DS1 before putting him in his hammock when he was tiny. As for day/night sleeps, it's completely up to you. I only used it for day naps in the beginning because he refused to sleep in his cot during the day. Over time he became more dependant on the hammock and eventually flat-out refused to sleep in his cot at all. Not all babies do this, but mine did!

I got the cutest blue Amby hammock in the other day and I'm so tempted to keep it LOL! I have kept the one I used for DS1, even though DS2 wouldn't go in it, but it's the older daggier fabric and I like to blue one! DH won't let me though :(. We'll see......

thanks so much trish. i wish i'd known you got one in earlier! could've saved me some $$$

Aww, sorry! I only got it in last week and I haven't put it on my website yet. I don't want to until I'm 100% sure I want to sell it LOL! It seems so silly when I already have one!

When did you buy yours?

oh, it's ok. i bought mine before xmas. i was watching a few on ebay, but ended up just buying one brand new from amby. can't wait to use it, i hope he loves it. ds1 has been such a bad sleeper, i'm really hoping this makes a difference with the new baby.

If it makes you feel any better, I rarely ever get second hand hammocks in and I didn't have one before Christmas! I can get them at wholesale price through Amby though, which has been handy when I need accessories! PM me if you ever need any accessories ;)

It's money well spent, our hammock seriously was the best thing we ever bought for DS1! I hope you have as much success with it as we did :)

Pixie, I would say yes it probably is time to move on to the cot...Oskar was the same, started to want to roll but once he went into his cot he slept a lot better again.

Rainforest, I used it for both for about a week but then Oskar decided he didn't like it during the day...lol. I did wrap him (from under the arms as he hated having his arms in the wrap) and when it was winter he had another wrap over him like a sheet and tucked under with his arms inside that one. They have the "startle" reflex which is one of the main reasons we wrap them as they wake themselves up.

If your baby is happy to be in it for day and night then do that :) Otherwise your bub will let you know no doubt. Good luck!! I love the Amby...can't wait to set it up again!

ok....just tried to put my newborn in it and he hated it!
he just looked so tiny in it, it looked like it was going to swallow him!
it also seemed like his head was too low, like he was almost upside down. should i wait till he's a little older? wdyt??

did you put ds as far up to the head end as possible, thats is what my instructions says. I got mine at 8 weeks and dd loved it just transitoned her to cot this week. she will be 8 months on wednesday.

Are you wrapping him, they do look small in them but usualy like the movment. Have you tried gently bouncing him.

thanks sweetpea, no i put him more in the middle. i might wait a week or so and then pop him in it again with his head right up the end. thank you

awww, I am sorry your first try didn't work for you Rainforest, but if it didn't feel right you did the right thing to give up and try again later.

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did you put ds as far up to the head end as possible
Are you wrapping him, they do look small in them but usualy like the movment. Have you tried gently bouncing him.

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exactly what I would suggest. I placed DD as far to the end as possible to keep her head elevated.

I didn't really use my hammock until 5 weeks. DD slept on the couch, in the pram (bassinet) and on my bed for naps and we co-slept in a single bed just DD and I for the first 5 weeks while we got used to each other and sleeping. At 5 weeks I moved back into the 'marital bed' and DD started the night in the hammock, moving into the bed and co-sleeping for the rest of the night when she woke for her first feed.

Definitely try again later when you feel better about it. It certainly wont be too late.

Hi Rainforest - I had to pop in and reply to your post as I had exactly the same experience with my boy. As a newborn it seemed his head was always lower than his bum no matter where I positioned him. It felt really wrong to put him in there. I left it for a few weeks and then started trying it for daytime sleeps and by about 3 weeks it seemed better. He sleeps in it heaps now... :D I think they just needs to put a little weight on their bums to balance things out!

Well we moved DD into a cot last week and had no issues at all with the transition.... she has slept through again a couple of times now which is great! now that she is in a cot I can see why she was getting uncomfortable in the hammock - she likes to sleep arched backwards! looks really uncomfortable but she seems to like it!
Rainy hope your DS likes the hammock next time you try it :)

I used to put Oskar with his feet right down the bottom so it weighted it down that way if that makes sense?? If you have the Amby you can adjust it by the ties around the "hanger" part.

After reading these posts we're thinking about hiring one for our DD2. How much are they brand new? I'd have to weigh up the costs of new and if I hired one for few months.

new there the amby ones are around $300 but look at ebay i brought mine of there for $120 postage included.There is one on there in south yarra at the moment.

...just spent last hour or more reading this thread...

DS is refluxer, needs to be rocked to sleep and only sleeps during day for 30 - 40 mins. DH and I are thinking we might try a hammock. I read that some people keep their bubs in till nearly 1yr!
So, what sort of weight can they handle? DS is 4 mths, Im guessing he is still young enough to transition from a bassinet into a hammock?
We need one that wont take up too much room but needs to be on a stand, we cant attatch to door or ceiling (looks like the amby is compact design). What other brands are there? I looked up the NZ one called Natures Sway also, quite pricey.

Any further advise?

The amby can take up to 15 kilos, you can buy a stronger spring to take them further, is quiet compact, my dd started in ours at 8 weeks and tranistioned to a cot at 8 months becuse she learnt to roll over in it. You can get them second hand on ebay etc to save cost. Thats how I got mine.

Consider the length as well as the weight recommendations as taller babies will not fit in for as long.

I went with the natures sway (but did not need to purchase the stand as we were able to suspend from the ceiling) and it was fantastic. It can deal with a long/tall baby - not sure of the exact dimensions but it does appear bigger than the Amby. Hopefully someone with an Amby can give you some advice on their length limit, but they do look more than adequate. Bear in mind, if you don't have a particularly tall baby you should be fine.

I think that generally most babies transition out of the hammock at around the 8 month mark due to the fact that they want to roll around in their sleep. That said, some babies definitely do last longer. So you still should get 4 months of use at least. I believe that it is absolutely worth it. I used to say it was the best money we spent on DD, it would have been worth it for even one week of decent sleep in my opinion! If you can get one on ebay a little cheaper - all the better!

Salsa, I don't know if you have checked the Amby website for the dimensions, but they do have them on there. The frame is 5ft high, 710mm wide, and 940mm deep (from their website) They also have the mattress dimensions on there too. :)

Hi Girls,

Just wondering if anyone has used or heard anything in regards to the Kanoe baby hammock?

We've purchased one for our first bub, due shortly, and just wanting a bit of feedback or any tips, etc.

Any info anyone has would be great

:D