Baby Hammocks # 2

From memory I think he actually started sleeping better pretty much straight away. He didn't go to sleep in his cot to start with, everything was transitioned. This was built around how he settled best etc. So, by the time we got to him going to his cot at night he was actually being put down on our bed at first then transferred asleep into his cot when we went to bed. Then when he started to move a bit too much he was straight into his cot and now can be put down awake and go to sleep on his own. So, I kinda used a little bit of the old mixed with new I guess.

Can I ask any of you who may be experienced in the hammock department - what signs did you use to determine that it was time to move to a cot other than the obvious: size and weight?

Wriggliness! Olivia was about 11 months when she started to bum shuffle on dry land, so that is when we moved her to a cot. Charlie was a demon shuffler from earlier, and started protesting at the hammock at 10 months, so we moved him then. Lexie was more placid, and was content int he hammock until about 12 months, until she started to bounce so vigourously much by herself I was fearful she would start hitting the floor!

yah!! i've just bought a raw cotton amby hammock for our newborn (due feb). ds is a really bad sleeper so i'm really hoping that the hammock will help the new bubs to be a better sleeper than him!
after reading all your rave reviews on here i'm really looking forward to using it. i'm sure i'll be coming on here all the time and asking you guys heaps of questions!!

Thanks Lucy,
It is as I suspected. DD is doing a lot of wriggling and even turning right over in the hammock in the last few days.... right on the back of her first few days of crawling.

It is such a pity because she still goes down to sleep in the hammock so peacefully and seems so comfy and snug in there.

Ah well.... 8 months is not so bad.

I have just purchased a hammock for my dd nearly 9 weeks old as she only sleeps with us or in a swing or bouncer or car capsule (snugly thats why she does) so hopping the hammock will do the trick for me. It should arrive tommorrow.

Just an update:

Hammock arrived this morning, put bub down for a sleep at 1pm she was asleep within 15 minutes. First time she has self settled herself since she was born. She has stirred twice since and put herself back to sleep. The 15 minutes it took her to get to sleep she only winged a few times now big screams or crys so happy.

Now just hopping this continues for the next sleep and night sleep.

Just wanted to pop in here and say how much we are loving the hammock already and it has only been less than 24 hours!

Our little man strains and groans from wind pain and is a bit chucky and hasn't slept for more than about an hour without us having to resettle and cuddle etc.... Since sleeping in it he has been going 4 hourly between feeds and is sleeping for up to 3 hours in there, with a few noises inbetween but by the time we get in there he is gently swaying and is fast asleep! :leap:

A few questions though - we put him flat on his back wrapped up and he still tilts to one side because he turns his head - is this normal?? He is a big boy but I wonder how your kidlets lasted so long without rolling over or tilting the whole soft hammock part?

Also on cold nights we normally wrap and then pop a blanket over him and tuck it in the cradle - is it ok to add a blanket at night when its cold and tuck it under the mattress??

TIA - Im sure I will be back with more questions at some stage! This thread is great!

I didnt even know there was a hammock thread here! We got an Amby for DS to see if it would help him with his wind and possibly sleep for longer, but he doesn't like it! Well, he likes it if you stand there and bounce him to sleep, and then continue bouncing. If you stop he wakes.
He hasn't been in it for probably a month or two now. Last week he was in a rocker at my parents and worked out if he kicked his legs, then he bounced. I was wondering if he might do better in the hammock now? Will have to try him out in it again and see what happens.

Hi Tanstar,

I though I would answer some of your questions.

we put him flat on his back wrapped up and he still tilts to one side because he turns his head - is this normal?? This happens with my bub to though she has never been wraped as she hates it. I put her down on her back and then tuck a blanket around her, she tilts it to one side to.

He is a big boy but I wonder how your kidlets lasted so long without rolling over or tilting the whole soft hammock part? My bub is now 4 months old and has just started rolling over but in the hammock she just gets on her side she actually so far has not been able to roll in it.

Hi nic,

With my daughter the first week or so in it I would have to bounce her to sleep, now I put her in it when she shows her tired signs and she bouncers herself. Durring the night I can her bounce herself back to sleep. (she sleeps in our room). If your bub is still having some problems with sleeping I would try again and see how bub goes.


I got my amby hammock when dd was 9 weeks old best thing I did, before that only would sleep with me. I am hoping she stary in it till 2 yrs if possilbe. I also got it as she is a windy baby and this seems to help her.

Hope this answers your questions.

Tan, all 3 of mine looked "crooked" in the hannock: but it hasn't done them any harm at all!

Charlie was a winter baby (born into an adelaide winter in a fffreezing house!) and I wrapped him in a double wrap, then popped another blanket over the top, ticked in. Snug as a bug. OOoooh, I am envious!

I'm so glad the hammock is working for your little man Tan! Ours was a lifesaver with DS1. He did look a bit crooked at first, but I found that by moving him down a bit he looked straighter. It's almost impossible to get them straight! He never rolled over in his, I'm not sure why! I used to wrap him and also put a lightweight blanket over him on the cold days.

Tan, I was sooooo in lurve with my hammock too! When Oskar was little he didn't look too crooked, but as he got a bit bigger he did. He NEVER rolled over in it, we transitioned to a cot when he started getting too restless for it though and was wanting to lay on his side - around 6ish months from memory.

As for the blanket, I used to have him in a jumpsuit, wrapped then he'd have 2 blankets when it was really cold. Never had a problem. What I used to do though was with the first blanket I'd have the top of it around armpit height then the second around waist. Also used to have his arms out as he hated them in.

Hello,

we have used a Miyo baby hammock for my baby boy for his daytime sleeps up until today. We have been planning his transition to his regular cot as he's getting quite big, almost 10kg, however transition time came early as the spring snapped this morning and the hammock fell to the (hard concrete) floor with my baby in it. Thankfully I had a giant pillow under him so he was unscathed apart from the shock. I signed up to this forum specifically to warn parents using hammocks, we have loved ours, it certainly made longer daytime sleeps easier as you can bounce the baby back into dreamland when they stir after a sleep cycle, but PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE if you use one, place something thick and cushioned under it and NEVER leave the baby unsupervised in case the same thing happens again. The hammock states it is safety approved and suitable for babies between 0 and 15kg, though the spring can tolerate a weight of up to 200kg, however this does not seem to be the case. In retrospect, I would teach my baby to sleep in a proper safe cot from the beginning...

Sorry to hear about your bad luck. I'm glad you had a pillow underneath.

We use a Amby Hammock and have no such problems and ours is second hand. My baby currently uses it as his jolly jumper and if that spring is going to break then it would be now.

I'm interested to know where the spring broke. I've inspected ours and there doesn't seem to be any wear and tear. The Amby hammock have a 'saftey chain' so if something like this should happen then the baby won't hit the floor.

I bought a stronger spring from Amby when my DS1 would bounce so hard the hammock nearly hit the floor (he was getting close to 2 years old though!) and the stronger spring snapped :o. Luckily I was holding it so I caught it before DS was hurt. I contacted Amby and he sent me a new spring and it never happened again. I also used to keep a small foam mattress under the hammock just in case.

I think the issue for us was that my DS was that much older and he would bounce himself so hard!

hi experienced hammock users , i have just got my hammock today , ( i bought it 2nd hand off ebay)i dont think its an amby but its pretty much the same ..

after a little getting used to it DD has slept longer than her usual 30 mins :0 and had sitrred tiwce and gone back to sleep !!!!!

BUT im not sure how do i use it for a reflux baby , when i put her in it , it seems as though her bum is higer than her head , then she will start to scream . i have put a Tetra pram pillow under the matteress so her head is higher .. and the end part of the hamock is undone .. is that right ??

do i put her at the end of the hammock , in the middle or right up the top . how do i get it so its on a recline , it didnt come with instructions and ive been trying to google but cant really find any thing besides pics ...

DS went in a hammock to late and hated it , he rolled over in it all the time and got caught in it .. (it was hired so i just took it back ) and today DD did it too she was stuck down the side of it , but i think the matteress was off line ..

so could some one tell me , how to put baby in it ..she is 3mths and 6kgs , does she still need those safe and sound "roll bars" or is she too big for that now ??

TIA

Can you post a pic of the hammock? I have an Amby and you place bub down the bottom so basically their feet almost touch the end and because of the ties at the top where it connects to the springs you can adjust the incline if that makes sense. So I could tie it a bit tighter to raise the head end slightly. He never had his bum higher at any stage though... so I would suggest without seeing a pic of your hammock that bubs may need to be placed a little more towards the bottom of the hammock??

I have a pic which shows fairly well how close to the bottom of the hammock Oskar was.... if you click on his name and then click on photos and go to the one Oskar Levi 12 wks - 4 months there's a pic about the 5th one I think it is.... hope that might help you a bit. PM me if you get a pic and I'll help more if I can :)

Hi I actually have an amby and put bub as high to the head end as a can otherwise she is tilted downwards. She is 6.4kilos started in it at 9 weeks and never anything to stop rolling, some times she gets on her side but seemss fine.

Google Amby and have a look at bubs in tha hammocks there.