Cynical Parent
Sleep is precious. And if your baby isn’t getting it, neither are you.
It’s one of the reasons some people are willing to shell out nearly $1,500 for a bassinet (the Snoo) that supposedly helps your baby sleep better.
I’ve tried the Snoo – we rented it for a month when our 3 month old would only nap in our arms. It’s impressive in the way that it works, and it’s a stylish looking piece of furniture.
But ultimately, we returned it for 2 reasons:
1) It was too damn expensive. Not that we couldn’t afford it, but it didn’t seem worth the money.
2) It didn’t seem to do much for us over other similar (less expensive) options.
With all of that said, I know some parents rave about the Snoo, so I’m not going to say it doesn’t work or that it’s not worth the money. Lots of parents praise its effectiveness and I know it has helped infants sleep better.
What if we told you there are some good Snoo alternatives that won’t break the bank?
Granted, you aren’t going to find anything exactly like the Snoo for less money, but there are bassinets out there that work just as well.
We did the research. Let’s check ’em out.
Note: This post contains affiliate links. See affiliate disclaimer at the bottom of the page.
The Best Snoo Alternatives and Knockoffs
Here are the best Snoo alternatives we found that will give you more bang for your buck.
Snoo Alternative #1: Graco Sense2Snooze Bassinet
One of the things that makes the Snoo unique is the cry detection technology – as your baby cries, the bassinet recognizes the intensity of the cry and rocks/vibrates accordingly to help sooth your child (and hopefully put him or her back to sleep).
Most bassinets don’t have this feature, but the Graco Sense2Snooze does!
This feature, along with others we’ll describe below, are what make this one our #1 best Snoo alternative. It’s worthy of being called a “knockoff” given that it costs a fraction of the price.
Pros:
- Cry detection technology – it has a built-in microphone that can sense a baby’s cries to adjust its settings and soothe the baby back to sleep
- Good variety of soothing techniques – head-to-toe soothing motion, 3 different speeds, 2-speed vibration, white noise, 10 sleepy songs, and 10 soothing sounds
- Reversible canopy – This is something the Snoo doesn’t have; this canopy can be positioned to shield your baby from light to help them sleep better in lighter environments
- It has wheels – Another feature the Snoo doesn’t have; if you find yourself moving the bassinet around the house, this will be easier to move than the Snoo (which doesn’t have wheels and is rather heavy)
Cons:
- Not as “nice” looking as the Snoo – looks like your typical Graco baby product
- No app to control it remotely – Unlike the Snoo, you won’t be able to control this remotely with an app or set a timer
- Music and white noise don’t get too loud – if you’re someone who likes to turn white noise up pretty loud, you may need to supplement this with another white noise device
Overall, for the price, this is probably one the best Snoo alternatives on the market.
Click here to read more about the Graco Sense2Snooze on Amazon.
Snoo Alternative #2: Fisher-Price Soothing Motions Bassinet
The Fisher-Price Soothing Motions bassinet is once again another Snoo alternative that has some great features and won’t break the bank.
While you won’t have cry detection, this one can be controlled by an app (like the Snoo!) and might be just what your little one needs to sleep better. As a very affordable option, we like this one a lot.
Let’s take a look at some of the pros and cons vs. the Snoo:
Pros:
- Soothing motions – Yeah, that’s the name of the bassinet. It follows your baby’s lead with swaying motions that respond to their natural movements (or you can manually sway it).
- App control! – While not as robust as the Snoo, you can control and customize all the soothing features of this bassinet from your smart device
- Two options for lighting – This is something the Snoo doesn’t have; Choose from soothing projection (stars) or a regular night light
- Mesh sides – Like the Snoo, mesh sides for breathability and so you can see your baby better from the side
Cons:
- Once again, doesn’t look as nice as the Snoo – At this price point, you’re not going to get the same aesthetics as the Snoo, but that’s okay.
- No cry detection – Although the bassinet will move as the baby moves, it doesn’t have any way to detect crying.
- Motion is not as strong as the Snoo – The motion used by this bassinet is a lot more subtle than the Snoo, and really only moves a lot if you push it with your hand.
Here’s a short video that shows how this bassinet works:
Click here to read more about the Fisher-Price Soothing Motions Bassinet.
Snoo Alternative #3 (for naps): Graco DuoGlider
We’ve labeled this one “for naps” because technically it’s not recommended for overnight sleep (although many parents do use it that way). Right off the bat, that’s one important distinction from the Snoo.
However, if naps are where you’re finding a challenge, or you need something to help your baby get to sleep at night before moving them to a crib, the Graco DuoGlider might be the right Snoo alternative for you. It’s also far less expensive than the Snoo or even the Graco bassinet we recommended above.
Key Features:
- Our favorite feature >> The swing seat reclines to a rocker with an easy, one-hand motion, allowing your baby to lay down and nap without having to be moved from the swing.
- It rocks and glides with the same type of motion as a nursery glider
- Two-speed vibration and six swinging speeds
- Classical melodies and nature sounds
Click here to read more about the Graco DuoGlider on Amazon.
That’s it for our list of best Snoo alternatives!
As we all know, there is no one-size-fits-all advice for babies. There are some general guidelines, but every baby is exceptional in some way.
The Snoo didn’t work well for us, but there are thousands of people who swear by it and say it was worth every penny. If you don’t feel like it’s for you, there are some great alternatives worth trying, that won’t break the bank the same way the Snoo does.
The nice thing about some of these baby products is that there is a good second hand market (e.g. Facebook Marketplace) where you can either find these products (or the Snoo) for less money used, OR you can buy it new and sell it when you’re done to recoup some of what you originally paid.
(As a side note, if you’re looking for a good sleep sack, here are our favorites.)
Are you going to try the Snoo? What are some other bassinets that have worked for you? Leave a comment below!
