What Helps Us Sleep (A Little) With a New Baby at Home
Parent-tested, baby-approved ways to survive the early weeks
We’re just a few weeks away from welcoming our third child. Those first few months are unforgettable (read: brutal)—a blur of love, exhaustion, and questionable hygiene. Depending on how much sleep you get, you might actually forget them. Here are the devices that made those early days a lot easier for us.
#1: The Snoo
We were lucky our first baby came after the Snoo hit the market. A coworker recommended it, and wow—lifesaver.
That said, I highly recommend renting it instead of buying. Our second baby didn’t need it, so we sent it back after just two months.
Some kids really just don’t appreciate how good they have it.
So, what makes the Snoo magical?
It’s a smart bassinet that gently rocks your baby and plays white noise to soothe them to sleep. That alone is great—but here’s the real game-changer:
To keep the rocking safe, the Snoo requires a special swaddle that secures your baby on their back.
For me, the hardest part of those newborn nights wasn’t the rocking—it was the anxiety after laying them down. Are they safe? Are they still breathing? With the Snoo’s swaddle, I felt so much more at ease knowing they were securely positioned.
#2 A TV, an Apple TV and a HomePod Mini
You’re going to be awake at weird hours doing very little. Maybe you’re the type who can crack open a textbook at 3am while feeding the baby. But if you’re like me, you’re going to be watching Parks and Rec or reruns of The Office.
The challenge? Watching without waking the baby.
The Snoo helps—it creates a little sound bubble around the bassinet. But if your TV is across the room, the volume has to travel over the baby to get to you.
Here’s the fix: Use an Apple TV paired with a HomePod Mini. Set the HomePod as the default audio output and place it on your nightstand. Now you’ve got crystal-clear sound right next to you without cranking the TV volume. Bonus: You can pair two HomePods if both parents want in.
#3 The Fisher-Price Glow & Grow Kick and Play Gym
🎶 Maybe you could be… a purple monkey in a bubblegum tree… 🎶
That song lives in my head rent-free.
Your baby won’t always be asleep or feeding—they’ll need a place to lie down and kick around. There are a million play gyms out there, but none with music as catchy as the Fisher-Price one.
I’ve heard its songs easily 1,000 times—and I still find myself singing along. It’s genuinely fun, and it keeps your baby entertained. Highly recommend.