One of the most recommended baby products

***FISHER PRICE ISSUED A RECALL OF THE ROCK N PLAY ON APRIL 12, 2019

Someone recently posted on Facebook and asked friends and family for their top 1-2 baby must-haves. And the product that I noticed was suggested more than any other…

Rock N Play

I really do love this product too! But, while everyone else is writing “get one that plugs in!!” and “buy one with extra padding!”, I actually recommend the opposite.

Get the cheapest, simplest, non-plug-in version!

Here’s why…

1. I’ve noticed the extra padding/pillow insert actually causes many babies to develop flat spots on the back of their heads. Babies are born with very soft and pliable skull bones. And the first couple months, they are the absolute softest. That means, the longer they spend with pressure in one area, the flatter that area will become. And right now, babies spend an incredible amount of time on their backs during their first few months. So, I want to make sure their heads turn freely and easily side to side to prevent plagiocephaly and torticollis. And I’ve noticed there is something about a pillow insert that can cause many babies to keep their heads in a straight/forward position…putting pressure on the back for many hours every day. Some babies will still turn their heads all the way to each side with the pillow insert, but there’s just no way to predict which babies will do that (and if they do, it can be a little scary to see your baby with their nose so very close to a little pillow when we know fresh air circulation is so very important). So, I always choose the rock n plays, swings and bouncy seats that don’t have any type of pillow insert.

2. The plug-in version is more expensive, unnecessary, and actually makes manual rocking difficult. If a baby is needing a little help relaxing, then I’ll rock them. If the rocking motion is not relaxing them within seconds or they repeatedly start fussing the moment I stop rocking them, that lets me know that they have something bothering them (usually a burp). So, I’ll pick them up and fix the issue. If you ever actually rock a baby to sleep on their back while they’re holding onto a burp, that burp will still be there…and will soon make them yell out and end what could have been a good stretch of sleep. Plus, babies who have constant rocking/movement will soon need constant rocking/movement.

Now, I can’t mention rock n plays without also sharing some very important information about using them safely.

If I put a baby down in a rock n play, they will always be swaddled with arms at their sides and buckled!! And before I step away, I will put my hands underneath them and slide them down to make sure they are settled as low as they can go in the seat (so they can’t possibly move any further) and then roll the swaddle blanket down off their shoulders if it then happens to be anywhere near their face. This keeps them in a good, straight back, non-slumped, chin off the chest, safe breathing position.

I’ve been in many homes where I’ve seen the straps have been cut out of rock n plays because parents think there’s just no chance their young baby could possibly climb out on their own. Which is completely understandable. But, the straps and buckle are needed to keep babies from wiggling down.

This is a 3 week old…in my special swaddle and buckled in safely with beautiful little head turned to the side. Most swaddle products cover the legs (which prevent you from being able to use the buckle), but babies really only need their arms swaddled to help them feel relaxed.

I recently asked a friend to set her 17 day old baby in a rock n play while unswaddled and unbuckled and send me a few pictures so I could use them for warning/educating other new parents (don’t worry, she was not left like this for more than a few seconds while the pictures were being taken). You can see how an unswaddled and unbuckled baby might start off looking like they are in a pretty good position in the top left image. But, babies wiggle while awake and while asleep. So, I asked mom to slide her baby’s bottom down a little to show where she would end up if she was left like this. Babies will become slightly curled in a ball as their bottoms move up to where the legs are normally elevated, their tummies will become slightly crunched, and chins can end up resting down on their chests. This is not a good position for breathing and not a safe position for babies to be left in. And if babies are also in a traditional, loose blanket swaddle while unbuckled and left to wiggle down over time, then the blanket could easily end up around the babies’ faces…and I can’t tell you how absolutely panicked I would be to see a baby like that!