I guess I’m down to the wire today for my ThuRsday Review.  Today’s review is on an item that David and I found to be essential to our newborn’s comfort and helped us get some sleep at night (in addition to our Snuza), the infamous Rock N Play.   

A few days after we came home with our newborn, Baby V, we realized that she did not like being laid in her crib. She was so small and the crib seemed so big.  It is not recommended to have bumpers or blankets in cribs now-a-days, so there she was all cold and lonely (she was born in December).

Even our Cocker Spaniel, Precious, (fondly known as Posh), didn’t like Baby V in her crib.  Posh would go and kind of softly “woof” at the crib.  She seemed to be telling us that baby girl shouldn’t be in there all by herself.

I had heard of a product called a Rock N Play (RNP) and placed it on my baby registry but had not received one.  I didn’t know what Baby V’s preferences would be so I had not purchased one prior to her arrival.  After finding it difficult to lay Baby V in her crib at night I hurried up and got online to order the Rock N Play.  Because I was ordering it over the holiday (Christmas) it took a few days to arrive.

I chose the Rock N Play SnugaBunny from Target (happened to have a gift card).  As the name suggests, the Rock N Play rocks, but it must be done manually.  There’s no mechanism via battery or ac adapter to make this baby move.  My husband seems to have better coordination to rock her with his foot, I struggle using my foot and the rocking ends up being kind of jerky.  I do better using my hand, although that makes it difficult to multi-task.

I’m not sure why the second half of its name is “Play” as it seems to be geared towards newborns and sleep time.  There’s not much “playing” going on in the RNP.  It did come with a cute little bunny rattle/toy, though. Shown on left as well as the soft insert.  We took this out as Baby V got bigger.

One of the reasons many mothers seem to like the Rock N Play is that when you place baby in it, baby is at a 45 degree angle.  This is extremely helpful for babies that are struggling with reflux issues.  I think Baby V liked being snuggled/cocooned in the RNP.  She didn’t feel like she was laying out in the open all by herself.

The Rock N Play is very sturdy.  I had initially been worried that somehow my Cocker Spaniels would be running around the house and accidentally run into it or knock it over.  That was not the case though.  They seemed very aware of it and that baby girl was in it.  If they were running around and they needed to get to the other side of it, they would go around, and not underneath it.

The Rock N Play is portable.  On the front and back of it are two buttons you can push that allow the RNP to fold up.  This allows for it to be transported in your vehicle (to grandma and grandpa’s house) or even up and down stairs easily.  In our house we usually would drag it to the room we needed it in.  As evidenced by the picture below of my husband bringing Baby V to our room one night.

For the first month or so Baby V slept in the RNP right next to our bed.  Then a few weeks ago we transitioned the RNP to her bedroom and then eventually transitioned Baby V to her crib.  She seems much more comfortable in her crib now that she’s gotten bigger.

Fisher Price has various Rock N Plays with different cover options.  I just really liked the look of the SnugaBunny.  The cover can easily be removed and washed.  In January 2013 there was a recall posted on the Rock N Play due to potential mold.  This seems to be one of those recalls due to consumer error.  The Rock N Play is completely safe and mold free if it is kept clean.  If your baby has a diaper leak or spits up the cover should immediately be removed and washed.

I highly recommend this product for other families with newborns.  It has been a hit with our baby girl and is considered an essential item in our house.

Here’s baby girl at 1 ½ weeks (on left) and now helping mommy in the kitchen at 8 ½ weeks (on right).  I know we will be sad when it’s time to retire our RNP.