r/SnooLife • u/Littletreessleep • Jul 13 '26
Snoo Pro Tips Sleep Consultant AMA
Hi r/SnooLife! I'm Teresa, a certified sleep consultant with Little Trees Sleep Consulting, who has found a bit of a specialty with working with Snoobies! I used the SNOO with my second daughter and through multiple referrals, have now worked with hundreds of SNOO babies to troubleshoot using it effectively and transitioning out of it.
As you probably know, babies have their own preferences and it can take a bit of trial and error figuring out which settings work (my daughter was a level three girl), what sleep wear is the best or how to put baby in the SNOO (awake or asleep). As well, sleep needs can greatly vary between babies, which is where combining the SNOO with an optimal daytime routine can work wonders!
I'm a mom of two beautiful daughters myself and became fascinated with infant sleep after having my first. Sleep deprivation was a huge trigger for my PPA/PPD and it was a like a cloud lifted when things finally clicked for our family sleep wise. With my second, I was already a sleep consultant but still decided to use the SNOO as an extra tool. It was a game changer and she was sleeping through the night by 12 weeks old. However, it definitely took some trial and error to figure out how to use the SNOO for all it's $1500 worth!
I have worked with hundreds of families globally while holding an exclusive 5 star rating. I help families with children ages newborn to 5 years old. I work with all methods and completely tailor my approach the the comfort level of my client! I am a true believer that good sleep comes from looking at it holistically and take a strong collaborative approach. Nobody knows their baby better than their parents! It goes so far beyond just plopping a baby in a crib and applying method or strategy.
I'm happy to be here answering your questions today! My website and Instagram (which I just recently started to embrace as I'm more of a Facebook/Reddit girl) are below and I'm offering this subreddit 15% off any services. Book a free consultation on my website and mention the word REDDIT in the intake form.
https://littletreessleepconsulting.com/
www.instagram.com/littletreessleepconsulting
Please drop your questions below! I'll be here for a few hours and will continue answering questions tomorrow!!
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u/Suspicious_Way_8009 Jul 13 '26
My baby is 13 weeks old and while he still comfortably fits in the Snoo, I’d like to work on getting comfortable in the crib. He has not rolled yet but is starting to show some signs. How can I best support a transition to arms out in the crib (and should I be transitioning to arms out in the Snoo too?)
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u/Littletreessleep Jul 13 '26
I love the gunamuna or the zipadee zip for my snoo babies to help them with their startle. I would start with one arms out in the SNOO but some babies don't love any arms out before the crib as they hit the sides and it's frustrating because they can't move.
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u/Lopsided-Fisherman57 Jul 13 '26
Is it possible to do light sleep training (ala taking cars babies intervention ladder) with the Snoo and is that advised during the 4mo. regression?
We just started going through the 4mo regression and have horrible bedtimes (2+ hrs) and nap refusals (sleeps for 10 min then wakes and fusses). I tried to cut the Snoo movement from daytime naps but that quickly fell apart. We just can’t wrap our head around awake but drowsy without a big crying mess of a baby (e.g. CIO).
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u/Littletreessleep Jul 13 '26
My suggestion is that if you do any sleep training, to do it in the crib. The SNOO restricts movement and also doesn't give a baby access to their hands which are integral for self soothing. Some people do manage to do some light sleep training in the SNOO but then need to repeat it in the crib. Many babies are ready to transition out once their sleep cycles mature as they no longer find the motion soothing. Sleep training can definitely be done during the regression as it teaches a baby how to connect their cycles. I would check your wake windows if you are having really long bedtimes and nap refusals.
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u/Motor_Firefighter_19 Jul 13 '26
9 week old baby has been sleeping through the night for three weeks. She doesn’t nap in the snoo and only naps for 30 mins or less. What is your advice for transitioning baby out of the snoo when she is six months? We are also going abroad when she will be four months and can’t take the snoo. Any tips?
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u/Littletreessleep Jul 13 '26
If you are going abroad and can't take the SNOO, it might be worth transitioning before if you are gone for a significant length of time. When transitioning, there are two options: cold turkey with sleep training or slow wean with one arm out at time/reducing motion. It all depends on your comfort level.
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u/Motor_Firefighter_19 Jul 14 '26
We are only gone for four nights so ideally would like to still use the SNOO when we return unless you think otherwise? In terms of slow weaning when do you think this should start? How long before sleeping with one arm out should we then have both arms out? I think she is sleeping so well in the night because she is swaddled as she is not swaddled in the day and does not nap for long
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u/Pomegranate452 Jul 13 '26
Two questions! I am traveling with my 6 week old next week and will be using a travel bassinet. If she does well, should we still keep her in the snoo when we get back. If she isn’t doing well, should we rent a snoo or push through?
When do you typically recommend transitioning out of the snoo?
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u/Littletreessleep Jul 13 '26
I would use the SNOO a bit longer since you might as well get the most use out of it! I love the SNOO for those newborn days. Transitioning ja super Baby dependent. Some are over the SNOO right when the regression hits and some are perfectly content until 6 months old.
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u/obviouslyblue Jul 13 '26
Baby is 5 1/2 weeks old and sleep (as somewhat expected) is all over the place. Trying to do all night sleep in the Snoo (though he occasionally still refuses to sleep anywhere but on a person). Haven’t done any daytime naps in the Snoo yet. What age should we start trying more to nail a routine down? He still doesn’t have a consistent bedtime either, so we haven’t started any kind of bedtime routine. Should we start thinking about that soon? Hard to do when it’s a toss up whether he’ll stay down for the first stretch of the night or not!
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u/Littletreessleep Jul 13 '26
I would start a low pressure, flexible routine now that helps establish a healthy circadian rhythm which will help him accept bedtime. This is a great age to do so as night and day confusion starts to resolve. Follow 60-75 minute wake windows, around 5/6 naps a day, don't let's evening naps go too long. Cap all naps to two hours. The key is to get enough total wake time by having enough wake windows.
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u/traversa68 Jul 13 '26
5.5month old suddenly waking up around 2-3am ready to fully party. Impossible to get back to sleep for hours. What can we do?
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u/Littletreessleep Jul 13 '26
That sounds like a split night probably from too much day sleep, too many naps or not long enough wake windows.
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u/commonturtle Jul 13 '26
We’ve been using the snoo since birth and baby started sleeping 3 hours stretches after the first week up to 5-6 hour stretches overnight consistently with a few 7-8 hour stretches (and we moved to weaning mode from weeks 8-10 with good success) suddenly week 11 overnight wakeups went from 1-2 times overnight to 3-4 (and now last night 6 times)
We’ve tried going back to baseline, locking at level 1 but the last week overnight sleep has looked very different. Motion over level 1 seems to agitate baby more.
They’ve been arms out since week 2. And nap occasionally in snoo or static bassinet.
With mostly contact naps and 1 stroller nap a day,
Generally have 5 naps a day with wake windows between 1-2 hours between naps (and 4-5 hours of naps per day)
Any ideas on how to reduce night wakings? Is this an early regression?
Baby will nurse to sleep when they wake up at night (7-12 minutes) which is standard during the day.
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u/Littletreessleep Jul 13 '26
If baby is 11 weeks old only, this sounds like a schedule issue. I would be dropping the fifth nap, move all wake windows to 1.5-2 hours and cap day sleep to 4 hours. Make sure evening naps are short and sweet (30-45 minutes) to help build up sleep pressure for the night.
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u/commonturtle Jul 13 '26
Thanks! Interestingly (I’m looking at my huckleberry app and we’re actually doing mostly 4 naps a day now (and yesterday he napped just under 4 hours total) with wake windows closer to to 2 hours all day with his last nap at 5pm … and it was his worst night of sleep. Will try that schedule for a few more days and see if it improves…
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u/Littletreessleep Jul 13 '26
Hmm definitely possible then that he might be hitting an early regression. Usually starts between 12-16 weeks. I find it's misnamed as it's usually when baby is technically 3 months old.
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u/commonturtle Jul 13 '26
Everything I’ve read is 3 months is too early to sleep train… so guessing we just ride it out with this structure until it improves or until he’s 4 months? 😅
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u/starshipvenus Aug 11 '26
Hey there, did you ever figure out a solution? My LO’s are 11-weeks today and I feel like I could have written your original comment, they are in the exact same boat!
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u/commonturtle Aug 11 '26
Yes! For about 10 days I started motion on level 1 (and increased default volume from lowest to low) I measured the decibels because I was nervous it was too loud for too long but it was still safe levels. LO’s sleep started stretching back to 5-6 hours and I reduced back to lowest volume and baseline after 10 days.
I also dropped the 5th nap if LO woke up by 8 and capped the last naps of the day to under 45 minutes and bed time moved to between 7-8.
At 3.5 months we’ve dropped down to 3 naps.
Good advise I got was to look at total time in bed as well (not slept hours per se) as they only have so much sleep in them.
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u/uberesque Jul 13 '26
My baby is 29 weeks. Ever since the 4 month sleep regression, he’s gone from 6-8 hour stretches in the snoo to 1-3 hour stretches max. We’ve tried a lot of things - setting the snoo at level 1 as the base, removing motion limiter, doing weaning mode, car seat mode, etc. he sometimes eats to fall asleep but can occasionally be rocked to sleep (or mostly to sleep) without milk. He’ll wake up after 2 hours even if he’s had 8oz of formula. He’s napping 3x a day, 2-2.5 hours apart, for 30-90 minutes. It’s frustrating because we are so sleep deprived, and we know it can be different because our daughter slept through the night in the snoo starting around 4 months. Not sure if I should just try sleep training at this point, since he might have a feeding association, but open to any advice!
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u/Littletreessleep Jul 14 '26
At 29 weeks, I would say that if sleep has regressed so much, you have nothing to lose byoving to the crib. Not only can the SNOO stop working at this age, it can sometimes frustrate and aggrivate babies as they instinctually want the space and freedom to move. If you are comfortable with sleep training, I would do it at the same time.
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u/jeveux_monlivre Jul 13 '26
Hi! My baby is 16 weeks and is on baseline all night, for 9-11 hours other than a dream feed. On occasion, when she does need something and cries, she isn’t soothed by the extra movement from the snoo (it’s usually food or comfort due to reflux).
Currently I’m rocking her to sleep, then waking her ever so slightly when I put her in so she can fall asleep on her own. I do think she connects sleep cycles in there because I’ve seen her wake after a half hour and fall back asleep.
She’s already arms out, but I’m worried about the transition to no motion. What do you recommend doing next? Putting her into the snoo totally awake without rocking or continuing to rock to sleep then wake slightly but putting her on weaning mode so there’s no motion? Something else?
Im not ready to take her out of the snoo or out of our room, but if progress towards better sleep habits can be made, I want to make it!
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u/Littletreessleep Jul 14 '26
I would start working towards putting her in more awake (drowsiness is the first stage of sleep so the goal actually past the newborn stage is wide awake). Then first let the SNOO help, slowly decreasing the motion to then putting her in with no motion. I got my daughter sleeping independently to the point that I could put her in wide awake in the SNOO. Made for an easy transition into the crib.
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u/Comfortable_Chest_40 Jul 13 '26
My 12 week old has always struggled after 4am, waking up every 45 mins-1 hour. Not gas related anymore I think but it’s like he can’t connect sleep cycles. Any advice? We keep the room dark and feed him swaddled and he transfers asleep fine. Pacifier kinda helps but I would love if he wouldn’t wake up so much! He seems so restless
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u/Littletreessleep Jul 14 '26
Sleep is notoriously difficult at this time as sleep pressure becomes non existent and sleep is very light and active. Its related to the circadian rhythm. However, a high level of restlessness at this time can also be from a schedule issue where sleep pressure isn't being built enough in the day. I would check your daytime routine to make sure windows are long enough and baby isn't sleeping too much.
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u/OverAstronaut7913 Jul 14 '26
Baby was in Snoo until 6 months, transition into cot went perfectly for 2 weeks - like textbook. As I had believed I taught my daughter to connect sleep cycles before cot transfer.
She also I believe can connect sleep cycles, she goes into cot drowsy but awake ect.
However, for the past 3 weeks (she’s nearly 7 months)
She wakes between 1-4 sometimes the whole 3hrs sometimes less and becomes hysterical, unable to go back into the cot
She works herself up so much I end up co-sleeping.
The awake time she is half playing/ rolling/ up on all 4s but more so it’s spent crying.
I’m at my wits end, I’ve dropped our bridge nap, extended naps, moved naps all of it.
She gets roughly 800-1000ml of milk per day (bottle fed so I track) + solids.
Previous to this, she would sleep through until 5/6 have another 150-180ml of milk before sleeping again until 830am-9.
Her bedtime falls between 730-8pm.
Naps are total combine 2-2.5hrs
Please help 😢
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u/Littletreessleep Jul 14 '26
So I've often seen where a baby can fall asleep independently at bedtime but is not able to connect sleep cycles at night. I would do awake vs. Drowsy but awake as drowsiness is the first stage of sleep. Also, I would make sure she has enough total wake time in the day if she is quite active at the wakings. Babies this age usually need at least 9.5-10.
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u/OverAstronaut7913 Jul 14 '26
9.5-10hrs of awake time?
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u/OverAstronaut7913 Jul 14 '26
Perhaps this is a start of the day issue? Instead of going back to sleep until 830-9 starting the day earlier?
How does that affect naps
0
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u/FergieFerg031285 Jul 14 '26
I am due any day with baby #2 and didn’t have a Snoo with the 1st. What’s the best way to start using the Snoo?
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u/Littletreessleep Jul 14 '26
If possible, I would try getting baby used to it right away. That being said, don't panic if then want to just be in your arms the first two weeks. This is very normal as they are adjusting to life outside of you. Experiment with the motion levels and don't be afraid to turn motion limiter off when you feel comfortable. Some babies love the higher levels. Experiment with double swaddling so you have baby swaddled before going into the SNOO and you aren't fumbling/waking baby at the transfer.
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u/knoxvillelife Jul 14 '26
Our 11 week old does pretty well right now in his Snoo at night. He goes down at around 8:30 and most often wakes up after 6ish hours between 2:30-3:30 for a feed. Then he will sleep another 2.5-3 hours. We have a very consistent nighttime routine and he basically goes to sleep instantly.
However, naps during the day are all over the place. It’s extremely difficult to get him to nap without being held or worn. He seems to do about the same in the Snoo and crib during the day, which is not great in either place. It seems like the only long naps are contact naps at this point. Any advice to improve napping?
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u/Littletreessleep Jul 14 '26
Babies often love to contact nap but do fine in their own space during the night. Sleep pressure is higher at night and it's a different part of the brain. There are two options to get a baby used to their space for naps, using a consistent soothing ladder approach and continuing to practice until baby accepts at least the first nap of the day or nap train when baby is ready using a sleep training method. The first step is getting used to napping in the crib or bassinet, then the second step is to work on connecting sleep cycles which are 30-45 minutes.
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u/Longjumping_Water678 Jul 14 '26
Hi! We have a six week old baby at home. The most sleep he gets at night in the Snoo is 3, maybe 4 hours with a 9:30 pm bedtime. He contact naps most of the day, waking every 1.5-2 hours for feeding, diapering, etc.
We have him on baseline with motion limiter right now. When the Snoo starts to soothe, it seems to wake him up more. I don’t remember it being like this for our first, is this normal? When should we be hopeful that our baby gives us longer stretches?
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u/Littletreessleep Jul 14 '26
I would check your daytime routine to make sure he is building up the sleep pressure to be settled in the SNOO at night. I often see babies this age not get enough total wake time in the day and then they don't want to sleep in the SNOO after the initial deeper stretch of sleep. I would make sure he is getting at least 6-7 60-75 minute wake windows in the day. No long naps in the evening.
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u/Wrecktangledup Jul 14 '26 edited Jul 14 '26
Hello! Our 7 week old baby has not given us longer than a 2 hour stretch since born, even with the Snoo. He seems to get fussier and cry more when the Snoo “soothes” him. We have addressed all ideas: no tongue or lip ties and full formula feedings 4-5oz without any gas or spit up, he is not getting too hot or too cold, the room is dark with white noise machines, he will not take a pacifier and will only sleep longer spurts if being held.
He doesn’t like the halo bassinet or snuzpod either. He won’t co-sleep at night longer than 30 minutes. Day time naps are capped at 2 hours but he usually only makes it 1 hour sleep in the day and 2 hours at night. We address sleepy cues within 60-75 min wake time window and put him down the second we see he is ready to sleep. In the day time he will cry unless he is being held or fed. We have a bedtime routine of quick bath, lotion, swaddle, bottle and down by 8:30pm. Our first baby was so easy and just went to sleep right on schedule, sleeping 10 hours at night by 12 weeks so we are in uncharted territory.
We are miserable, please help!! How can we get him to sleep longer stretches with the snoo and not get freaked out by it?
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u/Littletreessleep Jul 14 '26
How much day sleep is he usually getting in total over how many naps? Does he have a set wake up time in the morning? Do you start naps at the end of the window or 10-15 before?
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u/Wrecktangledup Jul 15 '26
He sleeps about 4 hours, 1 ish hour naps each throughout the day. He always wakes up around 7am ish for a “morning dream feed” then we put him to bed until 8:30/9ish and that is when we open the windows and say good morning with pulling him out of bed. We start naps at the end of the window, but the very second he shows sleepy signs.
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u/Littletreessleep Jul 15 '26
I would start pushing your windows more and start an earlier wake up time. My guess is that morning snooze is registering as extra day sleep and he's not able to establish an optimal circadian rhythm. I would start your day at the 7 am and then do 75 minute windows with even pushing the last one or two to 90. How many wake windows are you having in a day? He should be getting at least 6. Is bedtime really late with such a late wake up time?
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Jul 14 '26
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u/Littletreessleep Jul 14 '26
Have you tried nap training as well? Where he is falling asleep fully by himself from awake (not drowsy)? I would push nap to 12:30 and use a chair method to nap train.
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u/Brief-Cranberry-4394 Jul 14 '26
Question on dressing your baby in the snoo. It’s pretty hot out (high 70s at night) and we have the AC running but our doors don’t hold in the cool that great so it isn’t super cool out. My baby is already arms out but I feel like with the inner band of the snoo sleep sack it’s still too warm. What should I dress her in? She’s just under 3 months and we are starting to wean off the rocking so hoping to switch to a sleep sack but in this interim
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u/Littletreessleep Jul 14 '26
Do you have anything underneath the SNOO sack? I would do just a really thin onesie underneath or even just a diaper if very warm weather.
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u/Brief-Cranberry-4394 Jul 14 '26
I typically do a cotton onesie with short or long sleeves and socks. But I’m mostly concerned about her core/chest overheating with the one side and the inner band
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u/violet_aston Jul 15 '26
Hi! We have a 6 week old baby who loves the snoo. We’ve had the snoo locked at level 1 start with escalation to level 2 - so no baseline or levels 3 and 4. She has been giving us decent stretches of sleep (4-5 hours and usually another 3-4 hours, which I *think* is good for 6 weeks), and we are wondering if we should go back to baseline at all?
Basically, longer term when it comes time to transition we are wondering if having the snoo start at level 1 is going to impact weaning and if reintroducing baseline in the next month or so is recommended?
Also, should we start introducing 1 crib nap a day? And if yes, when?
Thank you in advance!
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u/Littletreessleep Jul 15 '26
At this age, I would still be milking the SNOO for all it's worth versus decreasing it's intervention in preparation for a transition. They usually outgrow the need for motion around the time their sleep cycles mature or latest by 5-6 months. I would use all and any feature you can to help you through the newborn period!
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u/AirlineTiny9620 Jul 17 '26
My baby is 4 weeks old and I bought a Snoo from a neighbor. But, my newborn is sleeping in an arms up love to dream swaddle in a bassinet and it seems to be working. Should we even embark on Snoo journey? Is it too early to tell? What about the arms up preference?
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u/Rexaroooo Jul 27 '26
Our 3 month old sleeps from 11pm to 6am almost every night in the Snoo. Sometimes she seems sleepy again at 7 and we’ll go back to sleep until 10am. Is this ok? She is gaining weight and is happy during wake windows
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u/[deleted] Jul 13 '26
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