To Nap Nanny or Not Nap Nanny...that is the question.

Hi mommies! 

 

Today I want to talk about a topic that has received a lot of public attention over the last few weeks.  As many of you have heard there has been a heated debate over the safety of the Nap Nanny.  For those of you who are already mommies...the Nap Nanny may have been your savior.  It most definitely was for us.  For those soon-to-be mommies....you may be very afraid of the Nap Nanny (NN).  So, I thought I would give my personal account of the NN.  Please note, this is not a paid for advertisement (I wish, lol) but rather my personal experience.  No one is right or wrong here but I want newer mommies or soon-to-be mommies to feel comfortable with whatever decision they make.

 

About a month ago I awoke to a frantic text message from my loving mom.  "Please read email about Nap Nanny ASAP....very dangerous."  Wow, ok that's exactly what I wanted to read, considering at that very moment my sweet girl was sound asleep in hers.  You see since about two weeks our lil one has slept exclusively in her NN (naps and nightime sleep).  This was due to many factors but the main one being that shortly after she came home from the hospital she had to be readmitted into the NICU.  While in the hospital she slept in a somewhat inclined position.  Upon her arrival home she did not like to sleep in her Pack-N-Play (sadly she never took to it and it is now perfectly stored in her closet, lol) nor did she like her bassinet.  Nothing seemed to make her comfortable.  We wondered why she slept so well in the hospital but not at home.  Until it dawned on us that she was always asleep in an inclined position.  We also realized she had a minor case of reflux and we could never incline her crib, PNP or bassinet to the right angle (approximately 30 degrees).  If we were able to incline it the poor lil thing would slide down or end up all crazy crooked which would, of course, wake her up.  I had purchased the Nap Nanny "Chill" before she was born and it still sat in her closet.  One day I decided to pull it out to see if this would help her sleep.  Up until this point nothing was really working.  Not even her swing would make her happy.  I will never forget the day I put her in it.  She fell sound asleep instantly!  Now, I am not saying this product is a guaranteed baby sleeper...trust me if that had been the case I would have paid millions for one and resold them to all of you...I kid, I kid.  But it did give our baby girl what she needed which was the right angle, plus the comfort and security she desired.  For a sleep deprived mommy & daddy, you will do almost anything to catch just 15 minutes of solid sleep.  The NN gave us this.  Of course this wasn't the only reason we used it but it was a big factor.  Our lil one will be four months in a few days and she still prefers to sleep and nap in her NN and we let her.

 

Now a few things to note.  The NN was originally designed by a mother...for other mothers.  The intent was to create a sleeping solution for infants with reflux, sleeping problems and more.  Leslie Gudel was the founder of the NN company.  Her company was a very small company aimed at helping other mothers.  As many of you may know the NN gained much popularity with mothers, just like me.  We were looking for something to help our babies sleep comfortably.  The recent press states that five babies have died as a result of "using the NN."  Please note, just like any other baby product there is a correct and incorrect way to use these products.  That said, there are cautions all over the NN and instructions that detail the proper and improper uses of the NN.  This is not to discount the deaths of the five innocent lives lost but rather to further point out that in these instances of death, the NN was being used incorrectly.  Much like he controversy of the infamous Bumbo chair, these accidents were caused by improper use of the product.  Unfortunately, NN was forced to close down NOT because the CPSC closed them down, but rather because the company was so small (only 22 employees) that they could not afford the insurance to protect them against the lawsuits filed against them.  Sadly, most retailers have participated in the recall of this product and now it is virtually impossible to find anywhere.  I find this very sad as I truly feel that the NN was a saving grace to us and our lil Sofia Grace still loves her.  In fact, I have friends whose lil ones still nap in theirs as toddlers!

 

Again, this post is not to point out right or wrong but rather to give my experience.  After careful consideration and research into all the recent press my husband and I made the decision to keep SG in her NN.  She remains happy and gets a good peaceful nights rest and so do we. 

 

P.S. If you are interested in purchasing a NN I would highly recommend it.  Search Craig's List or Mommy Forums in your neighborhood.

 

P.P.S. I welcome your comments and experiences of your NN use.

 

For further reading I have included a few links.

 



Our happy SG in her NN.



The NN we purchased.

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