Baby hammocks - any good??

[marloe]

Our little 4 weeks old boy is suffering from what we believe is trapped wind (possibly reflux / colic). He cries nonestop for up to 5 hrs a day, although some days he seemes a little less disturbed. Normally, he refuses to lie down by himself, and will only ever sleep either on me or in the baby bjorn. With the moses basket not working, we are getting desperate to find a good sleeping position for him, and someone recently recommended trying the amby baby hammock...

Has anyone tried it? Any good? Any risks?

[Helen GV]

well you have my full sympathy, asn you have probably seen from my post i have had real problems ths time round. the amby hammock is great(thank you saffron!!) though i am only using it for naps during the day as bubs currently sleeps with me at night. i don't think there are any risks involved to be honest. sorry don't have time tonight to reply longer but you are welcome to come and see the hammock if you want. pm me if you'd like to see it up close, am by the horniman

[melbourne groover]

I thoroughly recommend it, I used one for my daughter and it was fab. She loved it and it was the one thing that got her sleeping on her own - she was the same as your son, only sleeping on someone not being put down etc. However am sure like anything, there is no guarantee that it will work but I found it to be great. It does say on the website that it helps colic, and she was quite unsettled and windy so it may do.

I do think it possibly depends on the child though. My daughter loved being swaddled and also loved the hammock, my son (a much chunkier number) didn't like being swaddled and found the hammock too small - although he may have got on with it better if a 3 week hospital stay in a cot from 3 weeks hadn't set his preference for a larger space.

If you can get one second hand then probably the best bet, the mattress is only a piece of foam so easy to upgrade.

[nancyse15]

Hi. My DS#2 has just outgrown his Amby. Borrowed it from a friend and it was a great success. I think the gentle bounce and the way it sort of encloses the bub is very reassuring for them. Certainly worth trying to get hold of one, second hand. By the way have you tried some cranial sacral? Can work wonders on unsettled babies. Good luck!

[Saffron]

I thought the amby hammock was great and wish I'd known about it sooner. Little Saff slept in the hammock from about 3.5 mos. Around 7.5 mos she finally grew too long for it, but she is an exceptionally long baby. I agree a hammock is probably best for babies that like that snuggled-up feeling. The gentle curve to the bed seemed to help Little Saff to relax. Also the abmy hammock is very easy to dismantle and transport, so no need for a travel cot.

[alieh]

I really loved our Amby Hammock and plan to use it for #2 in March. In fact, you would be welcome to borrow it until then if you wanted to collect it from our friends in Thames Ditton! We don't have a car and have been meaning to slug it home on the train for ages. They often come up on ebay too, or you could post a Wanted ad on the classified section of the Forum and then just sell it on if it doesn't work for you.

[marloe]

Oh I am so silly - i forgot to tick the box, which would have sent replies to my email as well, and thought for 2 days that nobody had replied to my question (only had a few seconds here and there to check, so no time to actually enter the forum)...and now i see all your great replies!

Thank you so much - seriously, i cannot tell how comforting it is getting this sort of advise when you are going through such a tough time at home, and are desperate for a little understanding and good tips.

Helen GV - thanks for offering to come and see your hammock. If it is not too much trouble I would love to pop by. I'll pm you.

Melbourne Groover - yep, will definitely try to get one second hand. And our boy is tiny so my guess is he'll probably fit nicely in the hammock...

Nancyse 15 - not yet, but I have an appointment booked tomorrow with a cranial osteopath! I hope so much that it will help settle the discomfort of my little angel...can't wait to try it out

alieh - thanks so much for offering to borrow your hammock. I have no idea where Thames Ditton is, but will look it up with my husband. I will pm you, if we decide to take you up on the offer :-)