Question for Moms: the Amby

[valchemist]

This product came up recently on the pregnancy thread and I am wondering if anyone out here has experience with it.

Amby Motion Bed (http://www.ambybaby.com/Home/)

We are considering getting it for baby #2, so I was wondering if anyone could share their experiences or even comments if you haven't tried it.

[slknight]

Val, those things look cool, don't they? I don't have any personal experience, but there are a few moms on the Baby Bargains Board who have used them.

Check out:
http://www.windsorpeak.com/dc/dcboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=12&topic_id=8175&mode=full

There are a few other threads there too if you want to search.

[rosie_one]

Wow, I've never seen anything like it. It is intriguing. Sorry, I'm no help. I guess looking back on my two kids, DS would have loved that kind of a bed, DD would have HATED it. I wonder how long it would be useful though? I can't imagine putting a child more than about 4 months old into it. It seems kind of expensive for something that short lived, but maybe it is worth it.

[valchemist]

they can sleep in it for up to a year (or at least 6-9 months), so I think I would get my money's worth. providing my new baby likes it, that is!

Julia had a hard time sleeping in a crib bassinet when she was little because I think she didn't feel snug enough. She ended up sleeping through the night in her infant carrier (that also popped into the stroller/carseat) because that was quite snug. Swaddling might help with a new baby, but ours is due in the middle of summer, so I don't think I will want to swaddle then.

thanks for that link, susan. I will take a look!

[mlynn]

Valchemist--

I don't have any first person account about the Amby, although they look cool and my son would have probably loved one. I've heard that they sell well on Ebay, so if you purchase one (on Ebay or elsewhere) and it isn't to your baby's liking you can sell it and recoup most of the cost.

[krhm]

I don't have any experience with the Amby either, although it looks cool! I just wanted to say that my two DDs were completely different for almost everything, and I probably ended up spending I had a wedge-type of pillow for DD1 that kept her on her side (see picture here: http://www.babyage.com/product_details.aspx?ProductID=12240&cp=msndf12240) DD1 loved it. It kept her snug and prevented the "startling" problems. Anyway, DD2 hated it. DD1 would only sleep in her crib, but DD2 had a little basinet that she would sleep in anywhere. DD1 loved the swing, DD2 hated it. DD1 hated riding in strollers, DD1 loved them. You get the idea!

[rosie_one]

What happens when they start to crawl though? Wouldn't they fall out? Maybe my kids were just movers and shakers, but I can't imagine a 9 month old in there. DS would have been slingshotting himself across the room by that point. :D

It does seem like a good idea for little ones though. Very snug and portable. Maybe you could wait to order it until the baby has arrived and you have a better idea of what he or she likes?

[Blissful_in_TX]

We have one and couldn’t have lived without it! DS has been a HORRIBLE sleeper since birth. He never would sleep in his bassinet or crib, so all night long I’d move him back and forth between holding him in my bed, his swing or his bouncy seat…..with him often waking up every single hour all night long. (He refuses to sleep flat on his back.) Around 4 or 5 months he was getting too big for his swing, so I got the Amby out of desperation. It worked like a charm and he took right to it. He’s almost 11 months now and can walk, but he’s never gotten out of his hammock. I’m sure he’d be able to if I left him in there, but I keep the monitor on so whenever I hear him starting to wake up, I go and get him right away. That also means I have to first rock him to sleep and then put him down. Or sometimes I'll put him in there and either bounce it up and down or swing it back and forth.

It’s also been great for traveling b/c I can take it down and take it with us, and then he has his familiar bed to sleep in.

I don’t know if I would recommend it to someone before their baby arrived. I’d probably first wait to see if the baby was willing to sleep in the bassinet or crib, and then get the hammock if he/she was having sleeping problems.

Here’s a picture of him in it when he was a little younger.


http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid161/p829c8a0f2d921e457e160dd78ff204d0/f4d47408.jpg

[lmenichel]

I can't believe I've never heard of those before! They look great, but I would have to agree and say wait and see if you think you're going to need one after the baby is born rather than buying it now. I don't think it's worth the price. Hopefully you'll be blessed with a good sleeper! :) My son (now 10 months) has been a great sleeper and we probably wouldn't have used it.

Blissful_in_TX - That is the cutest picture!!!

[valchemist]

thanks everyone! I am definitely very interested, but will heed the advice to wait til the baby arrives to see how she sleeps. perhaps she will be nothing like her big sister, as mentioned.

thanks especially to Blissful for the adorable picture. :)