Parents Are Angry About the SNOO Bassinet's New $20 Monthly Subscription Fee: What to Know

New parents have a lot on their minds in the days and weeks after bringing their baby home. They’re not only learning how to raise a human being for the first time, but they’re also contending with everything that can threaten their child’s safety.

Perhaps one of the most stressful aspects of new parenthood is safe sleep. While this is a super controversial topic online, with parents arguing about the best way to have their infants sleep. However, babies’ sleeping position does play a part in preventing Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, or SIDS.

This emphasis on safe sleep is why some parents turn to smart bassinets to help monitor their baby throughout the night and ensure that they’re sleeping safely. One of the most popular of these bassinets is the SNOO, created by Happiest Baby Inc.

Typically the SNOO would allow parents to track their babies sleep through a free app that would connect to the smart bassinet. However, the New York Times recently reported that Happiest Baby has recently put these features behind a paywall, barring parents from taking full advantage of their smart bassinet unless they cough up $20 a month to pay for the app. (1)

This has angered parents relying on the SNOO, since they are now going without the insights that they had been relying upon to get some peace of mind while their baby is sleeping.

We’ve gone ahead and rounded up everything you need to know about Happiest Baby SNOO price hike. (1)

Who Is Impacted By SNOO’s New Subscription?

The SNOO retails for $1,695, which is a pretty hefty price for new parents already facing new costs from having a child, so according to New York Times reporting, many parents have turned to the secondhand market to purchase their bassinet.

It’s these parents who are most impacted by the change, since parents who purchased their bassinet directly through Happiest Baby (either new or pre-owned) have been grandfathered in, meaning that their accounts will remain unchanged by this new subscription, according to Happiest Baby Vice President of Marketing and Communications Lexi Montée Busch’s statement to the New York Times. (1)

Happiest Baby told Sleepopolis that “Parents who rent or buy SNOO from Happiest Baby or authorized retail partners will have free access to a premium subscription and these features for nine months. (SNOO is typically used for six months, so they can set it up early or continue looking at their logs well past when baby transitions out of SNOO).” (2)

Which SNOO Features Did Parents Lose?

Features that parents have lost include the ability to log and track their baby’s sleep, settings to customize their SNOO, and the ability to use “weaning mode” alongside other crucial features. One parent interviewed by the New York Times reported that their SNOO bassinet updated overnight, changed the settings, woke their baby, and caused it to cry.

Other parents expressed frustration with the fact that their baby has grown accustomed to sleeping with the SNOO, and that having these features ripped away has made it harder for their baby to get to sleep.

Happiest Baby says that “Features that are a part of the subscription allow for a more personalized experience but are not vital to the day-to-day functioning of SNOO. All users will still have access to important features like the remote control, customizable sound settings, motion limiter, real-time status of Baby, sleep tips, and more. The subscription is available to those who borrow a SNOO or purchase SNOO on the secondhand market and choose to upgrade to the premium features. You don’t need a premium subscription to get the benefits or safety features of SNOO.” (2)

Why Did SNOO Create a Subscription for Their App?

Lexi Montée Busch, Vice President of Marketing and Communications for Happiest Baby, told Sleepopolis that. “Our goal is that one day, people can get SNOO covered by their health insurance, just like a breast pump, so that more families can sleep soundly and safely. We got one step closer with FDA De Novo authorization last year, and we’re continuing to take steps to make SNOO more accessible, like with our employee benefit program that lets companies offer their team free SNOO rentals. Introducing the subscription model was a critical step to further our mission and means we can continue to provide valuable support to families regardless of how they got their SNOO.” (2)

How Can I Make Sure My Baby Is Sleeping Safely Regardless of What Bassinet I Use?

Even if your bassinet is proven to be a safe option for your baby to sleep in, there are still other steps that you can be taking to insure that your infant is safe while they are sleeping.

First, Sleepopolis recommends that you share a room, not a bed, with your baby for the first six months to a year of their life. This helps reduce the risk of suffocation, strangulation, or entrapment.

Sleepopolis also recommends that babies should be sleeping alone, on their back in their crib, and to keep their room at a cool temperature, so your baby does not overheat.

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Garcia, Sandra E., Sherman, Rachel. Want to avoid a hit to your smart bassinet’s I.Q.? Better pay up. New York Times. August, 18, 2024. https://www.nytimes.com/2024/08/16/style/snoo-bassinet-smart-sleeper.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare&sgrp=c-cb
Personal Interview. Happiest Baby. August 29, 2024.