The Kanoe Baby Hammock - A Napping Lifesaver for Us!

[sheeshoo2]

http://www.kanoe.us/

It may look completely strange, but the Kanoe Baby Hammock has been a lifesaver for Cole's horrible napping habit.  Prior to purchasing and installing the Kanoe in the nursery, Cole was taking naps that were somewhere between 15 and 50 minutes, with the vast majority being 40 minutes (yes, on the dot!).  Now we simply place him in the Kanoe (after being changed and fed) and simply move it back and forth for anywhere from 5 to 7 minutes and he is out like a light!  About 75% of the time he still cries and fusses, but if he is really ready to go down for a nap (which for Cole is after being awake for 2 to 3 hours), he stops after 3 or 4 minutes.  

It is great if your child likes having a pacifier but tends to "lose" it and want you to constantly come back to put it in (Cole loves this trick).  Also, it is one of the only baby hammocks on the market right now that will accommodate a larger child (Cole is 20 pounds and almost 7 months old).  The spring that comes with the hammock works best with a child between 10 and 30 pounds, but if your child grows out of it you can either purchase an upgraded spring that works from 30 to 50 pounds OR take the spring off entirely and put it a couple inches from the floor.  We have our Kanoe set up about 18 inches from the floor, which is the maximum recommended.  The price is NOT a selling point ($290), but we were really in need of a miracle when we purchased this, lol.

This really has not helped him as far as nighttime sleeping goes, however.  He is very difficult to settle at night and over the last month or so has decided he will wake up 3 to 4 times each night wanting to be fed.  Instead of worrying about the nighttime, we are focusing on the positive which is that it has drastically helped Cole's naps become longer.  Below is a picture of our Kanoe (please ignore the horrible lighting and messy nursery, oh and now it really IS 18 inches from the floor, we have moved it down since this picture was taken)...  

[Hollyadmin]

This is VERY cool, thanks for posting it. I actually haven't heard of it before. It looks somewhat similar to the Amby Baby bed...do you know if/how it's different? The reason I ask is that the Amby Baby was recently recalled because of safety concerns.  The base on the Kanoe looks more solid than the Amby, which would I think mean it wouldn't squish the baby so much.

My daughter was exactly the same with those short naps.  It was SO frustrating! I did everything to extend those naps, but nothing even worked long term, except her outgrowing it. She only ever did 45 minutes (on the dot), until around 1 year old, when she all of a sudden started doing 1.5 hours +. I thought I was in heaven!

[sheeshoo2]

I completely get the 45 minute nap thing---ARGH!  It is SO frustrating!  I know it has to do with their sleep cycle being 40-50 minutes long, but once they get into the habit of waking after each cycle (instead of "blending cycles") it is over.  And yes---I almost mentioned the Amby recall but then got off track (surprise---hahaha, I am so long-winded!)  I was not concerned about initially purchasing the Kanoe hammock with Cole simply because he is an older/larger baby and we planned on having it very close to the ground to minimize any falling risk.  Now that we actually have it I can see that there is really no way for a baby, even a tiny newborn, to become trapped on one of the sides (the reason for the Amby Baby recall).  The weight of the baby pulls the canvas fabric down a bit but the two solid wooden poles that help the Kanoe retain its "canoe-like" shape prevent there from even BEING sides to speak of (at least not solid sides, technically the canvas creates a side, but nothing that could entrap a child).  Here is a picture of the inside (sans-baby) of the Kanoe:

Even with 20 pound Cole there is quite a bit of room in this hammock---and it is nice to be able to adjust it for reflux babies as well (we have elevated one side slightly for Cole).  Oh---just found a good picture WITH a baby:

The only concern I have is that the baby should always remain on his/her back (even rolly Cole hasn't figured out how to flip over in this thing).

[Hollyadmin]

Ooohhh, that's good that it can go on an incline...I didn't know that. I'll have to look into that a bit more. Maybe I can get them to sponsor a giveaway or something!