****** - Verified Buyer
4.5
For a long time, I had been seeing the DockATot on a lot of celebrity and famous people's social media posts. Once I found out I was pregnant, I decided I wasn't going to get one because it was too expensive and I didn't want to be one of those people who buy something just because someone famous bought one for their baby. That was up until I found out my son would only go to sleep if he was in bed with us.The DockATot ended up being a lifesaver. When my son came home from the hospital, he refused to sleep in the bassinet we had bought him and he also didn't want to sleep in his crib. The only way he would go to sleep is if he slept with us in bed while one of us holds him, but I knew that wasn't a safe idea. Trust me when I say, we really did try to get him to sleep by himself in the bassinet or crib, but he just wouldn't do it. So I started researching various products that were made for cosleeping.What I discovered is that a lot of products out there tell you it is not made for cosleeping or for long periods of sleeping in general and to only use under close supervision. If we're both asleep, we're definitely not able to actively supervise him.That's when I happened to read more about the DockATot and found out they do say it's ok for cosleeping as long as you follow their seven precautions, which can be found on their website. Once I knew it was ok for cosleeping and also read other reviews from parents who used it for cosleeping, I decided to take a leap of faith and spend the money. At the time that I purchased it, it cost me $175, which I thought was expensive. That's a big reason I didn't want to buy it in the first place.The DockATot ended up being worth every penny. My son was now able to sleep with us in bed while being surrounded by the DockATot and we finally got more sleep too. Because the DockATot has thick walls that do not easily cave in, it decreases the chance that you'll roll over the baby. It felt much safer having him sleep in the DockATot than in our bed while we cuddled him. If you're like us and had been suffering from sleepless nights, then you'll understand why this product is such a lifesaver.Due to the size of the DockATot (we got the deluxe size), you definitely need to have a larger bed. We happened to have a king size bed so we had plenty of space to put the DockATot in between us while giving the both of us room for ourselves. I'm not sure if it would fit comfortably in a queen sized bed. I'm going to guess the combination of being able to sleep in between us as well feeling surrounded by the thick walls of the DockATot is what helped him be able to sleep in it.He was able to sleep in it almost every night without any issues. The only time he would wake up is when he was hungry or he was no longer sleepy. Also, my son suffered from severe acid reflux so it was nice to have him be able to sleep in between us in case started choking on his spit up, which had happened a few times. The other bonus is the outside cover is removable so you can wash it. The downsides of that is that the material says no dryer so you have to let it air dry for several hours and it is a bit of a pain to put back on because it's such a tight squeeze. I had to have my husband help me put the cover back on every time because it was so hard to zip up.We used our DockATot up until he became too big for it and started wanting to roll on his side so we felt it was no longer safe for him to sleep in it. We have since transitioned him to a playard before we try to transition him to his crib. Also, my brother in law recently had a baby and his baby would also only go to sleep in bed with them so we donated our DockATot to them. It has been a lifesaver for them as well. They put it in between them on their bed and he's able to sleep in it just like my son.If you are looking for something to help your baby sleep, then get this product. Just make sure you follow their precautions and guidelines to ensure you are utilizing it in a safe manner.Baby shower gift. I have bought before for my grand children. Very convenient. Quality product.Quality product but expensive for the limited use. We only used it for the first 6 weeks or so.My daughter has said more than once that this product is simply a great thing to have !! She has tried a bassinet, did not work. Her baby fell asleep with the DockATot ... she loves this product !!This is a great product to help put newborn who doesn't like crib just yet down for a nap so you don't have to hold them 24/7Long story short: 4 stars due to the stupid buckle at the end.PROS:1. He’s able to sleep in his crib 99% of the time and we haven’t had to deal with sleep transitioning.2. When he’s sick or having an off night, he can easily and safely sleep with us in the bed.3. His arms and legs don’t get stuck in the crib slats.4. Awesome for travel. It fit nicely in our large suitcase, and it was much easier than dealing with a pack-n-play at multiple places. It’s also great that his bed can come with us when we travel, so he always has his familiar environment to sleep in.5. Easy to clean and put back together.CONS:- The stupid buckle does not stay closed. For $200, you’d think they’d include one that works.- The pristine white cover is a little more rough than I expected. It feels kind of like corduroy. My son moves his head from side to side as he’s fighting asleep, and I swear this thing contributed to his balding head haha. We covered it with a softer blanket for a while, firmly tucked in around all sides.- Price. It’s literally 3 pieces (super thin base pillow, a long body pillow, and a cover). I can’t imagine it costing a whole lot to make, but who knows. I do feel it’s overpriced for what it is.I was a skeptic. I saw this on someone’s baby registry before I got pregnant, and I’ll admit, I silently judged. “Seriously, $200 for a pillow?! Ha, okay! I’ll be more practical with our next baby.” Then God laughed and laughed.Fast forward a year and a half, and I had myself a newborn who hated sleep. We spent the first two months holding him around the clock, both sleeping and awake. I was slowly losing my mind. I tried who knows how many other “cheaper” alternatives (Boppy Lounger, two-way swing, MamaRoo, Babocush, reclined sleeper, etc). Nope. Baby hated every one of those too, and instead of spending $200 up front, I spent like $1000 leading up to the Dockatot. Whoops. In the back of my mind I kept wondering “will this be the one thing that works?!” so when he was about 3 months old, we took the plunge and used our last registry discount.This was not a miracle sleep solution for us by any means; at first he slept in it about as long as everything else he barely slept in (like 30-40 minutes at a time, if that). This improved little by little, and now at 6 months he averages anywhere from 3-5 hours at a time - sometimes longer. (I know this doesn’t seem like a lot, but for the first 3 months we were up every hour or two, so it’s a huge improvement.)This very likely could be due to age and have nothing to do with the Dockatot. However, I do like having the Dockatot for the reasons in the PRO list above. Yes, we started out as skeptics, but this thing has grown on us. I wish I would have skipped the other gadgets and gotten this from the get-go so we would have gotten more use out of it.Sadly, at 6 months and 18 pounds, he’s pretty much outgrown it. (It’s like he lays on top of the bumpers now instead of nestling in between them.) We do like our Dock enough that we’ve moved him up to the Grand. Hopefully he’ll get a few years’ use out of that!This product seems great and at first it we loved it, unfortunately our newborn peed in it the first night and we found that the inner layer is not waterproof and in fact soaks up liquid like a sponge. We did read that it can be washed which is fine but after hand washing as told it is soaked through and will take days to dry. Pretty inconvenient when a simple waterproof covering would have made this all avoidable.My one week old baby was crushed at the shoulders and very uncomfortable in this, not sure how it's supposed to fit an 8 mth old. She was a big baby, a broad shouldered 10lbs 5oz, but that means she is about the size of the average sized 1-2 mth old.Would have been useful if a bit wider .This is a must buy!! I had these with both my children and I have bought this as a gift. It’s essential buy, incredible quality, comfortable, soft, removable cover for washing. I know it’s expensive but it’s worth every pennyGreat value for moneyMuy buen producto, tiene una excelente calidad y tamaño adecuado.Súper padre !! Me encanto
