This $1,200 smart crib makes sleep a possibility – CNET

Some nights, my son Sam lets me sleep.

CNET

If you’re a sleep-deprived parent of a newborn like me, you’d probably give just about anything for a few more hours of sleep. This is especially true if you’re back at work where naps are hard to come by. 

More sleep is what the Snoo Smart Sleeper promises to give you for $1,160. Pre-baby, I might have been deterred by the price tag. But now I know how sleep deprivation has taken a serious toll on my life, and I think differently.

What’s so special about the Snoo?

The Snoo was created by pediatrician Dr. Harvey Karp. In the parenting world, he’s renowned for his baby-whisperer superpowers. His book, “The Happiest Baby on the Block,” and the companion DVD gives parents the “5 S” approach to soothing a newborn: swaddle, side or stomach position, shush, swing and suck. His methods are based on the notion that the first three months of life are more like a fourth trimester of pregnancy in which the baby still needs to feel like he or she in the womb. 

Karp’s approach was the basis for the bassinet. He worked with MIT scientists to turn his 5 S method into a device that mimics the womb by using technology to swaddle, swing and shush babies back to sleep.

How it works

It may look like a fancy bassinet, but the Snoo is full of tech, from top to bottom. It has three microphones, a speaker and two motors that create different rocking motions.