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Baby hammocks are a modern alternative sleeping arrangements for young babies and newborns. It provides them with a floating and snug environment which helps create a natural sleeping position, similar to the womb, with some of the beneficial features being uninterrupted baby sleep, reduction in colic, infant reflux and prevents flat head syndrome.
Sounds too good to be true? Well, Best For Mums have not only created a complete best baby hammocks buyer’s guide but we’ve also selected 5 of the best to help save you time and money should you wish to purchase one for your new arrival.
Best Baby Hammocks Reviews
1. Amazonas Koala Baby Hammock & Stand
The Amazonas Koala baby hammock, which is made by Laminvale UK, is one of Amazon’s highest and best rated options for a close and secure sleeping option for a baby. It is freestanding, complete with the frame and the 100% cotton material which holds the baby safely and comfortably thus keeping them secure while they sleep.
The gentle curve features help with reflux and the low floating position helps mimic the womb making baby feel close which helps tremendously with nap times. It can easily be set up, looks fantastic and will fit in with any nursery or home decor. It’s not bulky at all so even if you decide to set it up in the front room it won’t take up loads of space that a crib or a next to me bed would.
It is TUV certified and has passed the Oeko-Tex standards so there are no issues with safety whatsoever. It does come with a built in harness to ensure they can’t wriggle out if they wake up and become active. Mums up and down the country rave about the features of this product and its ability to give even the most difficult nappers a much needed rest.
Pros
- Excellent comfort
- High quality materials
- Comes with everything you need
- Looks great and will fit into most decors
Cons
On the expensive side
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2. Autbye Baby Hammock
The Autbye Baby Hammock is a baby hammock which doesn’t come with it’s own frame but easily stretches over a crib to create the floating bed sheet. This is an ideal product for those who may just want to try it out first before potentially making a more expensive purchase later down the line for a more expensive model with richer features.
The material of the sheet itself is comfortable and breathable and super strong. It attaches using very strong belts and buckles which will easily hold even the heaviest of babies. There isn’t a spring but it’s naturally bouncy anyway. The downsides to this hammock is that a baby who can roll can get themselves into a bit of trouble so we would only really recommend this up to the age of 6 months. A big bonus though is that it’s actually really cheap.
Pros
- Very cheap
- Easy to install
- Packs away in a bag easily
Cons
- Not ideal for babies who can roll
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Related: Looking for other baby nursery essentials? Check out our product guides on sleeping bags, monitors, bottles and bottle makers.
3. LaLeLu Baby Hammock
LaLeLu Baby Hammock is a hammock which hangs off the ceiling or something solid up a bit to create a floating nest for your young one. The metal frame and coiled spring provides a very gentle and bouncy swing which effortlessly puts your little one to sleep in a natural way mimicking the mother’s womb while she’s active.
The 100% cotton material creates a nice snug nest which keeps them warm and safe as they drift asleep. It looks almost like a bag and because of this it acts as a swaddle and prevents babies from being able to roll out.
What we love about this the most is its simplicity and mobility which are fantastic features of best baby hammocks – it can be taken anywhere there are places to hook on the ceiling. What we don’t like about it is its isolation and height from the floor. Get this as a budget option.
Pros
- Highly portable, can be taken and used anywhere
- 100% cotton den is really comfortable
- Spring and frame make it very soothing and bouncy
Cons
- If there’s nowhere to hang it it is useless
- A little isolated
- High from the floor
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4. Koala Baby Hammock & Stand Set
This absolutely stunning baby hammock is one of the best performing and best looking on the entire market. What we love about this is that the 100% cotton hammock is low lying and swivels naturally from side to side which can help put babies to sleep. The raised sides also protect from rolling out of the bed, a common worry for many parents shopping for a hammock.
It’s on the expensive side but to be honest it’s definitely the product that feels the most natural that we’ve had the pleasure to review. The delicate beech frame is soft and smooth with strong joints keeping it balanced and the hammock safe.
They’ve put a good effort into the design and colours of this and it is not bland, red, blue and grey are available. This is a hammock designed for up to 20kg weight limit. It’s very expensive though and perhaps only for those with the budgets to stretch to it as a baby hammock is anything but an essential nursery purchase.
Pros
- Superior design and build quality
- Hammock is low lying
- Raised sides protect from rolling
Cons
- Very expensive
- Not very portable
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Also read: Catch up on some of our other parenting essentials such as baby carriers, baby creams for face, bubble machines and baby weaning products.
5. La Siesta - Yayita
Our last hammock to be reviewed is the La Siesta – Yayita which is a basic frame with a 100% cotton sheet to hold and caress the baby to a gentle sleep. The USP for the Yayita is its use of environmentally friendly and strong bamboo as the spreader bar and the adjustable hammock which can be made more or less snug depending on your needs.
La Siesta has been in the hammock business since 1991 and perhaps one of the most experienced at doing so with decades of sales in America. They now want to bring the hammock phenomenon to the UK and many customers are happy to hear this.
The strong frame and high up hammock make the bed breathable which keeps them cool if it’s used in the summer but warm in the winter. However, this is quite an expensive purchase and it is not portable so bare that in mind. That said, it’s a product with a lot of glowing reviews in the UK so they must be doing something right!
Pros
- Bamboo is a strong and eco friendly material
- Easy to set up
- Rocks gently and the frame base is solid
Cons
- Quite expensive
- Not very portable
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Baby Hammock Buyer’s Guide
Welcome to the Best For Mums baby hammock buyer’s guide. Here we will explain just what a baby hammock is, what benefits there are of using this over alternatives (or even in conjunction with) and what to look for when considering parting with your money.
We’ve worked hard with our research and to identify the best ones on the UK market so we hope this guide proves to be useful for you. We are also not immune to feedback so if you want to share your thoughts in general or share feedback on the guide itself please send us an email or leave a comment down below.
What is a baby hammock?
A baby hammock is pretty much exactly what it says on the tin. It’s a piece of cloth, usually cotton, suspended on a frame which will either come with the product or it will be designed to hang over a crib. The blanket then provides a suspended mattress which offers a floating sensation with closely resembles the womb. It is a product designed for newborns in particular.
Benefits of a baby hammock
A baby hammock has been shown to improve the length of time a baby can sleep due to the hammock recreating a similar environment to the womb, however this is not clinically proven and many who have claimed this have not provided a source that Best For Mums can find.
However, many mums and dads who have reviewed these products claim that it has improved the length of nap time for their little ones, in particular those who had poor sleep beforehand.
Another benefit is of course the fact that it is an alternative to more expensive portable options such as baby seats, chairs and it can help provide a place to sleep in the room that isn’t the nursery.
What to look for in a baby hammock
Not all best baby hammocks are made the same, some are different in the way they operate and others are just outright better quality. But what do you need to look for before parting with your money? Here are a few pointers:
100% cotton sheet
The hammock part of the…hammock..should be made out of 100% cotton wherever possible as it is a breathable hypoallergenic material. As Kudikelis put it “Your newborn is so delicate and so is their skin. That is why cotton is the best fabric for your newborn’s skin”.
Approved by the Lullaby trust and Oeko-tex
The Lullaby Trust are a team dedicated to safe sleeping for newborns. Have they approved or commented positively on this product? If they haven’t, perhaps it’s worth a rethink.
Oeko-Tex are an optional standard which approves textiles to be safe for children. This is related to the cotton used in the sheet.
Solid frame
Avoid any hammocks with flimsy and wobbly frames. We probably recommend leaning more towards frames made out of wood as they are a bit more spongy and handle the constant sways a bit better.
Raised edges, low frame
To prevent babies from rolling out of the hammock get one with raised sides in the ‘bag’. Moreover, invest in a hammock which isn’t too far off the ground should the worse ever happen and they fall out.
Real customer reviews
We always recommend checking out other reviews for the products you are about to buy in every product guide we write. Don’t just take our word for it, check to see if they’ve had other reviews and whether they paint the hammock in a positive light.
Are baby hammocks safe?
One of the burning questions of parents researching these swings is whether or not they are safe. This is Best For Mums official stance:
Baby hammocks are not the safest option for your baby to sleep in, in particularly unsupervised. We agree with the Nationwide Children’s Organisation that they have not been tested nearly enough as their alternatives such as cribs and pillows such as sleepyheads.
The Lullaby Trust’s safe sleeping guide recommends parents to use use a firm, flat and waterproof mattress to reduce the risk of SIDS. A baby hammock does not meet these requirements.
One of the biggest risks associated with baby hammocks is the risk of the baby rolling out of the hammock and falling or rolling over and falling asleep on their side or front. Some designs may not have raised edges to prevent this. Also, some are unreasonably high off the floor which is not great.
Lastly, a National Library of Medicine study has found that although baby hammocks were no different to other beds in terms of breathing issues, they found that the potential rolling was such an issue that they could not recommend their use unsupervised which Best For Mums agreed with.
To conclude, Best For Mums would not label baby hammocks as safe to use when used unsupervised or over a long period of time. There are much safer alternatives out there such as cribs, baby seats and even baby bouncers. However, if it’s going to be used as naps while you keep an eye on them then there isn’t a problem.
Baby Hammock FAQs
What is the best baby hammock?
We believe that on the balance of things that the Amazonas Koala Baby Hammock is the best baby hammock on the UK market in 2020 and beyond.
Do baby hammocks prevent SIDS
No. In fact, they may increase the risk of SIDS when used over a firm and flat mattress. Amby products have been shown to be moderately better than most.
Are Baby Hammocks safe?
Amby baby hammocks are one of the safest options on the market as they have made extra efforts to improve the safety and have been approved by the Lullaby Trust which is no mean feat. Amby ensure that there is a safe nest for a baby which has a bit of spring to it and above average features.
