*The Nap Nanny was recalled by the CPSC on July 26, 2010 due to entrapment, suffocation and fall hazard!  See full recall here:  http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml10/10309.html

If you are like most parents with a newborn, you have heard the saying, “sleep when your baby sleeps”.  Ahhh…easier said than done.  If your children were like mine, colicky and suffering from severe reflux, sleep didn’t happen and your sleepless days and nights just melded together.  Just when I thought there was no sleep in sight, the most amazing thing happened.  I tiredly picked up a magazine and saw what I now know to be my lifesaver…The Nap Nanny!

Before I got the Nap Nanny, I had to sleep in a recliner with my daughter every night or prop a hundred pillows behind me in bed.  This was the only way she was able to sleep.  But unfortunately I didn’t sleep because I was so worried she would roll off of me.  I was constantly exhausted and not a very happy person to be around.  When I finally received my Nap Nanny it was like a whole new world for me.  My daughter would fall asleep on my chest then I would carefully place her in the Nap Nanny.  She would sleep for 4-6 solid hours!  Never before did she sleep so well!  She no longer choked on her reflux or woke up with bouts of curdling screams from pain. It truly is the most amazing baby product I own.

The Nap Nanny is a wonderful new product on the market designed by a mother to improve your baby’s sleep.  It is a seat made of foam covered in an amazingly soft fabric in the color of your choice. I chose the pink cover being that I have a little girl.   Babies weighing 8lbs or more can safely use the Nap Nanny anywhere in the house (but on the floor, of course!)!   It has a harness which allows your baby to fall asleep safely and comfortably.  It should be noted that it is not a 5 point harness.  It has a strap similar to a bouncy seat that just goes over the legs and around the waist (3 point harness).  If you have a skinny little one like me you will notice that the harness doesn’t get very tight so make sure you follow the recommendation of keeping the Nap Nanny on the floor.

The seat specifically targets babies with reflux, gas, stuffiness and colds, and ear infections.  It has this amazing wedge design which elevates the baby to the pediatrician recommended 30 degrees but also lifts her legs so she is not rolling off the incline like all of those bed wedges.  Although I did purchase the seat because of my daughter’s severe GERD, I have used the seat for many other things.  It has been wonderful for my daughter just to sit in and play while I was cooking or playing with my three year old.  My daughter was able to interact with us and see everything I was doing.  It weighs approximately three pounds can easily be moved to different locations. Its dimensions are 32 inches long, 17 ½ inches wide, and 10 inches high.

One of the greatest things about the Nap Nanny is that it is so easy to keep clean.  My daughter has spit up on the seat more times than I care to remember and all I have to do is take off the removable cover and put it in the wash!  The foam has a waterproof liner so nothing ever gets into the foam to make it smelly.  I was worried that the cover would shrink in the wash but I followed the washing instructions and it fit back on perfectly!

Getting the Nap Nanny can be a little challenging.  It isn’t sold in large retailers such as Babies R Us or Target so you have to do a little searching.  On the website www.napnanny.com it allows you to either order directly through them or locate a retailer using the state you live in.  Luckily my in-laws live in Pennsylvania where it is actually produced and we were able to pick one up at a local retailer but that is not the case in many states.  Your best bet is to order it from the website if you can’t find a retailer close to you.   The Nap Nanny costs 129.99 plus around 20.00 to ship.  A little steep I thought at first but after having used one it was worth every penny!

My daughter is 6 months old now, weighs 18lbs, and still suffers from reflux.  And although she now sleeps soundly in her crib, she still uses the Nap Nanny everyday.  My three year old even enjoys lounging in it when watching a movie and has on several occasions asked for her very own Nap Nanny.  My sister is pregnant now with her first child and the one item she has requested from the slew of products I own is the Nap Nanny.  I look forward to passing it on to her and I’m confident that it will bring to her the same saneness and joy it brought to our home.

- Ericka, Contributor