If you’re a new or expecting parent, you’ve probably heard of the SNOO. It’s pretty much the holy grail of baby bassinets, but it’s ridiculously expensive. You can buy it regularly priced for $1,695 (nope, that’s not a typo) or shell out a little less money to rent it for the few months your baby will use it. For the record, it’s not recommended for use past the age of 6 months. However, babies often outgrow the SNOO before then. Still, if you pay full price and use it for the entire six months of their life, that’s still $282.50 per month of use. Whoa!
To help you determine if renting vs. buying the SNOO is a better deal for you, we’re breaking down everything you need to consider before you hit ‘add to cart.’
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What exactly is the SNOO, and why is it so expensive?
If you haven’t heard of the SNOO, many new parents swear by it. The SNOO Smart Sleeper Basinett looks like a regular baby bassinet but uses a special swaddle that secures it so your baby stays safely asleep on their back. When your baby is tucked inside, the SNOO actually senses their sounds and movements. It can tell when they’re awake or upset. Sorcery!
If the baby is stirring, it can gently rock them back to sleep. If the baby is crying, the SNOO learns the best combination of white noise and gentle movements to calm them down. There’s also a free corresponding app if you want to control SNOO from your phone. Sounds amazing, right? The only catch is that the SNOO bassinet costs $1,700 to buy — however, there are sales throughout the year making the bassinet even less. For example, this past Mother’s Day, the brand offered up to 30% off — making the SNOO Bassinet just $1,186.50. We haven’t yet heard of any Father’s Day discounts, but we’ll update this post if we do.
Even without holiday sales, you can save 20% now by purchasing the bundle set. The Dream Team Set costs $2,490, but it also includes a Lola Crib with your SNOO purchase. Or, you can buy a certified, pre-loved SNOO for $500 cheaper.
You can rent the SNOO instead of buying it.
It does seem silly to buy something so expensive when you’ll only use it for a few months. (The SNOO is typically recommended for the baby’s first six months.) Luckily, Happiest Baby — the company that created this magical baby-comforting machine — offers rentals as well. There are several options when it comes to deciding to rent the SNOO, and we’re breaking them all down so you can get the most savings.
- Monthly rental: If you want to try it out before fully committing, you can rent it for a month for $159. After the first month, there’s the option to add on as many more months as you like for $159. You’ll spend $954 to rent it for six months.
- Newborn special: If you’re pretty sure you’ll use the SNOO all six months, you can save a couple of hundred dollars with the newborn special. You do have to commit to at least two months, and you’ll pay the same $159 monthly rental fee for months 1-4. But by committing to this option, you’ll get months 5 and 6 for just $49 per month. That makes it $734 to rent for six months.
Since you only have to commit to two months for a potential savings of $220, we recommend renting with the newborn deal.
There are hidden costs for renting that you won’t have to pay if you buy, so a six-month rental will be about $852.
Another thing to consider with renting is the added fees. If you rent the SNOO, you have to pay for shipping both ways and put down a deposit.
Shipping is $59 each way, and a refundable deposit costs $99. That bumps up your minimum six-month rental cost to $951. Assuming you get your deposit back, that’s a total of $852.
When you buy the SNOO, you don’t have to pay for shipping, and there’s no deposit.
Freebies you get when you rent versus when you buy the SNOO.
No matter if you choose to rent or buy the SNOO, you’ll be scoring some freebies! For instance, when you rent, you’ll be given a mattress, an organic cotton sheet, and 2 organic SNOO Sacks — that’s a $100 value — and they’re all yours to keep!
If you decide to buy, then you’ll receive a mattress, an organic cotton sheet, and 3 organic SNOO Sacks.
Whether you decide to rent or buy, you will be granted unlimited access to their 24/7 sleep consultants. This perk is enough to help ease your mind and feel confident in making your decision because these sleep consultants are always available to help by a hotline.
Whether it’s better to rent or buy the SNOO really depends on your situation.
With the sticker shock of the SNOO’s price tag, you might assume that renting it is the best option — but that’s not always the case! It really depends on your individual situation, so we’re breaking down a few scenarios.
Let’s say this is your first baby, and you’d like to eventually have three. If all three babies use the SNOO for six months, you’ll spend a minimum of $852 three separate times if you rented it for each child. That’s a total of $2,556 in rental fees, compared to $1,695 if you had just bought the bassinet for the first baby. Ultimately you would spend an extra $861 by renting.
On the flip side, if you’re on your last baby, or even if you just aren’t sure yet whether you want to have more, renting can be the smarter option.
RELATED: 20 Ways to Score Baby Freebies and Samples for New and Expecting Moms
If you plan to have more than one baby, buying the SNOO is your best bet.
Of course, it’s hard to say what the future holds, but if you plan to have more than one baby, buying is your best bet.
Let’s say you have two babies, two years apart. You buy the SNOO for the first baby, who uses it every day for six months. You store it in the basement (or rent it out to another new parent) until it’s time for the next baby. At $1,695 for 12 months, it comes out to about $141 per month — which is cheaper than the monthly rental fee, and you don’t have to pay extra shipping costs or put down any deposits.
Do keep in mind that every baby is different, so even if you’ve used the SNOO with previous children, it doesn’t guarantee the next baby will like it. But generally, if you plan to use the SNOO for the full six months and for more than one baby, buying the SNOO upfront is actually less expensive than renting.
The SNOO tends to have great resale value.
Here’s another reason why you may want to buy instead of renting. The SNOO tends to resell quickly and for a pretty penny assuming you’ve maintained it well. Several KCL staffers have had luck selling their used SNOOs, in one case selling them for the exact price they originally paid for them. Now we absolutely cannot promise that will happen for you. However, it’s worth looking at your local Facebook Marketplace or online parent groups to see how quickly used SNOOs sell, and for what price.
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