The ‘Amby Baby’ – does it really work?

Doesn’t that baby look so peaceful? The Amby Baby bed promises even the most fussy, colicky, acid reflux-y baby will sleep better and longer if parents buy them this special ‘womb-like’ sleep hammock. The full kit, including a jolly jumper add-on for when baby’s a bit older, is around $350 CDN / $270 USD, which is perhaps a bit much to splurge on a novelty item, but may be worth it if it means the new parents get more sleep!

According to the Amby Baby Blog (an official company-sponsored blog) FAQ, the sleep hammock is recommended from birth through 12 months, and the ‘jolly jumper’ attachment is good up to 25 pounds.

A review at Thingamababy, however, suggests that babies might not get a full year out of the Amby before being ready to move on to another bed. His daughter grew out of it at 8 months. He also didn’t like that the mattress isn’t waterproof and that the frame is ugly. Until the point his daughter moved on to a different bed, however, it sounds like it did work – the baby was sleeping through the night by 4 months old.

The daddy blogging at MoreDiapers chronicled his experience with the Amby, and his initial impression was also that it was ugly, but it works:

My intial thoughts are mostly good. It doesn’t creak or groan like the Fisher Price Ocean Wonders Aquarium Swing (the closest thing I have to compare it to) and overall seems well built. On the other hand, it has the aesthetics of a school gym tether ball pole, which is unfortunate, as good looking products are important to me. That aside (and admittedly, it’s trivial), it’s proving to be a good battery free and safer replacement to the Fisher Price Aqua Swing that has been his bed, since he refuses to sleep in his crib.

Further along in the experiment, he discovered some design flaws, including squeaky, creaky sounds and a problem with the cotton sheets:

Now I know this is probably anti-crunchy to say, and the bed is decidedly pro-crunchy, but… what were they thinking? There are many great man mande fabrics that would preform better in the situation. And best of all, they woul be MACHINE WASHABLE, unlike the current design that must be washed by hand.

The Amby has the Dr. Sears vote of approval:

For restless, colicky babies who don’t sleep well in mom and dad’s bed, now there is an alternative arrangement that may give you and baby a peaceful and happy night sleep. It’s the Amby Baby Motion Bed. What makes the Amby so unique?

• 3-D motion simulates womb environment. The Amby bed hangs from a spring, so every time baby moves or stirs in his sleep, the bed gently moves up and down, back and forth, and side to side. This is the same motion that baby cherishes both while in the womb and when you carry baby around in your arms.
• Calms the restless sleeper. Some babies toss and turn throughout the night when they sleep in a motionless crib. The natural Amby movements give baby a more restful night’s sleep.
• Helps babies with Reflux. The slightly upright sleep position of the Amby minimizes painful acid reflux that can frequently waken baby when sleeping flat.
• Fits conveniently next to your bed for easy access to baby. Parents can easily bring baby into bed for nighttime feedings when needed, without having to get out of bed. Baby can easily spend part of the night in bed with mom and dad.
• Helps babies nap longer. The Amby is also perfect for helping the “short napper” get a nice long nap that both baby and you need.

Blogging Baby has a positive review, but also a tale of a baby that was allegedly harmed by a faulty Amby bed:

The Amby Baby Motion Bed is loved by many parents. A quick search of the MotheringDotCommune forums reveals intense devotion to the product, which posters credit with giving their infants long and cozy naps – and the parents some much-needed free time. Indeed, several members of the Blogging Baby staff (including myself) own Amby beds, and are pleased with their performance.

Berryman said that she too “loved” her Amby bed – until the day she claims her son’s eyes started watering and turning red.

Berryman said that she took her son to Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital, where Dr. Denise John told her that a small metal obstruction had become lodged in her son’s eye. When Berryman returned home, she looked around for what might have caused the injury. Eventually, her attention turned to the bed.

“When looking at the Amby bed I noticed signs of wear on the crossbar,” she told Blogging Baby. “When I looked closer there were signs of wear on the eyebolt and spring as well. The eyebolt has grooves in it where the end of the spring rubs against it. The spring has areas of chrome plating missing where it comes in contact with the eyebolt. I discovered metal particles in both the actual hammock and the folds of the fabric that covers the cross bar.”

Back to the MoreDiapers dad, who had identified some design flaws (but did not have this problem with the metal shavings. After extended use, he praises it as ‘baby crack’ but the cotton sheets continue to be the biggest problem. Because babies are, well, leaky:

Anyway, the thing that I had the biggest problem with was the cotton material they use to make the bed. I thought then, and I think even more now, IT’S STUPID. It’s so stupid that I feel the need to have a disclaimer whenever I tell people how much I like it that the upkeep is severely hindered by its cotton construction.

Let me explain. I don’t hate cotton. I don’t want to receive any nasty letters from the Cotton Advisary and Promotion Board. Cotton is good. Long live cotton. Nope, it’s the fact that it is used to make the bed that I don’t like. Yup, washing it by hand is definitely a bummer. And drying it on the deck sucks too. But the worst part is that H needs to sleep in it about every 3 hours or so and to get it to dry in that time is virtually impossible. As a result, we leave it unwashed for too long and it starts to really stink. I mean it’s awful. Fact is, the only way we can clean it is to wash it, hang it, and take H out in the car for the day in hopes that he’ll sleep there.

I feel like the makers, in an effort to be crunchy and green, conveniently forgot that babies can’t control their bodily functions. It, like the baby that sleeps in it, gets dirty with dirty baby fluids and must be cleaned. It doesn’t make sense to have only one bed made entirely out of cotton and not be able to quickly wash it and dry it between naps. Cuz to us, this thing is like baby crack, Hayes needs it. He wants it. And when he doesn’t get it, he’s libel to shiv someone. Ok, most of that is true, but I think you get the picture.

I wonder if it’s possible to buy an extra cotton bed so that parents could swap it out for washing regularly. It does sound like the Amby works for the parents who are writing about it online, but it does sound like a pain to clean.

I’m adding it to my ‘wish list’ of stuff to buy. If it lets us have a little more sleep and a break from crying, I’m sure I’ll find it’s worth it!