# Is there a safe baby hammock?



## mistymama (Oct 12, 2004)

I just love the idea of baby hammocks, and had planned to purchase an Amby for our next child. Of course, in light of everything that has happened recently, that will not be happening.

I see there are several other hammock beds out there - just curious if anyone has experience or recommendations for some of the other brands? Is there a safe baby hammock or do they all have the potential to move baby into an unsafe position like the Amby?

I really like the looks of the Canoe hammock - and I like the price of the mamalittlehelper one - I see Arm's Reach also makes one. Any thoughts or suggestions?


----------



## Heavenly (Nov 21, 2001)

What's wrong with Amby? I used it with my youngest and loved it.


----------



## confustication (Mar 18, 2006)

I'm making one for DS- we cosleep at night, but durig the day it would be great. I'm planning to do a very simple design similar to the Happy Hangup using a wool-batting mattress in the bottom.


----------



## mistymama (Oct 12, 2004)

Do a quick google search and you will find lots of info -

I really, really liked the Amby but they have shut down their us website and are not answering calls or emails.









Confustication - how are you making your own? Do you have any plans or pics to share? I would LOVE to see them.


----------



## quantumleap (Apr 13, 2006)

We have a kanoe, and love it. DD was older when we got it - about 7 months. She is a dedicated stomach sleeper most of the time, and she does roll over and smash her face into the canvas. She is, however, old enough to be able to move herself if she's uncomfortable or not getting enough air. I do tend to sort of resituate her head a bit when I find her smushed in there. We also have a sheepskin in there, something I would not do, or would do only with extreme caution with a smaller baby. I actually haven't investigated what the issue was with the Amby, so can't say whether I think it might also be an issue with the kanoe. We do love ours though, and have converted two other families so far. The only trouble is that dd will now not go to bed in a normal bed if we're travelling and the place we're staying in lacks a ceiling hook! It's completely worth the money though, and I don't have any real safety concerns with it.


----------



## PaulV (Oct 15, 2009)

We too are asking the same question right now; we were considering the Amby until we realized that they don't sell them anymore and that babies had died in them.

I'm wondering whether the mamalittlehelper design is different enough to not have the same asphyxiation concerns as the Amby. It looks a bit simpler in design, but it's hard to judge these things. That one looks good to us though.

-Paul


----------



## bromom (Aug 27, 2009)

Selkat- just curious how old your child is. We are expecting a baby in Feb and are considering the Kanoe. Our parents are pretty skeptical, not so much about using it for a little baby but for an older child (9+ mos) who might pull himself up and tip out of the Kanoe.
Have you had any experience with this? We'll probably go with it anyway, and convert to a crib if we have to as the child gets older.


----------



## morgainesmama (Sep 1, 2004)

I wanted to sub to this thread. I read the threads both here on MCD and also somewhere else (I think babycenter?) about the Amby, and the number of parents who have found their children in unsafe positions in them really startled and frightened me. They seem to have many of the same issues the Infantino Slingriders have.









I wouldn't feel safe at all at this point using any of the flat bottomed hammocks; dh and I are now in conversations about purchasing or making a fabric hammock that cradles baby in the same way a wrap or ring-sling would, so that baby couldn't roll against a side or into a corner, or the hammock couldn't tip if baby schooched up or down. This is my fourth and his first, but I never used hammocks with the others.


----------



## confustication (Mar 18, 2006)

I really like the look of the happy hangup, and there aren't any corners/edges..


----------



## quantumleap (Apr 13, 2006)

bromom - our dd will be a year next week (AAAH!). The sides and ends of the kanoe are pretty deep. Several months ago, she was a fan of pulling to standing in there (and then jumping!!), and did once take a header. But, only the once. She's never done it since, so I think it must have been a fluke as falls are not usually a deterrant for her. She now will sit in the very end of it and sort of hang her chin over the end while she waits for me to get her after a nap. We have it hung pretty low, so a fall wouldn't be a huge deal, but like I said, it really hasn't been an issue.
We're hoping for #2 soonish, and I think we'll actually get a second kanoe if/when that happens...


----------

