DockATot Grand Review

Desperate for sleep, eager to have my bed back and anxious to try the DockATot, IDockATot, I reached out to them to see about writing a product review for them. I am soo excited that they agreed to collaborate! I will start by saying that for me, our DockATot has been amazing for my entire family!

One of the things I love the most about the DockATot is how versatile it is. By this, I mean that a lot of parents can use this product in a variety of ways. Whether you want to co-sleep safely with the DAT or want your kid to sleep in their crib, you can use the DAT.

You can: use it in their crib to get a few hours of rest without your little one in your bed and then transfer them to your bed, use it all night in your bed, or have them sleep in their DAT in their crib all night if you want. You can use it inside a teepee as a cool floor pillow (one of our favorite ways to use it 😉 ) or take it on cool vacations and outings.

DockATot meets the needs of so many different parents, different parenting styles, and the various stages of your life…

and I love it.  

 

I had some really huge (and unrealistic) expectations when I received the DockATot. I was expecting that all of a sudden my little one would start sleeping in her DockATot through the night the first night. She hasn’t slept more than 4 hours at a time since she was 3 months old. Silly me.

What the DockATot DID do for us was this: my daughter sleeps very soundly and peacefully for a solid 3-4 hour stretch first thing through the night.

I will take it.

When you have a little one attached to your hip (or boob *cough, cough*)  even something as small as 3-4 hours feels like a luxury and is a life saver on your sanity. I may not get a solid night’s sleep (yet) but I think eventually I will as we work on sleep training and she becomes more comfortable with her dock.

There are so many things I love about the DockATot. I love how gorgeous the designs are. For real! I never felt so excited about a pillow until I got this in the mail. The designs are stunning. The colors are vibrant and every detail was well thought out. We received the DockATot Grand in Mod Pod 🙂 I LOVE the black and white with the aqua accent!

Now that my little one is older, I know it is less of a risk for SIDS but I still catch myself checking on her in her crib to make sure she is o.k. I love how breathable the DAT is. The first thing my husband and I did was shove our face into the pillow to see if we could breathe. Breathing is slightly inhibited (obviously) if shoved into the pillow but there was still enough air that a. I don’t think a baby would suffocate and b.  it would give them enough time to realize “Hey, I’d like some more air” (if that makes sense).

My sister-in-law came over and she has been contemplating getting a deluxe DAT for her baby that is due here soon. She was very impressed and will be purchasing one for her little too! 

I love how easy it is to take places. It’s got a handle for easy access to move from room-to-room. We normally use the Dock in her crib and transfer her to our bed after her first long stretch and she sleeps in between my husband and I. I just went on vacation and hubby had to stay back (poor hubby). I was nervous about her not having a buffer to keep her on the bed so I used the dock in the bed with me and it worked GREAT! It was also awesome to have for beach and poolside naps!

Our daughter sleeps her longest stretch when she is in her dock (and lately it seems to be getting longer -YAY!) and I think that is due to the raised sides. I think it reminds her of being snuggled next to mom and dad. It makes her big crib seem less small and that means less tossing and turning which equals solid sleeping. Each night she snuggles up to the side and cuddles with it. 🙂 This will hopefully make bed-transitioning much easier when the time comes!

Another bonus is how easy it is to clean! All materials are washable. The cover unzips and you just throw it into the wash. SO EASY! I am going to have to invest in another cover here soon.

I got the DockATot Grand which seems massive but I think the deluxe would have been too small. I am excited for how long this will last for us though! The Grand is for babies 9 months-36 months/ 22-40 lbs. This should last us for quite some time! Yay for getting our money’s worth!!

The only setback I have with the DockATot is the price. It is really steep ($290) and at first that was a huge turn-off to me but when you are sleep-deprived and something can potentially increase your sleep, it is worth it. Even though my daughter only sleeps in her’s for 3-4 hours a night, that is 3-4 hours I wasn’t getting previously. You have to decide what a good night’s sleep is worth.

*Side note: I wonder if I had used the deluxe DAT before and transitioned her to this, if she would have done better.  

Even though I am not getting 8-10 hours a sleep solidly/night, I will definitely be investing in the deluxe for baby #2.

Shipping was fantastic. I couldn’t believe how quick it got to my doorstep. I can’t remember if it was one or two days but it was that fast. The packaging was awesome. The pillow was HUGE! but the package wasn’t crazy heavy or anything.

Overall, I love my DAT and already have been sending my friends and family on their way to purchase one for themselves. DockATot will definitely be a staple baby item in our household from now on. Thank you DockATot for the gift of sleep!

 

*EDITED TO ADD: This is MONTHS later but my daughter now completely sleeps through the night in her DockATot. She sleeps 10-12 hours without needing mom or dad. It got longer and longer as time went on and she adjusted to her new bed.

SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS AND WARNINGS: 

DockATot is not to be used in a crib, bassinet, or other contained area. It needs to be kept away from a wall or anyother vertical structure. I placed mine in the crib for pictures as a size reference to display what the Grand looks like inside a crib. This is due to the risk of baby getting trapped in between the DockATot and a side structure.

Use it only on a flat, firm, and stable surface. Never use on a surface where baby can fall. Babies should sleep on their back to reduce the risk of SIDS. You should never allow pillows, blankets, or soft toys in the DockATot while baby is laying in it. The stuffed animal in my picture was purely for display (and because she was cute 😉 ) We don’t let our daughter have anything in her dock even as a toddler. It’s not worth the risk.

Direct supervision is required while baby is using their DockATot. Baby’s head needs to be placed at the opposite of the buckle end. The buckle end must always be unclipped when in use.

 

XOXO,

One Merry Mama