Baby Sleep Products: What Not To Buy
- Charlotte Evans
- Nov 7, 2025
- 3 min read
Updated: Feb 5
The market seems to be flooded recently with various baby sleep products and pieces of technology, marketed towards tired parents who are in the hope that these products will help their baby sleep well.
Whilst I agree that some modern products can be beneficial for a good night’s rest or make your family’s sleep more comfortable, many of them are unnecessary - either increasing your anxiety of when something might be ‘wrong’ with your baby's sleep, or in some cases being dangerous for your baby to sleep with.
Baby Sleep Products I Would NOT Recommend
Whether you're setting up your baby's new nursery, or you're just curious about making a purchase, here is a list of products I would not suggest wasting your money on.
Cot bumpers
Although many of these are marketed as ‘breathable’ and safe to use in your baby’s cot - please note that they are not safe as there is a risk of suffocation.
Sleep positioners/pods
These are not safe for your baby to be sleeping in unsupervised. They are certainly not designed for overnight sleep, but even leaving your baby to nap in them while you make your lunch could be dangerous..
Monitors with tons of data
Before you consider buying a monitor with 100's of settings on it, I would suggest asking yourself what you intend to do with all the data that the monitor presents back to you. For the first 6 months your baby should be sleeping in the same room as you, but even for older babies a basic sound monitor will suffice. If your baby is out of earshot while your downstairs for example, the monitor just needs to inform you if your baby is crying and needs your support (remember some babies cry between sleep cycles anyway). Any additional data on these monitors could cause anxiety in parents who will feel as though something is ‘wrong’ if the data isn’t as they expect or they notice their baby moving around in the night.
Wearable baby sleep products and “smart cots”
See above! These new 'smart cots' could cause unnecessary anxiety among parents, and there is really no need for so much data. They are really clever products, and personal choice of course, but in my professional opinion I don't see the benefit. One model of cot boasts a blood oxygen monitor and alerts for when baby is lifted from cot - neither of which I see the benefit in especially if you are room sharing with your baby for the first 6 months.
Summary:
Although I agree that safety standards for sleeping babies has improved dramatically in recent years due to an increase in knowledge and safe sleep practices, I don’t agree that these ‘smart’ technologies, cot gadgets or positioners are improving sleep quality or safety for our babies.
For full guidance on safe sleep for your baby, visit the Lullaby Trust website . For the first 6 months your baby should be supervised for sleep in the same room as a parent, after which time the risk of SIDS reduces dramatically. As long as safe sleep guidance is followed and your baby is supervised, there is no need to spend money on these fancy (sometimes dangerous) gadgets.
If you would like some support for how to set your baby up for the best night's rest, here are the ways in which I can help:
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