Cheap Amby knock off

[fyrebloom]

SO I found this online, looks like an amby only it's $99.99

http://www.mamalittlehelper.com/

I just ordered one . Yippee!

[MerelyGod]

You'll have to let us know how it is! I've been looking at this one, which is cheaper than the Amby, but more than the one you got. http://www.babyviva.com/show_product...&utm_term=4693

Lately I'm leaning toward not getting one, but I just don't know. Has anyone actually used something like this before? How did you like it? I have a co-sleeper which we barely used with DD, but I was thinking something like this might be better because it's smaller (we can fit the co-sleeper in our room, but it's crowded) and portable. I normally wouldn't even consider anything like this or a co-sleeper, but DD2 still comes into our bed most nights, and I'd like a safe place to set the baby if it becomes an issue.

I'm kind of laughing at the video of the 25 pound, 18 month old boy sleeping in it. The weight limit is one of the big issues I'm having. DD2 was 27 pounds at nine months, so she really wouldn't have gotten a ton of use out of one of these.

[KringyBingy]

This baby will be our 3rd and we don't have a bassinet or a crib anymore. What's the point when I know my baby will sleep with me? I am checking into different baby carriers - I ahve always been a sling wearer and just started wearing my son in an ergo when I got pregnant - now I'm looking at a kozy? for infant stage.

Kristy

[Nature]

Haven't had a crib or a bassinet for quite a few kids now. They were just a waste of space. Baby will be joining our bed.

I do have a Kozy carrier though and I love it. I'd like to get a Moby for this babe though.

[fyrebloom]

I cosleep but all my kids have needed to be at an incline for their first months. We used swings alot for bed and naps and the batteries are expensive. My DS has reflux and my dds had colic. I decided this is probably better then buying something battery powered.

I've seen the arm's reach one, but I decided against it because it doesn't connect at one point. I like the amby and the mama little helper ones because they have a stand (we have a drop ceiling and can't hang anything from it) and allow for a wider range of motion (the arms reach one looks like it would only allow for swing like motion... front to back).

[fyrebloom]

Kozy is more for the three month up stage. I am an avid babywearer and I've tried alot of carriers. I use a bali baby breeze for bittys and and mei tais and SSCs after 2-3 months. The prob is when baby needs to sleep when I do. Screaming refluxy baby is NO fun and I can't sleep sitting up.

[PaulV]

So to follow up on this, how did you like it? We're considering one as well, since they don't sell the Amby anymore, and our son really likes bouncy rather than rocking.

-Paul

[joyakshi]

Holy Sh*t!!! are these safe? We have to bounce baby for every nap on a yoga ball. no rocking - her swing won't do. and she gets fussy in her co-sleeper.
this is what we've been looking for.
do they have a safety record?

[joyakshi]

how did you order it?
i get an error page when looking at retailer info.

[fyrebloom]

i had no trouble getting the regular infant baby and toddler hammocks into my google cart but the computerised and auto hammocks don't work. I'd email the owner if you want those models.

The final outcome is Malcolm doesn't like it. Ah well. It is JUST like an amby and I suspect it will have the same issues as the amby. I found putting him in diagonally helped to keep him from rolling. Not crazy about how it puts his head below his feet ... not a great bed for reflux imo. The sarong sling seems to be mesh all around and thus less likely to cause smothering.

Seriously though as a babywearer who wears much thicker material over my kids, I suspect that smothering isn't the issue. These are really breathable things. I'll bet the deaths associated with the amby are just SIDS. Even the solid part of the hammock is just cotton broadcloth and not really thick or at all padded.

[frogger]

My friend's child died in the Amby, it wasn't SIDS.

[Fujiko]

Originally Posted by frogger

My friend's child died in the Amby, it wasn't SIDS.

Yeah. The Amby bed was just recalled.

[fyrebloom]

I just saw that! Not a surprise since the site was down for so long. I wonder if MLH will do something similar since the beds are so similar.

[joyakshi]

Frogger - so sorry to hear of your friend's loss. that is beyond horrifying and devastatingly sad.
aw man, should I cancel my order? I did buy it on ebay, but the woman is really hard to reach with questions and they haven't shipped it yet. I am thinking of making my own hammock (to go with the automatic bouncing mechanism) that does not have a flat bottom or mattress. it seems this would be the issue - providing the space to roll over. there are so many baby hammocks that have not had issues and none of them have the flat bottom or mattress. I think they should have the regular hammock effect of contouring to the body and using gravity to be safe from rolling/turning.
Fyrebloom - what do you mean it puts the head below the feet (that is what caused one of the deaths) and gets twisted? it's supposed to have 3 incline positions.
I noticed that the way the MLH hammock hangs from the hook looks different than the Amby - more like the Miyo. Would this make it safer than Amby?

what am I going to do - keep bouncing her in the sling on the yoga ball 5 hours a day on less than 5 or 6 hours of sleep? if that's the only safe thing to do, I will.

[joyakshi]

Fyre- if I left the mattress out of the MLH hammock, would it contour to the body with gravity, or is the bottom stiff and flat even w/out the mattress?

[firewoman]

I realize that my opinion on this may not be well received so I apologize for that in advance. I don't want to upset the loved ones of babies who died. I have an Amby and while when not adjusted properly I can see how it can cause the baby to roll from one side to the other, I do not see how it can tip causing the head end to be lower than the foot end. I have done experiments with it and no matter what I do, when it is assembled but even untied I can't get it to be a "balanced seesaw" which is what the father of one of the babies that died described. Fyrebloom, you said your MLH has the head end lower than the foot end. How does that happen?

[texmati]

I know i'm ddc-- my babe was born in late september.

we use something like this. In fact, looking closely it seems like the exact same one. It's just another option-- i check to make sure that there is one fingers space between chest and head to guard against suffocation. I've been told over and over by my elderly relatives not to use it past four months as well. Just giving another option. My v. fussy babe will stay quiet in that thing even if he is hungry or wet. It's so nice to have something like that when you are alone.