Allie’s DockATot Review: Is the popular baby sleeper really worth the $$?

Hey mamas! Before I start my review of the DockATot Deluxe, I wanted to share the results of our Instagram poll! Thank you to those who participated :).

I was surprised to see the split was 62% of people who consider this popular baby sleeper a must-have and 38% who said “no thanks.” A few participants messaged us and expressed their love for the DockATot, but none sent us any DMs sharing why they chose not to use it.

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I think I was expecting it to be a much higher percentage one way or the other, but the mixed reviews were very interesting, as my personal experience with the DockATot was also mixed. Here’s what I thought:

When I was pregnant with M, several momma friends told me I absolutely HAD to have the DockATot. I passed on this message to my mom, who generously (and I say generously, because models retail for $175 and up) gifted the DockATot to me at my baby shower.

We had M in the DockATot the night we brought her home from the hospital and every night after for the next 2 months, and O.M.G., she slept like an ANGEL in that thing! I fully credit the DockATot for M’s miraculous newborn sleep schedule. She would have slept 5+ hour stretches right off the bat if I didn’t wake her up every 4 hours to make sure she was still breathing!

My husband and I never felt comfortable bed-sharing with M, so we had her in the DockATot in a portable bassinet by my side of the bed until she was 5 weeks old before moving her and the DockATot into her own room, (I realize now 5 weeks is super early to transition to the crib, but we couldn’t stand M making crazy noises and moving around all night! We all slept much better when she moved to her nursery.)

I joined a local mom group that had a discussion on the DockATot when M was around 10 weeks old (by this time, she was sleeping THROUGH THE NIGHT in the DockATot!), and the hospital liaison/head doula/group facilitator mentioned something about people not using the product safely, so after I had a mini-panic attack hearing this, I did some research on the DockATot and discovered that we were, unfortunately, one of these people.

According to the DockATot website, parents should “Never use the DockATot Deluxe and Grand Docks in a crib, bassinet, or play-yard setting.” SH*T!!! The minute I read this, I took M out of the DockATot, and all hell broke loose. That night, she woke up every 2-3 hours and continued this pattern for the weeks following. In fact, she never returned to those glorious, restful nights once we removed the DockATot. (And before the comments roll in on “did we try x, y and z to help her sleep?” - Yes, we used the swaddle, white noise machines, tried the Nested Bean, etc.. Nothing quite matched the coziness of the DockATot...)

So, in the end, the DockATot was great, until we discovered we were using it unsafely.

I do know several parents who successfully co-sleep with the DockATot, which according to the product warning online is completely safe: “A supervised environment is one in which a semi-alert, non-inebriated adult is co-sleeping next to baby. Adult does not need to be awake next to baby.”

We will definitely hang onto our DockATot, because even though co-sleeping with M didn’t work out, we might have a different opinion with baby #2 (someday!).

Hope you found this product review useful! Click here to purchase the DockATot online.