A new "smart" bouncer-to-bassinet developed by startup Elvie debuted earlier this week, offering a potential market challenge at half the price of the SNOO, the long-standing gold standard for newborns favored by celebrities and parents across the United States.
Newsweek has reached out to Happiest Baby, who produces the SNOO, for comment via email on Wednesday.
Why It Matters
Sleep is often scarce for new parents, caregivers, and newborns, as the latter typically wake every few hours or less. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that babies sleep on their backs, making bassinets a common choice for safe sleep.
In recent years, new products have integrated technology, including sound and motion features, to help soothe and lull babies back to sleep.
The new competitor Elvie Rise, priced at $800, might challenge Happiest Baby's SNOO Smart Sleeper Bassinet, which runs for $1,695, and offer more affordable options for new parents and caregivers.
What To Know
Elvie, a FemTech company known for its portable electric breast pumps, announced the release of the smart product on Monday at CES, an annual technology trade show.
The company's press release says the "all-in-one solution" features two modes, bouncer and bassinet. In the lie-flat setting, the "baby can sleep safe and sound around the clock - from naptime to night-time."
Unlike the SNOO, which is a smart bassinet, the caregivers can change the angles of the Elvie Rise in bouncer mode, where it "records and repeats the bounce inputted by a parent or caregiver - soothing the baby in a way only they know how. It can also be used as a manual bouncer."
A spokesperson for Elvie told Newsweek in an email on Wednesday its "space-saving design replaces the need for a bouncer, bassinet and separate smart soothing product." The spokesperson also noted, "Unlike the robotic side-to-side movement of baby swings, Elvie Rise offers a gentle up-and-down motion designed to make baby feel like they're still in the comfort of your arms."
The product is "tired and tested by sleep expert, doctor of psychology, and mom of three, Dr. Aubrie DeBear," the spokesperson said.
The SNOO, launched nearly a decade ago, was invented by pediatrician Dr. Harvey Karp, best known for his 2002 book The Happiest Baby on the Block.
The smart bassinet responds to the baby's cries with rocking and white noise to soothe the child without requiring caregivers to wake up and progress sleep training. It has garnered dozens of accolades and praise from new parents, celebrities, and clinicians.
A 2023 medical paper published in peer-reviewed Advances in Neonatal Care, found that the bassinet "was perceived as a driver of positive infant and parent experiences," and caregivers viewed the SNOO as "providing them with support in their daily caring for newborns, reducing their stress, and helping them in lieu of hospital volunteers. Clinicians reported an average time savings of 2.2 hours per shift."
Company investors include actors and singers Justin Timberlake, Jessica Biel, Scarlett Johansson, and Zoe Saldana, among others.
Both products are recommended for babies up to 6 months.
What People Are Saying
Ashton Kutcher said about the SNOO a 2018-episode Dax Shepard's podcast Armchair Expert, "It's an oscillating bed...It's got a natural swaddle and it's got a sensor in it, so the louder the kid cries, the faster it goes. And it puts the kid back to sleep! It's unbelievable! Trust me on this."
Dr. Aubrie DeBear said in a statement about the new product: "Elvie Rise is the perfect place for baby to work on new skills and their development while in bounce mode, then transition to sleeping comfortably and safely in bassinet mode. Plus mom gets back some valuable hands-free time!"
What Happens Next
Customers can pre-order the Elvie Rise online, and a spokesperson for Elvie said "sales are still underway," and it "will be on mass sale in April 2025 with widespread distribution in the U.S."
Customers can purchase full price or rent the SNOO for $159 per month online, and Flexible Spending Account (FSA) and Health Spend Account (HSA) may be used for purchase.
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