DockATot Review

Let’s have an HONEST Dockatot review about this “must-have” item every mom is raving about…

*Disclaimer: post contains affiliate links meaning if you click the link and make a purchase I may receive a small commission at no additional cost to you*

The DockATot. Made in Europe, but designed in Sweden. It’s an item and brand MANY moms (and dads) are familiar with! It’s the so-called “miracle-sleeper”, “best item out there”, “the item that reinventing the womb” & so many other catchy phrases. Read further for DockATot review in full.

As I go along my review, I have positive and negative things to say about this product because I promised an HONEST review of this product.

I did not receive this item from the company and all my reviews on all my products are always 100% real and honest and all my own opinions. That being said, let’s get started on the dockatot review!

I had been wanted this “miracle sleeper” ever since I found out I was pregnant with our second baby. I had heard other moms raving about this product!

They said their babies never slept great until they purchased this product then BAM, sleeping hours at a time! I was intrigued, like most parents are, especially about a product that people are saying guarantees longer sleep.

So I looked and looked but just couldn’t justify the price. $200 for a baby lounger?! I just couldn’t.

We aren’t rich, we are a regular middle class family and I’d rather spend the money on other things for my family than a sleeper.

Months went by and I grew more and more tired with a newborn and a toddler.

My baby started sleeping better at night thanks to the Halo Sleep Sack (review on that item here).

But her naps still weren’t great unless she was sleeping on me and I couldn’t always do that. We had the 4Moms MamaRoo rocker as well and that worked great up until around 5 months old. (read that full review here)

Then all of a sudden she didn’t want to sleep in there anymore. She went from sleeping 2 hours in the rocker to 20 minutes.

I was losing my mind. She was overly tired which then made her nighttime sleep hell. She went from sleeping 7pm-5am at around 3-4 months old to all of a sudden only sleeping 7pm-12am then 3am-6am.

Now most moms are probably yelling at me through their phone or computer right now for complaining about this, but when I was used to a baby sleeping 10hours straight to now waking up every 4-5 hours was a buzzkill for MY sleep.

Now call me selfish or whatever but let’s face it, if “mama ain’t happy, ain’t nobody happy”, (isn’t that how the saying goes!?)

Basically she had just been getting progressively worse waking up multiple times a night instead of just the once and naps were 20 min stretches throughout the day. I was at my wits end.

My mom surprised me and called me one day and told me to pick a DockATot size I wanted. I suppose she was tired of my complaining and saying how I wanted to try one 😏😂 (love you mama!).

Anyways she ordered me the DockATot Grand size, per my request.

Now my reasoning for choosing the Grand and not the age recommended Deluxe size is simple. I wanted longer use of this expensive product. My daughter is 6 months old and average size (50th percentile across the board).

If I chose the Deluxe which is recommended 0-8 months old, I theoretically would’ve only had 2-3 months use of it before I would’ve “upgraded” to the Grand which is recommended for 9-36 months old.

I chose the Grand because according to the website it’s a little longer, open on the bottom, and wider. I figured if I needed to make it more snug for her for 2-3 months I could use blankets and such since my plan was to only use it for nap time when I would be watching her.

I also chose the Grand because logistically I wanted it for longer use and did want to have to “upgrade” anyways. This Grand was already $300 and I didn’t want to purchase the Deluxe for $200 then pay another $300 to upgrade a few months later.

Plain and simple. That’s why I chose the Grand for my 6 month old.

The website claims parents have used the smaller dock way past 8 months and it works just fine, but I wanted the security of knowing as my little wiggle worm kiddo gets bigger she still won’t be able to roll her way out of the DockATot.

Yet another reason I chose the Grand sizing instead of the Deluxe size.

Now to the results. The day it came I was SO excited to bust it out of the box and put this “magic sleeper” to use. So while my oldest was down for a nap, I laid out the Grand and put my little one inside.

She looked around and sort of looked at me like “mom what did you just put me in?”. She laid there and babbled and played for a little bit before falling asleep (it was already her nap time anyways).

I was rejoicing to the heavens! She fell asleep, no crying nothing! I busted out my iPad to get some work done right next to her, I figured I would have a good solid 2 hours to work. Boy was I WRONG!

She slept for her usual 20 minutes! I was SHOCKED! This was not the results I was expecting. Honestly I was let down and disappointed. But I decided I would try again later, maybe she just needed to get used to it.

So the day went on and later that afternoon I tried again, this time I put her in the sleeper and she cried!! I mean hysterically crying and trying to wiggle herself out of it.

The good news because of the puffy sides and top she couldn’t wiggle out but once again I was let down!

This wasn’t the magical sleeper I was hoping for. I was so upset, my kid hated the DockATot. That must be a first ever.

But I decided to keep trying so that night when she woke up at 2am with a stuffy nose (we live in CA and the air quality is so bad with all the fires), I decided to put the DockATot in our bed so I could keep an eye and ear on her just in case.

We put her in the sleeper and I laid my arm across her legs, like I used to when she was an infant to get her to stop kicking and relax.

So I laid my arm across the DockATot with my arm lightly resting on her and within 20 minutes she was out. And then she slept for 2 hours!!!

I was thrilled!!!! She finally slept a solid amount of time in this thing!

Now the next day I thought well I won’t get my hopes up in case it was only because it was nighttime and dark. But I tried nap-time and put it in our room where it was darker and quieter and she slept a solid 1.5 hour nap!

Which is long for her!! I was thrilled again! Each day she is getting more and more used to sleeping in it and will now sleep an hour or so in it for naps and longer if we need it for nighttime.

So I guess overall it was not the cure-all sleeper like I thought, where she would just automatically sleep for 3 hour naps! Rookie mistake I suppose.

Now the website does say the sleeper might not “work it’s magic” if you do not get the right size for the age range. But honestly I think it depends on the kid and the environment (and your bank account!).

My baby needs dark to get a good long nap (unless we’re in the car). The website recommends getting the Deluxe size for her age to get the “full advantage” of it but I refuse to spend $500 for a full year of good naps, especially when in 3 months she would need the Grand size anyways!

Overall the DockATot has slowly but steadily helped with naps and I do like the peace of mind knowing she won’t roll off of the bed or couch if I need to walk away quickly to pee or get her sister.

It has been nice to have and I definitely use it every day, but I’d say it is not a “necessity” like others out there say it is.

It depends on the baby. But do not purchase one or be gifted one and think your baby will all of a sudden nap or sleep for 4 hours straight (unless you have a baby who loves this, mine took some time and is still getting used to it).

Maybe if i would’ve started her in the DockATot Deluxe from day 1 then maybe she would be used to it and not have an issue. Could just be the age and maybe it isn’t the right size for her but it works for the time being.

And I will do an updated Dockatot review on this product when she falls into the “recommended” age for the Grand size.

PROS:

• Breathable material, gives me peace of mind of her not suffocating on the side; All filling is made of hygienic and non-toxic properties
• Security of knowing she won’t roll out of it
• Feels very comfy and soft (I want one in my size actually, ha!)
• Cover is machine washable
• Comes with a clear plastic case to transport with
• Grand sizing can be used until they are toddlers
• Does give that sense of security and snuggles for the baby
• Ability to move from room to room
• DockATot website does offer monthly payment plans
• Website claims the Grand dock helps with bed transitioning

CONS:

• Sizing for ages via the company seems a lot to expect parents to spend $500 total throughout a year span
• Expensive for a baby lounger/sleeper (basic Deluxe size is $175-200, Grand size is $275-300)
• Extra covers (besides the white it comes with) are $75-90 for Deluxe and $110-130 for Grand
• The Grand size is HUGE. Thankfully we have a king size bed. But it takes up most of the couch (see photos above), not good if you only have limited space to work with

There are other sleeper lounger options out there for cheaper cost that might work the same. There are also buy, sell, trade groups out there who sell DockATots for cheaper.

Also, there are people on Facebook marketplace or other item selling websites such as LetGo, Poshmark, & Mercari that sometimes have loungers for sale for cheaper.

Granted they will be used so you might want to buy a brand new cover for it depending on the condition, but sometimes if you’re lucky you can find this expensive product for cheaper to try out.

UPDATE 01/2019:

This item has saved me many a sleepless nights. My baby has always been a huge cuddler. Wants to be held or have my hand on her chest. This DockATot is the only way she can sleep in our bed with my hand lightly on her chest and me still get some sort of sleep.

The DockATot instantly lets her know it’s nap/bed time and she calms down (as long as my hand or arm is nearby). I would recommend to anyone who has a difficult or cuddler sleeper so that mama or dad can get some sort of sleep.

Plus while it’s not recommended to co-sleep with your baby (although let’s be real some parents do), this DockATot Grand has definitely given me a piece of mind that my husband and I won’t roll over because of the big puffy sides so baby can sleep “safely” or at least my mind can.