SNOO Was a Crucial Part of This Olympianâs Training
At Happiest Baby, we like to think that SNOO trains babies to sleep like championsâŚbut could it help an actual Olympian champion train too? If you ask Matt Grevers, a two-time Olympian and five-time Olympic medalist (five of which are gold, by the way), the answer is yes.
Matt and his wife Annie know firsthand how disruptive to sleep a newborn could be. Their older daughter, Skylar, routinely required 30 minutes or more of constant bouncing before sheâd be soothed to sleep. And then, once she had dozed off, her parents had to master the delicate art of transitioning her to bed without rousing her again (a feat that most newborn parents probably consider to be gold-medal-worthy in itself!). If she woke, the bouncing cycle started all over again.
âI remember waking up and thinking Iâd wrecked my back from all the bouncing,â Matt says.
So, when Annie was pregnant with their second child, Gracie, the parent testimonials she read about SNOO piqued her interest.
âI think Matt and I both had PTSD from Skylarâs early weeks,â Annie says. âGoing through that again was our number one fear about having another kid, especially in [what was supposed to be] an Olympic year. He really does need 9 to 11 hours of sleepâhe basically needs the same sleep as our toddler.â
While exhaustion has serious consequences for all parentsâŚgetting a good nightâs sleep was crucial for Matt. As an athlete, sleep is an essential part of his training and recovery.
âSleep is part of my job. Human growth hormone is produced during sleep, which is important for training recovery,â Matt explains. âAs soon as I heard there was anything to help with sleep, I was super excited. If there was an option that we could use instead of hurting ourselves physically and mentally, well, it sounded amazing.â
Sure enough, SNOO made for a very different experience with Baby #2. Early on, Gracie would sleep in five-hour stretches, waking just once at night for a feeding. But more than the added sleep, it was SNOOâs ability to calm Gracieâno bouncing requiredâthat made such a huge impact.
Even though Matt may rely on sleep the most from a professional standpoint, the extra shut-eye has benefitted the entire family.
âOur entire householdâs happiness has increased with sleep,â he says. âOur 3-year-old needs a lot of attention, and with more sleep, you have more patience for your toddler. Waking up refreshed makes everyone happy.â
âOne of my mum friends told me that I donât look tired, and I almost felt guilty,â Annie says. Youâre expected to have huge bags under your eyes, but I thought I donât feel that tired.â
Gracie has since graduated from SNOO, and Matt and Annie say the transition couldnât have been smoother.
âThat was my number one worry about SNOO. I thought sheâs going to get so used to this movement, even in weaning mode, but sheâs been doing great. The first night in the crib she slept exactly the same,â Annie says.
Matt says that SNOO has actually helped train them as well. Because they could rely on SNOO to soothe Gracie, they didnât feel like they needed to rush to her at the first sound of fussiness. âI loved how SNOO let you know that being a little fussy wasnât abnormal. Sometimes the baby just needs to be soothed.â
The fact that Matt and Annieâs second go-round has been so different from their first experience, might have an even bigger impact on their family long-term...
âItâs clichĂŠ, but SNOO is game-changing as far as the newborn days go,â Annie says. âMatt might be in danger of having another kid.â
âAnnieâs done an incredible job. I was two and done after our first child,â Matt agrees. âI thought, oh I donât know if we can go through that again. But like Annie said, itâs been so different this time, and so much more enjoyable.â
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