In the middle of a cross-country military move, Rena Banes and her husband got a huge surprise…their daughter came 11 weeks early, weighing just 1 pound 5 ounces upon her arrival.

At the time, the new mum and dad were both active-duty members of the Air Force living in Maryland, but were on the verge of moving to San Antonio, which meant Rena’s daughter had medevacked to a hospital in the Banes’ new hometown at just 2 weeks old.

“We hadn’t bought anything for the baby yet,” she says. “It was an adventure. I can say that.”

That’s when Rena first looked into SNOO. She was initially unsure if the price tag would be worth it, but because her daughter was so tiny and had had such a tumultuous start, Rena decided to use Happiest Baby’s military discount and give it a shot.

“I was really nervous about SIDS. She was a preemie and had trouble breathing. It gave me comfort knowing she was secure in SNOO and wouldn’t be able to roll over,” Rena remembers.

After 54 days in the hospital, Rena’s daughter came home. 

“She was the rock-star of the NICU. She fought to discharge early. She still is a fighter! Everything you say she can’t do, she does.” 

That’s when Rena’s daughter snoozed in SNOO for the first time. At first, Rena was skeptical of how quickly SNOO seemed to move, but she soon realised that the motion was just enough to calm her little one.

“Thanks to the NICU she was already on a schedule because they’re stringent about how they do things. You think, how will I ever get on schedule, but SNOO added to our schedule. We just let her wake up on her own to eat.” 

By 4 months Rena’s daughter was sleeping six- to seven-hour stretches.

“We were like, this is the best thing since sliced bread,” Rena says.

But most importantly, SNOO helped ease some of Rena’s anxiety leftover from her daughter’s dramatic debut. 

“As a parent, you never know what’s going to happen. I liked being able to have that security that the baby is strapped in and they can’t roll over.  And, at the same time, they’re all snuggled up, they get that security of being held even though they’re not,” she says.

“It really helped us out tremendously. I honestly wish everyone could have one.”

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Disclaimer: The information on our site is NOT medical advice for any specific person or condition. It is only meant as general information. If you have any medical questions and concerns about your child or yourself, please contact your health provider. Breastmilk is the best source of nutrition for babies. It is important that, in preparation for and during breastfeeding, mothers eat a healthy, balanced diet. Combined breast- and bottle-feeding in the first weeks of life may reduce the supply of a mother's breastmilk and reversing the decision not to breastfeed is difficult. If you do decide to use infant formula, you should follow instructions carefully.