DockATot Deluxe Product Review

When Matea was born 5 months ago, I foolishly assumed she would mimic the same eating and sleeping patterns as her Big Sister.  In fact, I naively thought “this is going to be so much easier the 2nd time around because I know what to expect and I’m sure she’ll be just as easy to take care of.”  Well friends, I am here to tell you nothing could be further from the truth.

I love my little nuggets, but they are different on so many levels.  I was spoiled with Marli because everything was so easy with her – from the pregnancy, delivery, and recovery to getting on a sleeping schedule (where she started sleeping through the night at 4 months old).  In Matea’s case, however, it’s definitely been a learning curve.  Getting her to sleep for 4-5 hour stretches at night has been a challenge AND because she is also really needy, she constantly wants to be held or be in the same room as me….or else she’ll continue to cry. ​

If you’ve been following along on her monthly updates, then you know that a week before she turned 4 months, she contracted a bad cold which completely threw off her bedtime schedule.   Add on the dreaded sleep regression phase + teething and yea….no one was getting any sleep!  We tried letting her sleep in the Nap Nanny like we did with Marli (who LOVED it), but she absolutely hated it.  I mean who doesn’t love the Nap Nanny!  I was really at a loss so naturally I did what any parent does. I took to the internet to answer my prayers and that’s when I came across the DockATot. (cue the angels singing)

If you’re reading this, chances are you probably already know what this is (or have seen one floating around the internet), but if you don’t, the DockATot is a multi-functional portable dock (bed) that is designed to mimic the mother’s womb creating a snug and comfortable environment for baby to lounge, play, rest, and sleep in.  Sounds glorious?  Yea, it kind of is.  But I will be honest – when I saw the price tag, I had major sticker shock.  The Deluxe style designed for babies 0-8 months is $165-185 and the Grand style for 9 -36 month old babies is $260-$290.  Not exactly chump change, right?

So the REAL question that I’ve been asked a bazillion times is – Is it REALLY worth the investment?
And my answer is a BIG hands down HECK YES!

c/o DockATot | c/o Emerald Isle Slip Cover | c/o Headband

I mean – does that face not say it all?!?! I can’t handle her cuteness sometimes.

I’ve had the DockATot for about a month now and pretty much use it everyday.  I’m not here to say that it magically helped my little girl sleep through the night because that still hasn’t happened, BUT that’s ok because I love it for so many other reasons.Because it’s portable, I can easily take it with me from room to room so she’s always close by.  I’ve even taken it to my parent’s house a few times when they babysat her.  Now that she’s more mobile, I have peace of mind knowing she’s safe in her dock while I’m tending to chores (as opposed to before when I always worried about her rolling off the bed or couch).

Before the DockATot, my husband and I invested about $200 in the swing + rocker to “keep her securely contained” which she does enjoy, but it’s not exactly portable friendly.  Plus, it looks like she’ll be outgrowing it in the next month since her feet are already dangling off the seat.  The other investment we made before knowing about the dock was the pack n’ play crib which is also handy, but so bulky to move around and cost us another $150!

Matea also practices her tummy time on her DockATot so I don’t need to lug around her Boppy Pillow. I mean really – who needs MORE baby stuff laying around the house?!?!  And, when she’s on her back, she can play with her play gym.Also, because we’re still co-sleeping, it is SO much safer to put her in her DockATot so I don’t accidentally roll on her while sleeping.  (We have a bassinet that cost us just as much as our dock, but she isn’t as fond of it.)  And while she isn’t sleeping through the night yet, she has been slowly sleeping for longer stretches with each week that passes. #progressI can’t speak for the Grand style, but I plan on getting it once Matea outgrows her Deluxe because I know she’ll love it.  So, if you really think about it,  the Deluxe DockATot ($185) comes out to less than a dollar a day if you use it every day for 8 months!  Totally worth the investment to me!  Thanks for reading and hope this review was helpful. I’m always happy to answer any questions you have in the comments below (or you can find me on my Instagram).

Have a beautiful weekend, lovelies!