With every pregnancy, every infant, there are new products I discover, that I wish I had known about the last time around. With Violet, our second child, it was bamboo swaddle blankets. With Stella, our third child, it’s the DockATot.
Just like the name, it docks your tot. It’s a lounger, it’s a co-sleeper, it’s a napper, it’s a changer, it’s a ‘I just need to have a shower and put this baby down somewhere safe’, bed transitioner, snuggler, perfect for playtime, area that’s perfect for an infant. It’s something that travels around the house with us, upstairs in the bassinet at night and downstairs in front of the fireplace, or on the couch, during the day.
The mattress pad is breathable, making me feel comfortable using it our bassinet. In fact, it fits perfectly inside, creating a space that’s cozy, comfortable and has been giving us four-hour stretches of sleep since Stella was born. This time around, I’ve had maybe one or two nights, so far, where I feel like I’ve been up all night. I attribute that completely to the DockATot because even on those days when she only wants to settle in my arms, I can calm her and place her in the DockATot, successfully to sleep.
It’s got a side carrying handle, perfect for when you’re bringing the DockATot with you away for the weekend, like we just did to Canmore or when you’re bringing it with you to a lovely friend’s house that is watching your seven week old baby, while you go out for a quick dinner on date night. It’s easy to stash in the car for a quick drive over, and even easier to carry into the hotel, house or into an oversized tote bag.
What about washing? The cover is completely removable, and can be tossed in the washer. After this weekend’s trip, Violet spilled some juice on the DockATot, so I pulled the cover off when we got home, and tossed it in the washer. I let it dry a bit, and then put it back on. Jamie looked at me as I was doing it, and said something like “Oh, that’s going to be fun”. I replied with “I know, right?” but I had the cover back in just a couple of minutes, and the DockATot was back to looking brand new. It was actually way easier than I expected, to put the cover back on.
Other parents think it’s pretty awesome too. You want to know how I know that? Simple. I was selling a cosleeper on the local swap site, and mentioned that it wasn’t used because we immediately fell head-over-heels with the DockATot, and I had three people message me to ask if they could have the DockATot when we’re finished with it (Though we don’t tend to keep a lot of products stashed away for the next kid, this is one that we’ll be hanging on to when Stella outgrows it in six short months).
Now, let’s get to the part that even I found hard to swallow when I first read about it - the price. The DockATot is just shy of $300 (You can find it locally at stores like Max and Maude or buy it from Chapters Indigo). I know, that’s expensive for one baby item but let’s face it - there are certain items that are incredible baby products and the DockATot is one of those items. The four hour stretches of sleep are priceless.
We’ve used it daily, for the past eight weeks, and will continue to use it over the course of the next six months, until Stella outgrows the Deluxe size.
DockATot sent us the DockATot Deluxe to review - as always, I’m sharing my honest opinion about the product. You can bet that we’ll be buying the DockATot Grand when Stella outgrows the Deluxe (it’s that good).
