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. 2023 Aug 30;12(8):1527-1539.
doi: 10.21037/tp-23-42. Epub 2023 Aug 14.

The five "S's" and the "SNOO" Smart Sleeper-non-pharmacological interventions (NPI) to promote sleep and reduce crying of infants: a scoping review

Jasraaj K Singh  1 , Samuel Menahem  2   3
Affiliations

The five "S's" and the "SNOO" Smart Sleeper-non-pharmacological interventions (NPI) to promote sleep and reduce crying of infants: a scoping review

Jasraaj K Singh et al. Transl Pediatr. .

Abstract

Background: Sleeping and crying are normal activities of infants. Infant crying and night wakings can be both distressing and exhausting for parents. At its worse it may be associated with an increased risk of maternal depression and psychosocial stress for both parents. Strategies for reducing crying and improving sleep include the five "S's"-swaddling, side/stomach position, sucking, swinging and shushing sounds simulating "womb-like" sensations. The "SNOO" Smart Sleeper (SNOO), a "smart" bassinet, incorporates 3 of the five "S's", swaddling, swinging (rocking) and emits soothing sounds while demonstrating safe infant sleep practices. This paper explores the effectiveness of the five "S's" and the SNOO.

Methods: References for the five "S's" were obtained from various sources while a scoping review of publications from PubMed, Embase and Web of Science was undertaken to seek out relevant studies to document the efficacy of the SNOO.

Results: The five "S's" appear to help soothe infants, reduce their crying and improve their sleep. In addition, infant obesity rates fell. Infants also experienced less pain following immunisations. Of the 66 papers gleaned from the database in mid-2021 for the scoping review, only those which provided clear outcomes and conclusions, were complete and related to infants were included. That resulted in only 2 studies that fitted the criteria imposed. They suggested that the SNOO incorporating 3 of the five "S's" had similar beneficial effects.

Conclusions: The five "S's" were effective non-pharmacological strategies to help reduce crying and improve sleep in infants. Confounding factors included normal crying of infants, triggers of hunger or tiredness, or recognised causes of crying. The 2 studies reviewed suggested that the SNOO was helpful in reducing crying and improving the sleep duration of normal infants. Further studies have suggested it may be used therapeutically for distressed or ill infants.

Keywords: Infants crying; SNOO Smart Sleeper; five “S’s”; sleep.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflicts of Interest: Both authors have completed the ICMJE uniform disclosure form (available at https://tp.amegroups.com/article/view/10.21037/tp-23-42/coif). The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
The SNOO Smart Sleeper and the five “S’s”. (A) SNOO Smart Sleeper. The Smart Sleeper also rocks and provides shushing sounds relative to the baby’s fussiness and/or crying. The image was obtained from https://happiestbaby.com.au/cdn/shop/products/snoo-mom-watching-sleeping-baby_grande.jpg?v=1584469105. (B) Pictorial summary of the impact of the five “S’s” and the “SNOO” Smart Sleeper on infants’ crying and sleep. The images included were obtained from a Google image search (the source links are as follows). Top left image: https://static.toiimg.com/thumb/msid-72179853/72179853.jpg; middle left image: https://secure.officite.com/user-uploads/article_manager/115964/287258/heroimage0.021779001620084277.jpg; bottom left image: https://happiestbaby.com.au/cdn/shop/products/New-PDP-Images-Asian-couple_640x.progressive.jpg?v=1569281384; right image: https://happiestbaby.com.au/cdn/shop/products/New-PDP-Images-10_640x.progressive.jpg?v=1569277466. Five “S’s”: swaddling, side/stomach position, sucking, swinging and shushing sounds simulating “womb-like” sensations.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Flowchart demonstrating screening process of papers in scoping review of the SNOO Smart Cot. Inclusion and exclusion criteria described under Methods.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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