Frequently asked SnoozeShade questions
Click on any question to link to the answer below.
If you have any further questions please feel free to contact us direct using our email address which you can find on the SnoozeShade contacts page.
Click on any question to link to the answer below.
If you have any further questions please feel free to contact us direct using our email address which you can find on the SnoozeShade contacts page.
Yes, you can use SnoozeShade with almost any pram, carrycot, flat-lying pram, pushchair, stroller or buggy with a hood – so no more pegging blankets or draping muslins to keep baby asleep!
As your child moves from a flat or low lying pram into a stroller or buggy you can also use SnoozeShade with that. It can also be used on rear facing car seats with hoods and anything with a hood really.
We’ve not found a pram or pushchair that it doesn’t fit yet. You are always welcome to email us if you want to be sure.
SnoozeShade fits to the hoods and frames of single-width three and four wheel carrycots, prams, pushchairs and strollers.
It can also be used on rear facing infant car seats with hoods – great for blocking out road lights if travelling at night. So far we’ve not found a buggy with a hood that it doesn’t fit.
SnoozeShade can be used on twin, triplet and tandem prams and pushchairs as long as they have individual or single width hoods. You then simply use one SnoozeShade per child which means that when one waked up you can take off it off and leave the other baby sleeping undisturbed.
We will be launching a SnoozeShade for buggies with double width hoods shortly.
Firstly you are always welcome to contact us on info@snoozeshade.com and we will endeavour to help. We know which prams customers are using it on already and which ones we have tested it. We can also look at a pram and suggest places to attach SnoozeShade.
There is always somewhere you can attach SnoozeShade but every pram is different. On some models you may not need to use the straps around the hood as the top is elasticated. On others, you don’t need to use the bottom straps as you can pull SnoozeShade around to fit snugly on the frame.
On buggies with wider hoods you may need to attach the straps to the hinges of the hood rather than the pram frame, you can also attach it on the brackets of the hood. We know mums are resourceful so we leave it up to you to experiment and if you get stuck we are here to help or you are welcome to return SnoozeShade if it doesn’t work for you.
It can be quite frustrating trying to keep baby asleep in the pram or pushchair with draped blankets, towels, coats and all sorts of other options. They often fall off and disturb baby or blow up and let light in which can wake baby. Babies also sometimes need a darkened environment to encourage them to nap as the world outside can be a very stimulating place which keeps them awake and leaves parents with a frazzled child.
SnoozeShade was created by a mum who was looking for a lightweight, highly portable and reasonably priced cover for her pram as an alternative to hanging things over the hood of her pram while her daughter slept.
You can use SnoozeShade at any time of year and whenever you want baby to nod off in the pram or pushchair. SnoozeShade has UPF50+ so it will protect baby from the sun’s harmful rays on hot days and on cooler days can also be used over cosytoes and feetwarmers in the winter.
SnoozeShade has a UPF/SPF of 50+ which means it protects against 97.5% of UV rays. Any part of baby that is under the shade will be protected and unlike with a parasol you won’t have to worry about the sun’s direction while you walk.
As baby cannot see out of the shade we do not recommend that it is used other than at naptime, it is not intended for use as a full time sunshade but to help your baby sleep. However, you can be reassured that if you need an emergency sunshade then SnoozeShade can help better than draping other things over the pram – simply leave the ‘sneak-a-peek’ zip open and baby can see out a little bit.
Using SnoozeShade should not prevent you from following normal safety guidelines for protecting your baby in the sun so sun lotion, hats and protective clothing should be applied as usual.
These are the guidelines from the NHS on baby sun safety. www.nhs.uk baby sun link
Any area of the pram not covered by SnoozeShade will not be protected from UV rays.
The fabric we have made SnoozeShade from is breathable, this means that it is porous and you can literally put it on your face and breathe comfortably through it.
Obviously, we do not recommend putting any fabric against a baby’s face but this is just to reassure you that the fabric will create a well-ventilated place for baby to sleep through which air can circulate.
We get asked this all the time, as you have probably seen most sunshades are black and it seems like it would make baby hotter but this is a common misconception.
Black absorbs the most rays (so stops baby burning) but also radiates the most heat away so therefore keeps things cooler than paler fabrics. SnoozeShade is made of breathable porous fabric so allows the heat to be absorbed and then radiated away.
The following explanation of why those in hot countries choose to wear black is the simplest one I’ve found:
“Darker clothes absorb more of the sun's energy, so this seems to make no sense", say David Halliday et al. in 'Fundamentals of Physics'. "In fact, black robes have been found to be 6 Celsius degrees hotter than similar white robes. The Bedouin secret lies in the convection breeze set up when the warmer air inside a dark robe rises faster and escapes upward through the porous material, sucking in air from below. So a black robe winds up being no hotter, and its circulating air may even make things more comfortable. Notice that a key element in this system working is the convection made possible by the escape of air through the porous material.”
If you look around, all the best selling sunshades are black. This is because it creates a strong barrier from the rays of the sun and also creates a shady environment in the pram. You don’t move in to the sun to keep cool, you move to the shade.
If it is a hot, still day with no breeze then SnoozeShade cannot make the temperature cooler but it will not increase the temperature and you should always check on your baby regularly to check he/she is comfortable with the ‘sneak-a-peek’ zip.
In sunny conditions, and if the buggy is stationary, we advise you turn the pram out of direct sun and check on baby regularly to avoid overheating.
In order to maintain breathability the fabric has to have holes in it so it cannot be made of an opaque fabric like window blackouts. SnoozeShade has been designed to help baby switch off by blocking out the majority of the visual stimuli in front that might keep them awake and distracted. In laboratory tests SnoozeShade blocked out up to 94% of light.
Tiny specks of light can be seen through the fabric which most babies find reassuring but it creates a shady haven for baby’s naptime. SnoozeShade is not a sealed unit and has been designed for a universal fit so if you want a closer fit simply attach the straps to the farthest place you can on the pram frame or wrap the straps around twice. On some smaller models you can attach one strap to the other underneath the pram to tighten it.
Yes, you can use SnoozeShade indoors. It is designed so you can use it to help baby sleep anywhere, in restaurants, shops or just when baby really needs a sleep and can’t switch off.
SnoozeShade is not just for sunny days.
If it’s a cold winter’s day with a nasty nip in the air it will also keep the wind chill away while baby snoozes. We used it with my daughter during the snowy spell earlier this year and my face froze but she was nice and protected. It will keep the majority of wind off baby but we do not recommend you use any pram cover in very windy conditions as it could unbalance the pram or buggy.
You can also use SnoozeShade indoors to ensure baby gets the sleep they need.
It is safe to use on most occasions, as long as you check on baby’s comfort levels at regular intervals to ensure they are comfortable.
And remember if it is a hot still day outside it will not be significantly cooler anywhere else.
SnoozeShade fits around and under most standard fit pram or pushchair rain covers.
Depending on your type of rain cover you may not be able to access the ‘sneak-a-peek’ access and it will be as breathable as your rain cover so please be aware of that.
SnoozeShade can be used from birth on a pram or carry cot with a hood and can then be used on a pushchair or stroller with a hood when baby is sitting up. The sooner you start using SnoozeShade the sooner your baby will recognise that when it comes out it’s time to sleep. SnoozeShade is a new way to maintain baby’s sleep routine even when you are out and about and away from home. It can become a sleep trigger that you use as part of your routine.
Mother & Baby magazine’s sleep expert Andrea Grace says this: "SnoozeShade is a lovely product which enables babies to get all of the benefits of a day time nap whilst they're on the move. It provides a darkened, cosy environment which will encourage daytime sleep even in babies who won't normally nap in the pram. Babies who are well rested during the day are more likely to sleep better at night."
SnoozeShade has been designed with a flat seam across the bottom so that as baby gets bigger their legs can hang out comfortably.
Their feet won’t get tangled up and they can have their feet on the bottom rung. My daughter is two and we still use SnoozeShade, in the winter her legs are protected by a cosytoes and in the summer I just push her seat back in the pram and she tends to curl up a bit so SnoozeShade covers her very well. It tends to depend on the buggy model.
We have added the ‘sneak-a-peek’ zip access in the front of SnoozeShade. This allows you to quietly check on baby without disturbing the sleeping pram occupant. The ‘sneak-a-peek’ function can only be accessed from outside so baby can’t open it. We looked at all sorts of different types of openings in product development and found Velcro too noisy to use and straps and ties too fiddly so we went with a zip as it is quick, quiet and simple to use.
SnoozeShade can be used very effectively on twin and triple strollers which have individual or single-width hoods as there is the added benefit that you can use one per baby which then allows you to leave one baby undisturbed if the other wakes up.
A new version that can be used on double width hoods will be available shortly.
Depending on how it fits your pram or pushchair, SnoozeShade can give additional protection for baby from insects, wind and UV rays entering, whilst still offering a shady and well-ventilated environment.