Our Value Amby Baby hammock package includes:

• Amby sling
• Mattress with 100% quilted cotton cover
• Amby frame
• Amby spring
• Spring cover
• Travel bag

Fantastic value!  At only $298 it’s much less expensive than buying a cot or bed, it’s more portable to travel with baby and so easy to assemble.  And most importantly it will bring you and your family much needed sleep!

Most of our customers who have purchased this package have also ordered our Amby Sheet Sets.  They are 100% cotton and custom made for the Amby mattress.  At only $24.95 for a pack of two sheets, they are great value!  No extra shipping charges apply when you add any Amby accessory to your order of an Amby Baby Hammock Value Package.

The Amby Baby Hammock is the perfect baby bed, ideal for the unsettled baby, babies with reflux or infants with colic.

Why Amby?

The best chance in life from the very start

Clinically controlled studies confirm that by providing physical contact, enclosure and rhythmic movement, young babies, whether term or premature, evidenced significant improved physical and psychological development.

The Amby Baby Hammock was developed from the knowledge and understanding provided by this medical science which pinpoints how 'well' babies and acutely 'sick' babies best survive, grow and develop in the first 12 months of their life. These studies clearly evidenced that with the right type of environment and stimulation the following benefits are found:

• increased weight gain
• better neurological development
• increased alertness
• heightened hearing and visual functioning
• decreased irritability

Safe and sound

The Amby Baby Hammock simulates the conditions of the maternal womb so that your baby can experience the same spatial restriction and sensory stimulation as he did for nine months. Here your baby can still enjoy what nature provided - the gentle vertical motion (as mother moved and walked) and the tactile security of the womb wall.

Best of all, your baby will lie naturally in the supine position (on their back) which is recommended by International and Australasian researches and promoted through SIDS health campaigns. The slightly elevated head position of the Amby Baby Hammock is also an essential feature for babies with chronic reflux problems.

Why vertical motion rather than side to side? The vertical motion replicates the movement of the womb as mother walks, producing feelings of suspension and floatation which greatly pacifies the most uncomfortable, distressed and aggravated infant. As your baby moves and plays in the Amby baby hammock, he creates his own gentle stimulus of motion. As he grows, the more this becomes a fascination for him! The Amby baby hammock stimulates movement, an integral part of toning up baby's muscles and increasing his neurological muscular coordination.

Babies who feel safe cry less Other than the very basic needs not being met, such as hunger or discomfort (wet nappies, too hot or too cold) babies cry for more complex and sensitive reasons. Reasons that until recently have not been recognised as being directly related to their distress. These days the idea of 'letting him cry it out' might not seem so appropriate (eg. controlled crying). The quickest way to produce disturbed, interrupted sleep is to isolate your baby in an empty room in the unfamiliar territory of an open, still and flat surfaced bed. Babies need to be assured that you are close at hand. They cry less when they feel safe and secure.

A wonderful place to be The rapid adjustment to hard flat open surfaces such as in a standard cot/bassinet is just too much to ask of a newborn! Searching for their 'lost' environment, they strive to regain the comfort and support they so recently left. In the Amby baby hammock, you'll find your baby will soon discover the world to be the wonderful place he so eagerly needs it to be.
Sleep patterns can be quickly transformed from erratic, short and disturbed spells, to deep peaceful nights and contented days. Waking up will be a slow and pleasurable thing as his stirring will activate the spring into motion, often lulling him back to sleep again. That's the power of the Amby Baby Hammock.

Mobility – light and easy to move around The Amby Baby Hammock is fully portable and designed to be easily moved from room to room so that your baby can be with you wherever you may be. In many cultures very young infants sleep next to their parents or at least in the same room. This gives the baby an added sense of security. Weighing in at about 9 kgs, it is light and portable enough to pack away into the Amby Carry Bag and then into the boot of your car.

Engineered for Comfort and Safety There are NO hard surfaces, NO restraining devices, NO electronic parts around your baby - just the natural perfect balance of extraordinary comfort and sensory stimulation.
The Amby Baby Hammock allows free flow of air around the unit making it light and airy and fully breathable! (Cool in Summer, Snug in Winter)
At about 20 cm’s from the floor while he soundly sleeps, you will be free from the nagging worry of your baby falling from the full height of a cot.
Your baby's weight will be distributed evenly with NO pressure points to worry him.
The unit comes with a fully quilted mattress and machine washable bed. The tough metal frame is scratch resistant and can be assembled in minutes.
The Amby baby hammock meets all available safety standards and has been fully tested by independent safety laboratories, hospital trials and the thousands of happy parents who have used them for their babies

Grateful Parents, Happy Doctors No parents can forget the stressful experiences caused by the relentless crying of a distressed, colicky or reflux baby. These days, doctors are reluctant to administer powerful drugs if there are other options. Today, the Amby Baby Hammock can be found in neonatal intensive care, nursery and burn units, safely relied upon by medical professionals in leading hospitals for even the most fragile babies. It is also equally 'at home' in child care centres, hospitals and thousands of homes for 'well' babies
Safe, simple and affordable, the Amby Baby Hammock gives your baby the best chance to start life blissfully contented, perfectly well adjusted and predisposed to healthy growth and development. It is the most logical and natural transition from the womb to the outside world during that critical first year of life!

When should babies start using the hammock and how long should they sleep in it?

Babies can generally sleep in the Amby baby hammock from birth to about 12 months. Many babies sleep in it for much longer.

Ideally it's best to use the hammock from birth. In fact many mothers in Australia take the hammock into hospital with them. However, there are also thousands of babies who start using the hammock anywhere from a few weeks to seven or eight months old. It appears that even at that age babies take to it quite easily.

The Amby spring can safely hold up to 12kg of weight (approximately 12 months of age).  For heavier babies and toddlers, a second spring can be used alongside the provided spring to hold up to 24kg.

You can get extended use from the hammock frame by attaching the Amby Jump Jump which can be used right up until a child is either 20kg or around 21/2 years of age (depending on their height and enthusiasm).
Why does my baby wriggle around in the baby hammock? It has to be noted that babies sleeping in the hammock tend to wriggle and move around more than if they were sleeping in a cot/crib. This must not be misconstrued as 'baby wanting more room'. This movement is in fact triggered by the tactile touch that the baby experiences in the hammock. As in gestation, moving and wriggling is all part and parcel of muscle toning and physical development. Many mothers have reported that their hammock babies appeared to grow faster than their previous babies who slept in cots. This is quite understandable, as a baby who sleeps better and is happy and contented will more than likely feed better and therefore grow faster.

Do babies sleep in it at night as well?

Yes, definitely. It is a 'full time' baby bed. Many families take it on holidays, to grandmothers and even to baby sitters. This gives your baby the advantage of sleeping in his own special bed wherever he may be.

Should babies always sleep on their backs in the hammock? Yes, the configuration of the hammock makes it virtually impossible for a baby to sleep prone (on his tummy). The desired and recommended position is the supine (on the back) position. The SIDS and Kids organisation recommends that babies sleep on their back from birth, not on their tummy or side. More information can be found at http://www.sidsandkids.org/safe-sleeping

Are there any specific ‘transitioning’ techniques?

The hammock is an early development product for newborns up to around 9 months. As far as transitioning goes, it really depends on the baby's personality; some develop their 'independence' faster than others. We suggest that you look for 'signs'- restlessness in the hammock even though they have slept in it for months, refusing to go into it etc As in most things, there is no magic formula. Let your baby tell you when it's time. Some babies will transit to another bed more easily than others. However, even with difficult transitions, bear in mind that the hammock allows your baby to thrive for many months, making life much easier all round.

Can my baby roll over in the hammock? Yes, eventually when your baby is strong enough - around 4-6 months, most babies will be able to roll over on his side or tummy, with effort. Indeed in some Asian countries babies sleep in hammocks without the mattress. This makes it considerably harder to roll over. We strongly recommend that babies from about 4 months sleep in the hammock without the mattress. The Amby design is not made for tummy sleeping
Do not under any circumstance sleep your baby in the hammock on his or her tummy.
Keep in mind that most normal healthy babies tend to roll and turn (experiment) in any bed. When this occurs, monitor your baby and if you feel that it is time to transit, then do so gradually to make the transition easier.

I have heard from friends who have used the Amby Hammock that it is good for colic and reflux. How does the hammock help relieve the symptoms of these conditions?

Colic is usually a recurring condition that affects some 25% of young babies. The actual cause of colic is yet unknown, but amongst the factors that have been implicated are intestinal gas pains (small bubbles of air/gas trapped inside a baby's under developed intestines) and nervous tension.
When a baby is bounced gently to sleep in the Amby, it may have the effect of 'pushing' the intestinal gas along and releasing the trapped bubbles of air, which helps make the baby more comfortable.
The rhythm of the spring action also has the incredible ability to soothe a baby, easing nervous tension, relaxing the muscles (an attack of colic is usually accompanied by intense crying with legs pulled up, abdomen becoming rigid and fists being clenched) and 'limping' the whole body, rendering the baby a degree of comfort that is otherwise lacking.
Gastroesophageal reflux is often caused by an incoordination of the baby's upper intestinal tract. They tend to spit up or throw up frequently after a feed and if a baby cries all the time, they fill their tummies with air, grunt and strain. This can make the reflux worse.
Fortunately, in most cases, babies grow out of it. Reflux usually starts to get better when a baby can sit up quite well without assistance at around 6 months of age. Time, it appears, is the only 'cure' in most cases.
There are, however treatments that can help relieve the symptoms of chronic reflux. Apart from medication, one of the more effective treatments is positioning. Theoretically, the best sleeping position is where the baby's upper body is slightly elevated.
The Amby Hammock's ability to relax and pacify a baby helps. The 'head' end of the hammock can also be easily elevated to an angle that is best for a baby with reflux. Many paediatricians do send babies with severe reflux to us for the Amby baby hammock.

How does the hammock affect the spinal development of a baby?

Posture - if you observe your baby in the hammock, you will see that the so called 'curve' on her back is practically non existent once she lies in the hammock, even though the hammock does look curved when there is no baby in it. The 'curve' in fact flattens out once a baby is placed in the hammock.

Many doctors, paediatricians and chiropractors actually buy and use the hammock for their own babies. The question of spinal development and posture has never been of concern to them. Indeed some even believe that the suppleness of the hammock and its accompanying suspension/floatation effect may even be beneficial to spinal development.
Babies will come to no harm when they sleep in the hammock. They should develop (as most hammock babies do) into happy healthy and extremely contented babies. Care givers will have the luxury of the sleep that many have been deprived of because of an unhappy, restless and sleepless baby.

Why is a hammock better than letting a child cry it out in a cot?

As far as we are concerned, 'crying it out' is the least preferred option. A baby's cry is a signal of distress, which is a result of either a physical or a mental discomfort. When placed in an unsuitable bed coupled with isolation a baby's feelings of comfort and security are jeopardised. They feel abandoned and their confidence in a 'secure and comfortable' environment is shattered. They can develop into 'difficult' babies.
How easily will my child move to a bed after being in a hammock?

There are mothers in Australia who use the hammock in isolation in the baby's own room and there are others who have the baby with them in their room. Either way it seems that the transition to baby's own bed or room does not appear to be a major problem. Most babies who use the hammock as their bed develop into happy, healthy and contented babies. They are less inclined to be insecure and they do not seem to cry a lot. They are used to long, sound and unbroken sleep - untroubled either by insecurity or discomfort. These are traits that appear to be common amongst 'hammock babies'. They tend to be 'easy' babies and as is the case with most 'easy' babies, they are confident and do not get ruffled easily. So the transition to a bed is 'no big deal' to them. They appear to cope with it quite easily.
We get asked this question quite often by parents who bought the hammock for their babies. So far, with tens of thousands of hammocks used in Australia, we have not had a single letter from a parent complaining about the difficulty of getting their child to switch over to a bed when it was time to do so

The above replies are for educational purposes only. It should not be viewed as a substitute for medical advice.