Chibebe Snuggle Pod – Baby Bean Bag

Having free hands when you have a little baby can be very hard to achieve so I was keen to test the Chibebe Snuggle Pod (baby beanbag) and see if this would be a great solution as we welcome a newborn to our family.

With my first baby I remember the sheer terror of needing to go for a shower and not feeling I could do it when baby was awake, yet with a very colicky baby I was also scared to do it when she fell asleep as it would upset me greatly if she started crying while I was in the shower. With my second baby I remember having to put the baby in the bathroom with me when I showered if it was awake to ensure his safety from his sister (she wasn’t rough but only 2 and infatuated with him).

Now with the third, there is no opportunity to wait until he is sleeping to have a shower so I needed something that is easily portable, sturdy, safe, able to hold a newborn. Ideally it would be something they would be happy to sit/lie in and if it could assist me in helping to reduce wind pains by keeping the baby somewhat elevated, that would be even better. .

The Chibebe Snuggle Pod is all that and more! Stylish and practical, it will not only fit into but also complement any household. Designed for babies and children it comes with two seat options: one for infants with a harness to secure them in the seat and another without the harness for the older children. The actual seat is soft and smooth with a lovely soft yet airy feel to it, while the compartment that holds the bean is made from a double coated thick and durable material designed for easy cleaning.

I really like the fact that the seat component is separate to the actual beanbag section where the balls are housed. This is practical around children should you need to wash the seat section or to enable quick and easy change over from the baby seat to the child seat, so that the siblings can use the seat as well, which is great for keeping them included and to avoid jealousy issues.

Originally when we received the beanbag we thought it was broken as the zips didn’t have the pull part of the zipper, however upon further investigation this is actually a safety design feature to prevent the children from accessing the beanbag balls. This is fantastic as it provides peace of mind in knowing that my children cannot “accidentally” open the bag and get the balls everywhere and/or decide to test how tasty the balls are.

The Snuggle pod is delivered empty and you need to fill it with the beans which can be bought from major retailers and you will need to use about 2/3rds of the bag to get the best result from your beanbag. Filling your pod is most definitely a 2 person job however it is an easy 2 person job and only takes 5 or so minutes. With the beanbag filled, my older children delighted in sharing it and watching TV on it in different positions. They both found it comfortable and enjoyable.

As with all beanbags you can move the beans around to get your desired sitting/lying position which is a great benefit as I was able to use this with the baby from only 3 days old. At that point I keep the beans mostly flat and the baby lay near us while we were having dinner. Now that the bub is 2 weeks old, I am using the beanbag when I need to have a shower or free hands and I modify the beans to keep my little bub elevated to help out with our colic issues. The ability to mould the beans to your desired shape is also ideal if your baby is starting to develop a flat head as you can mould the pod to help encourage the head to remain in an alternative position.

My only suggestion for the Snuggle Pod would have been the ability to purchase accessories that could enhance its functionality and keep the children occupied for longer such as having something that attaches to it that could enable you to rock the child if they were slightly unsettled or become bored. Chibebe must have already read my mind and do provide a Pod Rocker which simply attaches to your Snuggle pod and converts it to a rocking pod – perfect!

The Chibebe’s Snuggle Pod is a bean bag that can be used for babies or children. My 8 month old really enjoys Chibebe’s Snuggle Pod. Now that we have the Snuggle Pod, she seems to fuss sitting in anything else. If she is not sitting on it, she is climbing all over it. The Snuggle Pod is a great size and because of the mouldable shape close to the ground, I don’t have to worry about the tumble down from the Snuggle Pod.The Chibebe Snuggle Pod offers a clever design which offers two seat tops for the bean bag. You can unzip the newborn cover complete with straps to secure your baby and replace with a seat top that is more suitable for older children. Both options are included with the standard Snuggle Pod. The Snuggle Pod baby bean bag comes in a range of colours and designs to suit your preference and the covers can be replaced with new and different coloured covers catering for your growing family should you change from a boy to girl or vice versa.

The material is easily washable, highly durable and is really cute as well. The Chibebe’s Snuggle Pod comes unfilled and you need to purchase beans (available from all Kmart or Target). You can fill the Snuggle Pod with as many beans as you want. You can add more beans for extra support, suitable for a newborn baby, or less beans for a heavier child.

The ability to manoeuvre the beans offers great benefits for parents as you can elevate your baby to levels you (and they) are comfortable with, which is ideal for babies with Colic. It is also ideal if your baby is starting to develop a flat head as you can mould the Snuggle Pod to help encourage their head to remain in an alternative position.

Spilling the beans can be a concern for many parents and the Snuggle Pod comes with a great safety zip, designed to keep those clever little fingers from opening the bean bag and spilling them – a fantastic idea. This is also a great safety initiative as your baby cannot ingest the beans.

The ONLY downfall I found was putting the beans in the bag. I am unsure if it is just my clumsy self but the beans spilt everywhere when setting it up. I suggest it be a two person job, one holding the beanbag and the other to pour, which isn’t a Chibebe issue as much as a typical beanbag one. Chibebe cleverly suggest filling in a bath tub to capture the stray beans.

So far, my entire family has commented either on how much my little one enjoys The Snuggle Pod or on how cute it is and we love it.

RRP: $99AUD for the Snuggle Pod, $39AUD for the Pod Rocker & $49 for the Pod Warmer ($39 if purchased with Snuggle Pod).
Available from: Chibebe