Congratulations! You’ve just brought home your Cradlewise. Now the hard part begins – trying to get quality sleep as a family. 

When babies start using the Cradlewise Smart Crib from birth, it only takes a few days to begin to see the benefits. If your baby starts sleeping in Cradlewise around 6-8 weeks, it can take a little longer to adjust, usually up to a week.

Babies 1 month and older who are transitioning from a previously established sleep routine find success after 2 weeks.

So don’t worry if your baby doesn’t appear to rest well in Cradlewise from day one. They’ll adjust. And so will the crib.

It’s called auto mode, but you still have full control

Rather than navigating parenthood and a smart crib by yourself, we’ve put together a how-to guide to help set your baby up for sleep success.

And actually, you might not need to do a lot of work to acclimate your baby to the crib at all. Remember, Cradlewise smart crib is intuitive, and 95% of our users love auto mode.

That’s because the crib can sense even the most subtle wake-up signs and begin to bounce them to sleep before you even realize they’re on the verge of waking up. However, if your baby has particular preferences, you have the final say even in auto mode.

You can adjust when the crib bounces, how long it bounces for, how responsive it is to your baby’s stirring, and more. To help you understand this better, here are some settings that can help you find the perfect Cradlewise recipe for your baby.

1. “How do I adjust the bounce for my baby?” 

Every baby is unique. Some enjoy a robust bounce, but others enjoy being soothed gently. If auto-mode isn’t quite able to determine your baby’s best bounce, you can help it learn by adjusting the settings to your little one’s preference.

A crib is never a replacement for a parent, no matter how smart the cradle is. We believe that you know your baby best. You can help your Cradlewise learn by adjusting the settings to your little one’s preference.

The key here is to remember that you have full control over the crib.

• To increase or decrease the bounce that the Auto mode uses, in the Cradlewise app navigate to: Settings > Crib > Bounce (Auto mode should be on) > Bounce Intensity (Move the slider to set the intensity to low)

• To try out the gentlest bounce mode, go to: Settings > Crib > Bounce (Auto mode should be on) and toggle on Super gentle bounce. In super gentle bounce mode, the crib will bounce at its lowest-possible intensity whenever the baby needs soothing.

The Cradlewise motion gradually adjusts to avoid potentially startling your baby. There is a 10-second ramp-up or down period whenever the bounce intensity is changed.

Also, you can override auto mode at any time. If you want to quickly control the intensity, simply do so from your home screen.

2. “How do I make sure the crib responds immediately to my baby’s waking?”

Cradlewise auto mode senses your baby’s cues (for example, movement or sound) and soothes them back to sleep.

If you feel that the crib is not activating bounce fast enough, navigate to: Settings > Crib > Bounce (make sure this is toggled to auto) > Sensitivity, and move this slider to “High”

Crib Sensitivity controls how often and how quickly the crib will respond to your baby’s cues.

• Higher sensitivity means Cradlewise will respond faster and more frequently to baby stirring. 
• Lowering the sensitivity makes the crib wait for more confirmation before initiating soothing, ensuring a more deliberate response to the baby’s waking cues.

3. “Is there a way to minimize the possibility of my baby spitting up after a feed due to the bouncing motion?” 

Yes! Firstly, as your baby’s digestive system is still developing, this is normal and nothing to worry about. Some babies spit up regardless of position or movement. There are, however, a few things you can try to prevent this.

Stick to the general rules – burp your baby and keep them upright for about 15 minutes after every feed to aid digestion. If baby is still spitting up, you can:

• Turn bounce off for 20 minutes after placing them in the crib, then enable super gentle bounce, as mentioned in point 2 above.

4. “My baby loves the bounce. Can it always stay on?”

At Cradlewise, we take a minimalistic approach to soothing, providing motion and sound only when necessary, similar to how a parent would comfort a fussy baby.

In auto mode, we’ve intentionally designed the bounce to stop once baby falls asleep to encourage babies to self-soothe as they grow.

In cases where babies would benefit from extra comfort – such as particularly fussy babies or older babies making the transition to Cradlewise’s minimalistic approach – we do offer a continuous bounce option.

For this reason, you may want to try the “always-on” option. If you toggle on this feature, the crib will continue to bounce at a gentle intensity even after baby has fallen asleep.

To use “always on,” head to: Settings > Bounce > Turn on Always on bounce > Select your preferred bounce intensity after your baby has dozed off (from lowest to low)

5. “My baby loves the bounce but wakes up when the white noise stops. How do I leave it on indefinitely?”

When you purchase your Cradlewise, the sound is set to manual by default. The white noise will therefore play until you stop it.

However, in auto sound mode, the crib determines the volume as well as when to play and pause the white noise (used only for soothing, in line with our minimalist approach!).

If the white noise starts and stops, you’re most likely in auto sound mode.

If you want the crib to play white noise continuously in auto mode even after your little one drifts off to sleep, navigate to: Settings > Crib > Sound > Auto mode (must be on) > Make sure “Stop when baby falls asleep” is turned off.

Remember, the sound has a 4- to 5-second ramp-up or down built-in. The white noise will gradually start or stop so as not to startle your baby.

6. “The white noise sometimes gets too loud and wakes my baby. What can I do?”

Again, if you’re in the manual sound mode, white noise will play at a volume you select. If the volume of your white noise is changing on its own, you might have auto sound mode on. To change this, you:

Preview and choose your preferred auto volume limit by navigating to: Settings > Crib > Sound > Auto mode (must be on) > Auto volume limit (Click the arrow to adjust to your preferred volume)

When you set a volume limit, for example, 50%, all sounds the crib plays while soothing your baby will be within or equal to this limit.

BONUS: “My baby is in a sleep regression and doesn’t seem to like the settings they used to love! What do I do now?”

Newborns are more prone to sleep disturbances while older babies tend to go through sleep regressions. Temporarily adjusting the crib sensitivity can be helpful during extra fussy periods when baby needs some more TLC. This could help during regressions, teething, developmental leaps, and so on.

1. Navigate to your sensitivity control inside Settings (Crib > Bounce > Sensitivity) and turn it up slightly to keep it mid way between highest and medium. 
2. If the crib seems to be using a lighter bounce to soothe the baby in the Auto mode, turn up the intensity from your Home screen for that session. 

With babies, it’s never one size fits all. So, be patient, and adjust your Cradlewise settings as needed, as you (and the crib) learn your baby’s preferences. We’re confident that you can figure it out. Together.

Remember, when you invest in Cradlewise, you’re not just getting a crib – you’re investing in an all-in-one sleep support system that will help you get more Zzzs for the first 2 years of your child’s life.

That includes a support team who is happy to help you find the right sleep recipe. Head to Settings > Support and chat with us to have all your questions answered. 🙌