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 Smart 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.

95% of our users love the ‘Smart Mode’ of Cradlewise. 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 ‘Smart 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. 

However, 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 ‘Smart Mode’ uses, in the Cradlewise app navigate to: Settings > Soothing > Bounce >  Bounce intensity limit (ensure that the Bounce mode is set at ‘Smart’. Move the slider to the left to reduce the Bounce intensity limit.

• To try out the gentlest bounce, toggle on the ‘Gentle bounce mode.’ 

Navigate to Settings > Soothing > Bounce > Gentle bounce mode > Toggle On. In ‘Gentle bounce mode,’ the crib will bounce at its lowest possible intensity when 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 ‘Smart Mode’ at any time. If you want to quickly control the intensity momentarily, simply do so from your home screen.

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 ‘Smart 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, increase the ‘Sensitivity’ to High. 

Navigate to Settings > Soothing > Smart controls > Sensitivity > Select ‘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, spitting up 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:

•  Set up a ‘Start Recipe’ telling the crib to stay stationary for 20 minutes after placing the baby in. Navigate to Settings > Soothing > Smart controls > Start Recipe and set ‘Start bounce at’ OFF for ‘Timer’ 20 minutes. When you place the baby inside, the crib will start at the defined ‘Start Recipe’ with no bounce for the next 20 minutes, before going back to the Smart Mode.

For complete manual control, navigate to Settings > Soothing > Bounce Mode > Manual.

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 ‘Smart Mode’, we’ve intentionally designed the bounce to stop once the 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.

To use ‘After sleep bounce,’ head to: Settings > Soothing > Bounce > After sleep bounce > Select to Gentle or ‘Level 1’.
Now, the crib will continue to bounce at a gentle or Level 1 bounce intensity even after the baby has fallen asleep.

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

In the Smart Mode for Sound, the crib determines the volume as well as when to play and pause the white noise (the sound is used only for soothing, in line with our minimalist approach!).

If you want the crib to play white noise continuously in ‘Smart Mode’ even after your little one drifts off to sleep, navigate to: Settings > Soothing > Sound > After sleep sound > Toggle On.

Now, when your baby falls asleep, the crib will continue playing the sound at Level 1 volume.

However – if you prefer full control on the sound with no volume modulation by the crib, you can change the Sound Mode to ‘Manual’ by navigating to Settings > Soothing > Sound > Mode > Manual.

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

If the volume of your white noise is changing on its own, you might have ‘Smart Mode on. You can teach the Smart Mode to cap its volume within your preference. Here’s how: :

Choose your preferred ‘Volume limit’ by navigating to: Settings > Soothing > Sound (Smart mode) > Volume limit. Slide the control for Level 4 and adjust it to your preferred volume. All Soothing Levels will scale accordingly to lie inside of your chosen Volume limit.

When you set the Level 4 volume limit, for example, at 50%, the maximum sound level that the crib will play to soothe your baby, will be capped at 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 the baby needs some more TLC. This could help during regressions, teething, developmental leaps, and so on.

1. Increase ‘Sensitivity’ to ‘Medium’ or ‘High’

Navigate to Settings > Soothing > Smart controls > Sensitivity > Select ‘High’ as the Sensitivity level.

2. If the crib seems to be using a lighter bounce to soothe the baby in the ‘Smart Mode,’ turn up the bounce intensity limit.


Navigate to Settings > Soothing > Bounce > Bounce intensity limit (ensure Bounce mode is set to Smart).

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. 🙌

More posts you might like:

• Cradlewise’s new-and-improved Baby Alerts
• 10 improvements we’ve made this year to Cradlewise
• Cradlewise reviews are in! This smart crib is the ultimate sleep solution for exhausted parents
• How to customize Cradlewise settings for your baby’s better sleep
• Baby sounds during sleep and their meaning