If you are a new parent (or know a new parent), you understand that, many times, there is a need to put a newborn down somewhere safe for a few minutes in order to go to the bathroom, scarf down a meal, or just give one’s arms a rest. According to contributor Juliet Lapidos, the portable, lightweight DockATot is the best thing for just that — and the single best piece of baby gear she bought after giving birth. Suitable for babes 0 to 8 months, the lounger — or docking station, if you will — is “a small mattress with side cushions about five inches high,” says Lapidos, so it keeps your precious cargo securely (and cozily) contained while she naps, plays, and, yes, lounges. (It’s even appropriate for co-sleeping, as long as you follow the safety guidelines outlined here.) “It doesn’t sound like much, and it’s not cheap, but my baby falls asleep easier and sleeps longer in his DockATot than anywhere else,” Lapidos told us, adding that “it’s money very well spent.” Today, you can spend a little less money on it because Amazon has dropped the DockATot’s $175 price tag by 22 percent, to $137 — which seems a reasonable price to pay for any parent desperate for some shut-eye, or simply a break.
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