Life

Courtesy Rockit Rocker

Wha? This Houdini-Like Gadget Literally Rocks Your Stroller Back & Forth For You

We’ve all been there: You’re outside with your baby, and she’s sound asleep in her stroller. You stop moving for what seems like a nanosecond, and before you can even start rocking your babe back to sleep, she suddenly startles and begins howling. It’s safe to say that parents will pretty much go to great lengths to get their babies to fall asleep, from late-night drives around the block to incessantly moving a stroller back and forth. Which is why the hands-free baby rocker Rockit by Rockit Rocker, is a total game-changer.

Much like its name implies, the Rockit is an adorable rocket-shaped wonder that will keep your baby safely moving in his carriage without you having to do the dirty work. You simply attach it to your stroller handle vertically with the universal bracket that works for almost every type of stroller and pram on the market, the company’s website explains. You can even adjust the speed to gently soothe your baby to slumberland. The motion of the gadget is designed to replicate the normal hand rocking that you would do if your child were in his stroller.

Before you get too excited, this cute little contraption (sniff sniff) isn’t meant for long-term use. It sports a 30-minute rocking cycle, which gives you just enough time to finish a task, like get your ice cream in the fridge before it melts on your kitchen counter. On the plus side, it can truly feel like having an extra pair of hands to keep your baby swaying while you get stuff done. Of course, it goes without saying that you shouldn’t leave your child unattended in the stroller while the Rockit is on, just in case.

Courtesy Rockit Rocker

Then gadget is safe to use from the time you take your baby home from the hospital up until three years of age. Its quiet motor is designed to keep baby’s beauty sleep uninterrupted. It’s economical, too: the Rockit reportedly works for up to 60 hours on just one set of batteries at the lowest setting. And while it’s waterproof, you shouldn’t keep it outside in heavy or extensive rain showers (not that you really would, anyway).

But if you’re bleary-eyed and looking for solutions to your baby’s 3 a.m. wake up calls, don’t turn to the Rockit for an answer. It’s not meant for anything other than a stroller or pram, so trying to stick it to a crib isn’t a possibility.

Do you know what is, though? Being hands-free, even if for a short amount of time. Can you imagine what you can get done if you’re not figuratively strapped to the stroller? You can take a phone call (and not have to maneuver the carriage one-handed), read a book, or even (gasp!) pee in peace. I mean, if you really think about it, the possibilities for short-term freedom are endless.

Like all good inventions borne out of been-there-done-that frustration, inventor Dr. Nick Webb (who holds a fancy schmancy PhD in Sound and Vibration Engineering) designed Rockit by Rockit Rocker after realizing his 3-month-old daughter would wake up as soon as he stopped pushing her stroller. Geez, I know more than one parent who can probably relate to that.

Having launched in May 2019, the Rockit retails for $49.99 on Amazon. While it's still a fairly new product and hasn't had a chance to be thoroughly vetted by all your mom friends, it seems to hold a lot of promise for parents who just need a break.