DockATot Deluxe+ vs Done by Deer Cozy Lounger: The Cheaper Lounger Brings a Play Arch and Lasts a Month Longer

COMPARISON · NURSERY & SLEEP

A baby lounger is one of those purchases that looks simple on a product page and turns out to be surprisingly personal at home. You want somewhere soft and contained to put your newborn down while you make a cup of tea, fold the washing or sit on the floor beside them for tummy time. You do not want a bed, and that distinction matters more than anything else in this comparison.

The DockATot Deluxe+ is the name most parents already know. It has been the default premium lounger for years, sits in almost every big UK baby shop and comes in a dozen colourways. The Done by Deer Cozy Lounger is the newer, quieter Danish alternative: organic cotton, a Red Dot design award, a removable activity arch and a slightly lower price. On paper they do the same job. In practice they suit quite different babies and quite different living rooms.

We compared the two on what actually changes your day: price, how long your baby will use it, how it handles tummy time and play, how painful the wash day is, and where you can actually buy one. We read through manufacturer specs, retailer listings and a lot of parent feedback, and we kept the safety guidance front and centre throughout.

One thing before we start. Both brands are explicit that their loungers are for supervised, awake time only. UK safe sleep guidance is clear that babies should sleep on their backs on a firm, flat, waterproof mattress in a cot, crib or Moses basket, with nothing soft around them. Neither of these products is a sleep space, and neither should go inside a cot or crib. If you want the background, our tummy time guide covers why floor time matters so much in the early months.

Lil' Bubba's verdicts

• Best Overall: Done by Deer Cozy Lounger · 8.0/10 - cheaper, organic cotton, and the play arch turns it into a mini gym
• Best for Tummy Time and Travel: DockATot Deluxe+ Dock · 7.5/10 - the rounded bumper is a brilliant tummy-time prop, and spare covers are easy to find

Quick comparison

	Done by Deer Cozy Lounger	DockATot Deluxe+ Dock
Our rating
Price (from)	£98.96	£110.49
Age range	Birth to around 9 months	Birth to around 8 months
Size	76 x 42 x 12 cm (38 cm high with arch)	73.7 x 45.7 x 15.2 cm
Cover	100% organic cotton, OEKO-TEX certified	Cotton blend, OEKO-TEX certified
Play arch	Yes, removable (toys not included)	No (toy arch sold separately)
Washing	Cover machine wash 30°C, no tumble dry	Cover machine wash cold in a garment bag, no tumble dry
Spare covers	Hard to find in the UK	Widely available
Stockists	Limited	Most big UK baby shops

How we picked these two

We started with the lounger parents on BubsNest add to their Nests most often, the DockATot Deluxe+, then looked for the alternative that kept coming up in conversations about it. Budget nests at £30 to £40 are a different purchase altogether, so we wanted a like-for-like premium rival at a similar price. The Done by Deer Cozy Lounger was the closest match: same footprint, same age bracket, same awake-time-only positioning, and a genuinely different idea of what a lounger is for. We weighed specs, real-world parent feedback, availability and long-term value, and we did not accept any payment from either brand for placement.

What to look for in a baby lounger

A firm, flat base. The surface your baby lies on should be supportive rather than squashy. Both of these use a structured base with softer raised sides, which is what you want for awake time on the floor.

Low sides that do not crowd the face. The bumper should frame your baby, not wrap around them. Look at the height of the sides relative to a newborn lying on their back. At 12 cm and 15 cm respectively, neither is excessive, but the Done by Deer sits a little lower.

A cover that actually comes off. Newborns leak from every direction. A cover you dread removing will end up washed less often than it should be. Check for a zip, a wash temperature and whether spare covers exist.

Honest age range. Most loungers say "0 to 8 or 9 months", but in reality usage drops off as soon as your baby rolls confidently or starts trying to sit up. Budget for roughly four to six months of heavy use.

Where it will live. Loungers belong on the floor. Never place one on a sofa, bed, table or any raised surface, and never inside a cot, crib or travel cot. If you will be carrying it between rooms or houses, weight and shape matter.

Use it for the right job. Supervised lounging, tummy time, nappy changes on the floor and a safe spot while you are in the same room. That is it. If you are hoping for a product that helps your baby sleep, put the money towards a good crib mattress instead.

1. Done by Deer Cozy Lounger / 10 · Best Overall

Done by Deer is a Danish brand best known for its soft, rounded, animal-themed baby kit, and the Cozy Lounger is very much in that style. The Raffi Sand version has subtle giraffe ears at the head end, an organic cotton cover over a 3D mattress for airflow, and cushioned sides that frame your baby without towering over them. It won a Red Dot design award in 2022, and in person it looks more like a piece of Scandi nursery furniture than a piece of baby gear.

The headline feature is the removable activity arch. Clip a couple of soft toys to it and the lounger becomes a small play gym, which matters once your baby starts batting at things around eight to ten weeks. It also nudges the age range out to around nine months, a month beyond the DockATot, because older babies can use the soft edges as a headrest while they watch you move around the room.

What parents love

• The arch earns its place. It turns lounging time into play time without buying a separate gym. One parent told us: "We love it. Our baby is only three weeks old and the lounger is our favourite for the daytime."
• Organic cotton that dries fast. The cover is 100% organic cotton and OEKO-TEX certified, and parents comment on how quickly it dries after a 30°C wash.
• Lower price, longer life. It costs around £11 less than the cheapest DockATot colourway and is rated for an extra month.
• Looks lovely in a living room. The muted sand tone and giraffe ears are the kind of detail that makes you happier to leave it out all day.

What to know before you buy

• Not every baby takes to it. Feedback is thinner than for the DockATot and more mixed. A parent shared: "Doesn't seem comfortable at all, my baby hates lying in it." The flatter, more open shape suits some babies better than others.
• Watch the zip. We have seen one report of the zip breaking while putting the cover back on after the first wash. The brand responded quickly, but treat the zip gently.
• Harder to buy and to replace. Stockists are limited, toys for the arch are not included, and spare covers are not easy to find in the UK.

Best for

• Parents who want a lounger and a first play gym in one
• Families who prefer organic cotton next to their baby's skin
• Babies who like a more open space rather than a snug hug
• Design-conscious living rooms where the lounger stays out all day

2. DockATot Deluxe+ Dock / 10 · Best for Tummy Time and Travel

The DockATot Deluxe+ is the lounger that made the category. It is made in Europe, OEKO-TEX certified and shaped as a firm base with a deep, rounded tube running all the way around. That tube is the reason parents love it for tummy time: you can rest your baby's chest over the bumper so they are propped slightly, which makes those first wobbly minutes on the tummy far more bearable for a reluctant baby.

It is also the easier lounger to live with long-term. You will find it in most big UK baby shops, in more than a dozen colourways from plain Pristine White to busy William Morris prints, and spare covers are sold widely. At 1.68 kg it is light enough to carry from room to room or take to grandparents. Bear in mind that DockATot itself states the dock is for supervised lounging and play, and must not be used inside a cot, crib, bassinet or play yard. In the US, infant sleep product rules mean the Deluxe+ is no longer sold there, which is a useful reminder of exactly where the line sits.

What parents love

• The tummy-time bumper. We hear repeatedly from parents that draping their baby over the rounded side was what finally made tummy time work.
• Easy to buy, easy to replace. Available almost everywhere, with lots of colourways and spare covers, so you can rotate covers on a bad leak day.
• Portable and familiar. Light enough to move around the house, and babies seem to settle into its snug shape quickly.
• A proven track record. Years of parent feedback mean far fewer surprises than with a newer product.

What to know before you buy

• Re-covering is a two-person job. The cover zips off, but getting it back on after a cold wash and line dry is notoriously fiddly. Parents we hear from regularly say a spare cover is the real fix.
• Short useful life for the price. One parent put it best: "Once baby started sitting up, we used it less and less." Expect four to six months of real use.
• No play features included. The toy arch is an extra, so if you want a play gym too, the total spend climbs well above the Done by Deer.

Best for

• Babies who resist tummy time and need a gentle prop
• Families who move between rooms or houses a lot
• Parents who want spare covers on hand for leaky newborn days
• Anyone who wants a specific colourway or pattern

What about the Sleepyhead Deluxe+?

Sleepyhead is the other big premium name in this space and very similar in shape to the DockATot. It is not something we can currently link you to through our retailers, so we have not given it a verdict. If you are weighing it up, the same rules apply: awake time only, on the floor, never in a cot. If you want a cheaper organic option, our Snuggle Me vs DockATot comparison covers a different trade-off.

How to choose

Pick the Done by Deer Cozy Lounger if you want the better all-rounder for the money. It is cheaper, it lasts a little longer, the organic cotton cover dries fast and the removable arch means you may not need a separate play gym for the first few months. Accept that it is harder to find and that a few babies simply prefer something snugger.

Pick the DockATot Deluxe+ Dock if tummy time is your main battle, or if you will be carrying the lounger around a lot. The rounded bumper is a genuinely useful tummy-time prop, and the easy availability of spare covers makes the fiddly re-covering much less of a problem. You pay a little more for less, but you are buying the most proven design in the category.

Whichever you choose, use it on the floor, stay in the room, and move your baby to their cot or crib the moment they fall asleep.

Add it to your Nest

Still deciding? Add both to your free BubsNest registry and let friends and family chip in. You can compare live prices from UK retailers in one place, and swap your choice right up until someone buys it.