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The Best 8 Bassinets for Your Newborn Baby
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When you bring your baby home from the hospital, you’ll need a safe and comfortable place for her to sleep. If you’ve decided to go with a bassinet instead of a crib, you’ve come to the right spot. We surveyed more than 10,000 Pampers Parents to find out which bassinets are their favorites, and we reviewed the top-voted ones for you here.
Bassinet or Crib?
A bassinet is almost like a mini crib or regular crib but tends to be much more compact and portable. Although both a crib and a bassinet are perfectly good choices for your newborn, you may decide to use a bassinet instead of a crib for the convenience it offers: It’s small in size, can easily fit in your bedroom, and it’s portable. A bassinet can come in handy if your bedroom is on the smaller side or if you plan to carry your newborn’s sleeping spot with you as you move from room to room.
How Long Can You Use a Bassinet for Your Baby?
Because bassinets are only suitable up to a certain weight and/or age, your baby won’t get that much use out of her bassinet, as she’ll outgrow it quite quickly. Still, it can be a good interim solution for those early weeks and months. In general, experts say your baby should be moved to a crib about the time she reaches the end of the first month or by the time she weighs 10 pounds. But bassinet manufacturers offer their own guidelines about the product’s maximum baby weight and age. If in doubt, check with your baby’s healthcare provider. If you are on a budget or would prefer to buy one fewer thing, you might want to skip buying a bassinet altogether, and opt for using a full-size crib from the start. However, for some parents, a bassinet could be a nice thing to have.
Is a Bassinet the Same as a Moses Basket?
No. A Moses basket refers to a padded basket with handles whereas a bassinet is a sturdy structure that is akin to a small-sized crib. Moses baskets (sometimes referred to as soft bassinets) can be used for carrying your newborn but they are not considered safe for sleeping, due to all the padding and puffy fabric around the perimeter of the basket.
Features to Consider When Choosing a Bassinet
Even though your baby might not be using his bassinet for very long, you still want to select one that will be safe and comfortable. Here are some guidelines to follow and features to look out for when deciding on which bassinet to purchase:
Safety Recommendations When Using a Bassinet
Here are some safety tips when using your bassinet:
Never carry or move it with your baby inside. It’s not safe to carry or move the bassinet with your baby still in it.
Lock the wheels. Don’t place your baby in the bassinet until the wheels are locked. Don’t forget to lock the wheels after moving the bassinet from place to place.
Lock the legs in place, if they are foldable. If the bassinet is collapsible for storage and has foldable legs, make sure to lock the legs securely in place when you have it set up for use.
Use sheets made specifically for your bassinet. Only use the mattress or pad that came with your bassinet. Don’t add any other insert. Use fitted sheets made for the specific model of bassinet you own. You may need to buy extras from the bassinet manufacturer so that you have enough of them. Never substitute the fitted sheet with a pillowcase or a flat sheet, as these can come loose and pose a choking hazard.
Don’t add plush toys or bedding. Keep the bassinet completely free of things like stuffed animals, pillows, comforters, blankets, bumper pads, a sleep positioner, and extra mattresses or pads. These are all suffocation hazards.
Don’t let any cords hang nearby. Move the bassinet to a place that is far from any cords such as a window blind cord, drape cord, or a baby monitor cord. If there is a mobile, make sure the cord is not within your baby’s reach. Any cords that your baby can reach pose a strangulation hazard.
Place your baby on his back for sleep. Just as you would in a crib, place your baby on her back to sleep as part of your regular safe sleep practices. Putting your baby to sleep on her back is one of the ways you can help reduce the risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. SIDS is the leading cause of infant death between the ages of 1 month and 1 year.
The 8 Best Baby Bassinets
Find out which baby bassinets were voted as the best by Pampers Parents, and which features made them stand out from the pack.
1. Halo Bassinet Swivel Sleeper, Essentia Series
Why pick this one? The Halo bassinet was voted number one by Pampers Parents because of this unique feature: It stands on a four-point pedestal base. This space-saving design enables you to easily tuck the base under your bed so that the bassinet itself can sit right alongside it. With this arrangement, you can have your baby in arm’s reach without the dangers associated with co-sleeping/bed-sharing. Keep in mind that, as part of the recommended safe sleep practices, experts recommend having your baby sleep in the same room as you but never co-sleeping or bed-sharing with your little one. The base can adjust to fit beds from 24 to 34 inches tall, which should suit most standard beds. However, the feet obviously won’t be able to slide under if you have a bed frame box that sits flush on the floor or if you have under-bed storage drawers. The bassinet can swivel 360 degrees so you can rotate it any way you choose. This can come in handy if you want to turn the bassinet out of the way when you want to get out of bed, for example. There’s an external storage pocket to keep any essential baby items nearby. The mesh side wall offers full breathability. The side can be lowered so you can easily reach in for your baby. For safety, the side can also be locked in the upright position.
Highlights: This bassinet includes a polyester fitted sheet, which wipes clean with a damp cloth and is also machine washable. The polyurethane mattress pad is waterproof and contains no toxic flame retardants.
Price*: about $229.99 on Amazon.com
Pampers Parents pros and cons:
2. Baby Delight Beside Me Dreamer Bassinet & Bedside Sleeper
Why pick this one? The Beside Me Dreamer Bassinet & Bedside Sleeper features two modes: a classic bassinet mode and a bedside sleeper mode. In the bedside sleeper mode, you can pull the bassinet right up to any adult bed, secure it with the safety straps, and use the six-position height adjustment to get it to the same height as your bed. Then just unzip a side panel to get closer to your baby to soothe or nurse her during the night. The entire bassinet is surrounded by breathable mesh walls to ensure air circulates freely. The bassinet is light enough to move from room to room so you can keep your baby close to you during the day. It can even glide should you want to comfort your baby with motion. One of the best features of this bassinet is that it can be assembled in less than five minutes without the need for any special tools, according to the manufacturer.
Highlights: The bassinet includes a waterproof fitted sheet and a mattress pad.
Price*: about $189.19 on Amazon.com
Pampers Parents pros and cons:
3. Graco My View 4-in-1 Baby Bassinet
Why pick this one? This four-in-one bassinet from Graco can grow with your baby and can be used in the following ways:
Place the bassinet in the raised position so that it’s easier to keep an eye on your newborn during the night
Place the bassinet in the crib-level position so it’s easier to pick up your baby during the day
When traveling, take just the bassinet portion so you can keep your baby close by
The base can be used as a portable sleeper or play yard when your baby reaches toddlerhood.
The Graco My View also features a canopy (with two soft toys) for when you need to block out light. Make sure that the toys (and any cords) are not within reach of your baby, as this is a safety hazard. Two wheels make it easy to move the bassinet from room to room.
Highlights: The bassinet features a quick push-button fold so you can pack it up into the included carrying bag for travel.
Price*: about $143.99 on Amazon.com
Pampers Parents pros and cons:
4. Fisher-Price Soothing Motions Bassinet
The bassinet’s biggest selling feature is a removable soother that can play music, vibrate, project light, or be used as a night-light (3 C batteries required). Project a starry night onto your ceiling to entertain your baby at bedtime.
Highlights: The mattress has a removable sheet that is machine-washable, and the pad can be wiped clean.
Price*: about $189.95 on Amazon.com
Pampers Parents pros and cons:
5. Delta Children Sweet Beginnings Bassinet
The canopy is completely adjustable and can be removed if you find it gets in the way. The storage basket has two sections to keep your baby’s essentials in order. The polyester fiber pad is machine washable, and a fitted sheet is included. Because the frame is made from lightweight steel, the bassinet is easy to move from room to room, and it has lockable casters for added safety.
Highlights: The bassinet includes a night-light and a music module with pre-programmed lullabies. These features require three AA batteries to use.
Price*: about $49.99 on Amazon.com
Pampers Parents pros and cons:
6. Ingenuity Foldaway Rocking Bassinet
The bassinet features two modes of use: rocking or the stationary locked mode for when you don’t want the bassinet to rock with your baby. Highlights: The bassinet includes a fitted sheet, so you don’t have to worry about finding one that specifically fits this bassinet model.
Price*: about $79.99 on Amazon.com
Pampers Parents pros and cons:
7. HALO BassiNest Swivel Sleeper, Bedside Bassinet, Essentia Series
Why pick this one? This is the second bassinet on our list with a 360-degree swivel design. The swiveling allows you to bring your baby closer to you when you have the bassinet placed by your bedside. It also features a lowering bedside wall to make it easy to care for your baby. The wall can be locked back into place when you don’t need access to your baby. A storage pocket on the bassinet’s side helps keep all your baby’s essentials in reach. The four-point base adds extra stability to the bassinet. The height of the bassinet is easily adjustable anywhere from 22 to 34 inches. Highlights: The bassinet includes a waterproof mattress with a machine-washable fitted sheet. The bassinet itself can be wiped clean.
Price*: about $199.99 on Amazon.com
Pampers Parents pros and cons:
8. Graco Dream Suite Bassinet
The bassinet also has additional storage below for diapers and wipes, extra baby clothes, or whatever essentials you need nearby. Four locking wheels allow you to move the bassinet to wherever you need. By flipping the bassinet over, you can use the other side as a changing table. This extends the amount of time you can use this item with your growing baby, as the changing table side can hold twice as much weight as the bassinet side. Some Pampers Parents noted that flipping the bassinet wasn’t that easy as it takes a lot of effort and requires the use of both hands. When flipping the bassinet, be careful not to accidentally flip it with your baby still in it! Highlights: The bassinet offers two vibrating speeds, in case you want to use gentle vibration to soothe your baby. This feature requires one D battery.
Price*: about $116.05 on Amazon.com
Pampers Parents pros and cons:
The Bottom Line
Buying a bassinet for your baby doesn’t have to be complicated. We hope these suggestions from Pampers Parents have made it easier for you to choose the right one for you and your little one. Once you have your bassinet, and other baby gear essentials, you’ll feel all the more ready to meet your little one. If you like these product reviews, check out all of our baby gear reviews.
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