baby bassinett

[AlligatorsMum]

hi girls,


hubby and i are due with 1st bub in december and i am trying to work out whether it is worth getting a bassinett..

our house isnt huge and the baby room is directly opposite our room but im just not sure whether we should get a bassinet for the early months.. also if we do get a bassinett how long do they stay in the bassinett in our room before moving them back into their room and into their cot?

any advice you girls have would be great! pros / cons of having or not having would help me so much!

[BeautifulMadness]

ive only really had a basinetts pram tho for my youngest but that was in hi but my eldest was stright in a cot after a 1 coz he is a boof head, my youngest was in one for 3 mths got too long for it. my MIL is going to buy us a second hand one. i personally wouldnt buy a brand new one as i feel its a waste of money as they arent in them long.

personal choice tho

[Taurean]

Hi hon. They are very useful in the early days but often aren't in them for long so a second hand one, a borrowed one or a cheap newy would be a good move. If you plan on having more kids it can't hurt to have you're own though.

Newborns are noisy but it's amazing how you want them close to you at night - for security and convenience for feeding. Some mums are happy to have them in their own room early on but a lot of mums (me included!) find the transition to their own room a lot harder than they ever anticipated!

DD was in a borrowed bassinet for 10 weeks them we moved her into her cot in her own room. The bassinet we had was narrow so she outgrew it a lot earlier than I anticipated. It was on wheels though and brilliant for moving her around the house (and outside) when we needed to. DD was a terribly slow feeder so I always wheeled her into the lounge for overnight feeds so I could get comfy and watch TV without disturbing DH. Being able to relocate her easily, night or day, was a big bonus so IMO, wheels are a must.

Rooming in with your baby is said to reduce the incident of SIDS as well. That is a massive bonus

If you plan on breast feeding, it's a lot easier to just reach over for your LO when they begin to stir for a feed instead of waiting for them to get really worked up. Often you can feed without waking too much yourself either - unless your LO is a super slow feeder like my DD was!

There is just something about having your LO right there at your side at night. I cried when we moved DD to her own room despite being the one that instigated the move!! I really was amazed at how attached you become to your LO and as much as they are noisy, it's a wonderful thing having your tiny baby right by your side at night. Newborns will generally settle a lot better if they are close to you too because that's familiar to them - they've been extremely close to you (inside you!) since conception so expecting them to settle alone in a room by themselves can be asking a bit much in the early weeks. That's another reason a lot of patents put their cot in their room so you could consider that if you don't want to go down the bassinet path.

HTH!

[emc2]

I just have a large bassinette off ebay - it is a Childcare brand one from Target. Jim will stay in it until he is too big for it. It's just me and him in a one bedroom unit so this suits us. It is easier to pick him up as I am tall.

[Cranky Kitten]

When DD was born she went straight into her cot in her own room - we had a couple of unsettled nights at first, but one of my previously worn t-shirts under the sheet fixed that and she was fine. Admittedly her room practically adjoined mine and with both doors open I could hear her clearly as soon as she started to stir as I'm a pretty light sleeper.

This time I'm planning a cradle in our room to begin with as the baby's room is at the opposite end of the house, plus we're inheriting the cot from SIL and our neice is still using it - the cradle will give a bit more time for the adjustment if needed. But it's all about what works for you and what you're comfortable with. Possibly seeing if you can pick up a second hand bassinet might be the go as even the bigger ones usually only do about 6 months or so.

[Teeki]

We haven't bothered with one for DD. We wanted to see if we'd really use it, and then we were going to hire them - you'll generally only use it for 6 months so the expense was too much for us to buy one.

We're getting DD used to sleeping in a variety of places. For the first weeks (and even now when it's really cold) she had her day naps in the bassinette attached to her pram. That meant she got used to falling asleep with the noise and light around her during the day. Now if it's not too cold she has her day naps in her cot in her room. At night she sleeps in a portacot set up next to our bed - it has an attachment so that the base is raised like a bassinette and it's much easier to get to her. Or if she's really unsettled she'll come into bed with us.

If you really want one, I'd recommend looking at a hiring place, as what you plan to do and what you actually do can change, and some babies don't end up liking their bassinettes at all!

[Jellybean29]

I got lent a bassinet from a friend, I had already purchased a cot for DS room (next to ours).
But in the end, I don't use either at night, as DS co-sleeps in our bed. When he co-sleeps he will sleep for 4-5hr blocks, in the bassinet he would startle himself more and wouldn't sleep for more than 45min before stirring and wanting me.
I've just started putting DS into his cot for little day sleeps, but the bassinet hasn't had any use from about 3 weeks.

It is very good to have them within arms reach for the first 6 months, it reduces SIDS risk and also is great if you are breastfeeding. BUT I would hire, or check gumtree or ebay for one second hand, I wouldn't lay out expense on a new one, especially if you think you might try bed-sharing like I do.

[njon2]

I have a bassinet but don't use it for the exact reasons babybellyburton mentioned.

I love bed sharing with my DD and even though she is noisy we both get a better sleep.

[forshelby]

Hmmm, it's hard to decide in advance when you don't know if your baby will prefer sleeping in their own bed or on your boobs, lol. I got a bassinette on wheels, and frankly don't know what we'll do when he's too big for it. He hates his cot, but will tolerate his bassinette either beside my bed or in his own room. Mostly though, he wants to sleep on me. Sometimes I use the pram instead, in the name of getting him used to variations. I seriously dread the day he's too big for old whitey (the bassinette) lol.

good luck with your decision.

[~Hestia~]

Our son was in a bassinett in our room for about 6 months. We loved having him close by & it made night feeds so much easier, especially as his bedroom is down the other end of the house. We didn't have much of an issue when it was time to move him to his cot in his own room...truthfully it was me who struggled

Ours was on wheels so we'd move him around the house in it when he was younger. Storing it hasn't been a problem as a friend borrowed it for her 2nd bub.

[Mum2Romone]

We were given a baby moses basket ( bassinet) the day I left hospital from our MIL

She had used one and so thought it would be a great idea for us, and IT WAS !!!

DS slept in the bassinet on the floor in the lounge room of a day and by our bed of a night. We took him to restaurants asleep in it and the movies, cafes and lunch dates. When we went to other peoples homes he would be asleep and I could have my arms free to socialise.... I never wanted to put him down at other peoples houses, with their blankets/beds/animals etc... so it was great for us as we certainly had a busier social life back then

We used it until he started to touch the sides. around 6 months andthen started using his cot for sleeps. I would never recommend sharing a bed ( co sloeeping ) with a newborn. It is very dangerous espeically since you arent used to them being there and they are so small and can easily be smothered, Though I did co sleep with DS from about 9 months for a while...he was able to free himself and move about alot more at that age....

I have recently bought one off ebay for a bargain price. Brand New ....
the one I had with DS got so much use I wore out the handles and they are weak now so I bought a new opne for only $69 including the stand. Its brilliant and very pretty... They have a few different designs. PM me if you want their details. I think its the best thing we had for DS besides the close carrier/sling.....

And saved me getting up a million times a night just to check he was breathing still (Which you dont think you will do , but trust me... you'll do it and it will drive you crazy going room to room when he /she could be right there next to you ....

[lissy]

Our DS has slept in his basinette from day dot. He sleeps great at night, but Ive found he won't really sleep in it during the day, so he usually sleeps on a triangle pillow on our bed or in his hammock we've just bought.

I think the basinette is worth it if you can pick up a 2nd hand one, but like the others have said I think they grow out of them too quickly to justify spending the money on a brand new one. DS is only 8weeks old & I think he'll only get another month or two out of ours.

[Jellybean29]

I would never recommend sharing a bed ( co sloeeping ) with a newborn. It is very dangerous espeically since you arent used to them being there and they are so small and can easily be smothered, Though I did co sleep with DS from about 9 months for a while...he was able to free himself and move about alot more at that age....

A few things I wanted to say in regards to this, and this is said with a lot of love mind you.

1. You don't have to bed-share to co-sleep. Co-Sleeping is just having bubs in the same room, within a metre or arms reach
2. Popular media and your personal opinion are that bed-sharing is unsafe. Medical science however doesn't support your opinion in your post. Bed-sharing is actually LESS dangerous than a baby sleeping in a cot by itself. See: Scientific Benefits of Co-Sleeping | Dr. Sears Official Website | Parenting Advice, Parenting Books & more
3. Bed-sharing is most beneficial in the first 6 months, to reduce SIDS and to support breastfeeding night feeds. So your suggestion of not do it till their older. Seems strange, to me, in my personal opinion

[AlligatorsMum]

Thank you girls for all your help! i think we will definately get a bassinett but like most of you suggested i will definately look into second-hand or ebay or something like that. I think i would rather get it ahead of time than get home and not want to put baby in the other room and have to go out and spend lots on a bassinet cuz i need it ASAP!

thank you so much for all your advice!