Sleeping newborn in portacot?

[HotI]

You have to be careful using a different mattress in the portacots. I think its in the SIDS guidelines, or similar. The mattress that comes with it, fits exactly so babies can't fall down between mattress and side of cot.

[MamaPan]

you can get sheets for them that have padding in them so that they do not have an extra mattress as such but it is more comfy.
DS sleeps in one often when we go away and has since he was about 10 wks, no problems with it from him...

[AnyDream]

Please read this article before you place anything in your baby's portacot: Portacot padding a risk to babies

[ShootingStar]

Hmm interesting article Marydean... but i just wonder how it is different adding a mattress to a portacot than adding one to a cot...

[Arimeh]

My guess is the difference would be that a portacot has soft sides that would accommodate for a babies head to be wedged in there - and a cot has hard sides, so might find it more difficult to wedge a head in there in the first place.

I'm just guessing .. probably wrong!!! lol

[Snacks]

You just want to make sure it fits properly.
Anna, I think you were asking about the bassinette attachment though? We never had one, so I can't really comment. Only that Natty slept in our port a cot during summer downstairs for day sleeps because her room was too hot. And I used to pat her to sleep... It nearly killed my back! The bassinette attachment sounds like a good idea to me. Can't help you with the comfort thing though. Personally, I don't think babies care that much TBH. There's no way I'd sleep on a port a cot mattress, but Natty manages just fine when we go away. HTH a little.

ETA: Actually, I don't think you'd sleep them on a mattress on the bassinette as I reckon that'd make it too high and therefore they'd be more likely to fall out, KWIM? It is probably plenty comfy enough.

[mbear]

We tried sleeping Dd#3 in a portacot when she was about 6months old. We bought a proper porta cot matress to make it comfy....she didnt sleep that well in it. It might be different for a newborn. Found it hard too to comfort her if she needed i.e the distance from the top of the portacot to where she was lying hurt my back...

Also babies sweat which is natural, but watch for mould too....the portacot isnt always great for airflow......

[AnyDream]

My guess is the difference would be that a portacot has soft sides that would accommodate for a babies head to be wedged in there - and a cot has hard sides, so might find it more difficult to wedge a head in there in the first place.

Yes this is the exact reason. The danger is specifically of suffocation, wedged down the side of the mattress.