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!