basinettes??? are they safe?

i was wantign to find out if basinettes truly are safe, i haev heard conflicting info on this and dont want to risk my baby. mum mum is dead against them.. but hubby is pushign to use him mums old one - 23yrs old!! i need help!!!

o and if anybody can give me research to back this up too woudl really help!!

id appreciate midwives opinions too,

I would say that most things to do with a baby that are 23 years old wouldn't be safe to use anymore. So, if you were to use a bassinette, you really should be using a new one.
I used a bassinette with Harrison, and it was safe... but mind you, it was annoying to me because I couldn't just look out from my bed and see him... I was getting up a lot to watch over him... now that he is in his cot, I am able to see him better from my bed :)

I will say that I actually don't like the newer style bassinets - they're all enclosed and they don't seem to allow any airflow.

I used an older style one with my kids (the woven cane type ones) because I had summer babies and I'm in Brisbane it's too damn hot to put them in anything else! I bought brand new mattresses when each of them were born.

As far as I understand it, in terms of the SIDS risk (which is what you're asking about I think?!) it's the mattress that is the issue, not the actual cot or bassinette itself. Although obviously you wouldn't put a baby in a bassinet that's been sitting in someone's garage gathering dust for 20 years either.

There are no safety standards as such for bassinettes or cradles ( I used a cradle for Isabelle and researched them. There are a few things to consider though.

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The mattress is firm and fits the bassinet correctly. The mattress should not be too high (or thick), because the baby may be too close to the top of the bassinet and possibly fall out.
There is good ventilation in and around the bassinet.
Any wheels or castors on the stand are lockable. If the bassinet has 4 wheels, at least 2 wheels should be locked or 2 wheels can be removed.
The bassinet fits correctly on the stand. (Some bassinet stands are also designed to accommodate a baby bath. However, only use stands that have been specifically designed to hold a bath, because a full bath of water and your baby are quite heavy!)
The bassinet is still strong and that there are no missing or broken pieces (especially if it is borrowed or an heirloom). Make sure it has not been painted with lead paint.
The bassinet does not have decorative beads, or at least ensure that these are able to be removed, as they are potential choking hazards.

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HtH. Also you may like to check out the Sids and Kids site - and go to safe sleeping as they have lots of info there too.

yeah i know i have to get a new mattres, but what im concerned about is that it has a very tight thick weave for not alot of air flow, andmy mum spat it when she heard i was thinking of abasinett

I put my 1st straight into a cot when he was born and then used a woven cane bassinette for my 2nd baby and will use it again this time. We were in Darwin when I had my dd and her bassinette kept her safe and cool it was great. Have you asked your mum why she's so against bassinettes? maybe there's more too it than she's saying.
I think it's just a personal preference, some people really like them others don't, for me I like having baby next to my bed for the first few months and the bassinette seems to work well for us.

shes very anti them due to sids and the fact that they are small and dont have very good ventilation....

but i found this one at buntings that has all mesh sides - its not pretty like the others, but it looks safe. thts all im concerned about, as id liek to have bubs near me when ints little too

I am using a bassinette with my son. I too was a little worried but our room is small so the cot doesn't really fit so I have an angel care monitor under the mattress which gives me peace of mind. Worth looking into if you are interested.

Spring x

yeah i hace one of those, but wa going to put it i the cot as was planning on using cot during the day where possible, i liek my room open and aired out during the day