Where do you want your newborn baby to sleep? While you’ll have plenty of moments (hours!) with your baby asleep in your arms, you’ll need a safer, more convenient place for them to snooze on a regular basis.
One choice is a bassinet. Small, cozy, and portable, a bassinet can be a great place for your little one to sleep in their first months of life.
In this article, we’ll discuss what makes a bassinet, the features you can expect to find, the benefits of using a bassinet, and tips for buying one.
Key Takeaways
Table of contents
What is a bassinet?
A bassinet is a small sleep space for your newborn baby. It’s just the right size to fit next to your bed, and it is designed for convenient mobility. So at night your baby can sleep by your side, and during the day, they can sleep wherever you want to move the bassinet!
Babies tend to outgrow bassinets between four and six months old, or when they reach 20 pounds. That being said, always follow the manufacturer’s weight limit and size guidelines. It’s also important to transition your baby out of their bassinet once they start showing signs of pushing up or rolling over.
Bassinet features
Smaller than cribs, most bassinets are oval- or rectangular-shaped, measuring about 30 to 33 inches long by 15 to 18 inches wide. They have mesh or slotted sides, and sometimes a side zips or folds down by your bedside, allowing you to pick up your baby with ease.
Bassinets are also portable. Many have wheels, allowing you to move your baby’s sleep space from room to room. (Just remember to use the wheel locks before putting your baby inside!)
Bassinets are usually simple to break down and put back up, making them practical to take along when you travel.
Notes about safer sleep
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) believes both bassinets and cribs are safe for newborns, and regardless of whether you choose a bassinet or not, the same safe sleep recommendations apply:
- Your baby should sleep flat on their back in their own sleep space.
- The AAP recommends room-sharing, with your baby on a separate sleep surface, for at least the first six months.
- No blankets, bumpers, nursing pillows, or toys should ever be in the bassinet.
- The mattress should be firm enough that it doesn’t sink beneath your baby’s weight.
- The mattress should also fit snugly into the crib or bassinet.
- There should be no incline in your baby’s sleep surface because inclines of 10 degrees or greater can restrict your baby’s airflow.
- If your baby falls asleep in a child car seat, stroller, swing, or infant carrier, move them to a firm sleep surface on their back as soon as possible.
Extra features
Finally, some bassinets come with extra features such as lights, storage, sounds, rocking, music, and a hood or canopy. These are not necessary bassinet components, but they can be valuable, depending on your needs or your baby’s personality.
Bassinet benefits
Bassinets are a great choice for your newborn for many reasons. Because bassinets are usually waist height, they make picking up and putting down your baby easier. And as we mentioned, the AAP recommends room-sharing (but not bed-sharing) for at least the first six months.
Other benefits include portability and convenience. In addition, you may want to consider the size of your living space. A bassinet takes up less room than a crib and can help prevent the space from feeling cluttered.
Bassinet buying tips
You have a lot of decisions to make when you’re getting ready for your baby to arrive, including choosing between a crib and a bassinet. Ask yourself these questions to help you decide.
1) Do you want something easy to move around?
If your answer is yes, a bassinet is probably your best bet. Cribs are heavy and harder to move. You might even have to take apart a crib to get it out of one room and into another.
2) Are you concerned about cost?
This is a harder question to answer. A bassinet is less expensive than a crib, so you might want to go with a bassinet. However, you should also consider long-term costs. A bassinet will only accommodate your baby for a short while, and then you would need to buy a crib anyway.
3) Do you want to minimize your baby’s sleep space transitions?
A bassinet is only a temporary sleep space. Stop using the bassinet at the first manufacturer-specified weight, height, age, or developmental limit. It’s also important to switch to a crib when your baby begins pushing up on their hands and knees, or sooner if the bassinet manufacturer specifies an earlier milestone, such as rolling over.
Transitions are always challenging. Your little one will need time to adjust to a new sleep space. If you would rather minimize that process, you might want your baby to sleep in a crib from the start. (Some even convert into toddler beds!)
4) Do you want your newborn in your bedroom?
You can keep your baby safer at night by sleeping in the same room together. If you have a big bedroom, you have the option of either a crib or a bassinet. But if your room is on the smaller side, you may need to go with a bassinet.
Other factors might sway you toward a bassinet, too. The bassinet's sleep surface is flat, and its base raises the bed level to the height of an average adult’s waist. This feature helps you lay your little one down, which is especially useful if you’ve had a C-section and can’t lean over while you’re healing.
Give your baby great sleep with Newton!
Everything is an adjustment for your baby when they’re brand new in the world, including where they lay their head. A bassinet can give them a sense of familiar comfort in those early days. It’s small, portable, and a safe way to keep you and your baby close while they sleep.
The Newton Essential Bassinet and the Newton Bassinet & Bedside Sleeper both come with our ultra-breathable Wovenaire® mattress and are lightweight and easy to move.
The Essential Bassinet is easy to assemble and disassemble, making it a great travel bed, and the Bassinet & Bedside Sleeper offers an Infant Access Panel, enabling you to pick up your baby smoothly and easily.
With Newton, you and your little one are headed for a peaceful night’s sleep!
Frequently asked questions
Can my baby sleep in a bassinet from day 1?
Yes, as long as the bassinet meets the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) standards. Just make sure your baby is sleeping on a firm, flat mattress and their bassinet is empty except for a fitted sheet. And always lay them down on their back.
Can I use a second-hand bassinet?
Sometimes, yes. However, only use a second-hand bassinet that meets current applicable CPSC standards, has all required parts and instructions, uses the manufacturer-specified mattress, and has not been recalled. If any part of it is broken, it isn’t safe to use.
