Cradle Vs. Bassinette Advice

I had a bassinet and my son outgrew it in 4 months! In hindsight I wish I had gone for the pack n play with bassinet attachment. It would have been useful for so much longer.

I have a wooden cradle. It is very pretty. It was a gift. If someone would have given me a bassinette I would have used that. I don't think it really makes any difference safety wise as long as it is not an antique. Antique baby beds do not meet the latest standards. I guess I am no help...lol. Co-sleepers are much easier to get the baby out of without having to get out of bed.

Honestly, I would start your baby in his/her crib in his/her room. Yes, it's more convenient to have baby close by until you want to make the switch to baby in his/her own bed. Then, baby goes ballistic because he/she is used to sleeping with you or in the crib/bassinet and you wind up posting after a week of no sleep "how do I get my baby to sleep in his/her own crib?" Or, the next most common post on this topic, "my second baby is due in six weeks and our 2 year old still sleeps with us. How do I get him/her to sleep in his/her own bed so we have room for the new baby?"

Despite the inconvenience, my babies started from day 1 in their own cribs. I fed them from a rocking chair in their room, changed them and put them back to bed. I didn't realize how worth it that decision was until I read about all the sleeping drama on this site. That was eye opening.

Begin with the end in mind. If you want your baby to sleep on his/her own, start the day you get home from the hospital. The longer you wait, the harder it is. (That's true for all parenting, by the way.)

Good luck!

I wouldn't go with either one. They are only good for 3 months or 15 pounds, whitchever comes first. With my son, it was around 6 weeks. Not worth the money. (I had one given to me. I would never have bought one.) I would just get the baby bed and have it in your room for the first (whatever time period you decide), then move it to the baby's rom.

I used a bassinet, but just make sure you do not spend a lot, they out grow them very fast.

I agree with just starting the baby in his/her own crib. If you absolutely have to have something for your room, buy a pack n play. It will last until your little one is about 2, plus you can take it with you on trips, to hotels, etc.

Something to look at is the max weight allowed in most bassinets and cradles. Usually its pretty low - 15lbs is fairly standard.

You might look at a travel crib, mini crib or portable crib. They are smaller sized and you can roll them around through doorways. You could use that in his/her room or yours. If you definitely want a bassinet then I recommend a pack n play with the bassinet insert. Pack n plays are great to have as a travel crib when you go see family, and useful for naps or any time you need to contain baby.

As a side, I'm on baby number four and always had my kids in my room. My kids never had any issue with the transition to their own room or crib. I think, like anything, that depends more on the kid then something Mom did wrong or right. Some kids are more challenging then others for sleep training. Do what you feel is right. Every kid is different, every parent is different - there isn't a right or wrong way.

You will discover that so many of the things that you purchase for your baby are outgrown so very quickly that you will wish you had just saved your money!! I understand exactly how you are feeling about wanting your baby to sleep next to your bed....I have always been such sound sleeper, I figured that my baby would cry for 30 minutes in her crib before I even responded...after the first week of waking up each time she sighed or moved against the sheets...she went right into her crib so that we could all get a little bit better sleep!!!
If you do want to get something for the baby to sleep beside your bed, I would look at something that can serve more than one purpose...like one of the Pack n Plays'......then you can use it when you go to Grandma and Grandpas for a weekend. Look at the weight limit of anything that you get....some of the smaller bassinettes and such are limited to something like 15 lbs and it doesn't take long for the baby to pass that !!!
I agree with the Mom that said it is best to just start out in the crib...then you don't have any troubles a few months down the line...transitioning to the crib. Just ask Dad to take turns with you...getting up in the night....then you can BOTH be less tired!!!

personally, it was best for us for my son to be in his bassinette because i was paranoid and slept with my hand in the bassinette, lightly touching him to make sure he was still breathing (sids runs in my family). i didnt put him in his crib until he outgrew his bassinette. it vibrated and played music and had a light on it for in the middle of the night, i LOVED it. i didnt like the crib until, well.... i never did like it. even with the bumper pads on and rolled up receiving blankets stuffed in the sides- his legs and arms would get stuck between the bars and it scarred me!! he only spent a small amount of time in his crib, bc he started walking at 8 months and we put him in a toddler bed. i dont like cribs, just seems like there are always recalls on them too. my son pulled himself up on the top bar at 7 months old and went over the side, i just happened to be right there and caught him before he hit the ground. my son co-slept until we put him in his toddler bed after this happend

Cradles are for kids up to 4-6 months because then they start to roll, sit. We had one for our 1st and switched later. The item we purchased that was the most useful was the graco pack and play with the a bassinette and a changing area. It is very convenient. We have used the pack and play a lot when we travel or go to visit the grandparents. The pack and play bassinette isn't very comfortable when they have to sleep on the bottom part. I used to put a thicker blanket underneath and the baby on top. We used a pack and play with all of our kids. I think pack and play is for kids up to 3 years.

I agree with the posters about using the pack n play w/ the bassinette feature. I coslept w/ my son until he could give me more than 2hrs between nursing, then we had the pack n play by the bed. When he got bigger, we just dropped the mattress down and he was in our room til he was 6 mos. when we then transferred him to the nursery w/ his sister. Worked like a charm and there was no extra expense for a cradle/bassinette that would only last for a few short weeks. Just my two cents :)

I had a cradle for my daughter and (for us) it was a mistake. I pictured rocking her in it and her being all snuggly next to me in her cradle and boy was I wrong. All babies are different; my daughter would wake herself up because she would thrash her arms and hit the sides and she would become very startled. She really wasn't into the rocking in the cradle, she loved rocking in the rocking chair when I was holding her so the whole cradle idea was not a good choice for us. Whatever you choose, try to have as much space for the baby as possible to move his/her arms inside. Good Luck!

If you are going for convenience I would recommend a cosleeper. Some bassinets have the option of attaching it to your bed making it a cosleeper (Arm's Reach is one brand). It is very easy to get the baby in and out of without even having to sit up. If you don't care about getting up then I suggest a pack and play with a bassinet. You will get a lot more use out of it.

I loved having the bassinette, but it was only used for the first month or so. My suggestion is to see if any family members or friends have one you could borrow as they are pretty expensive based on the time used. (we borrowed one) It certainly was easy having the baby right next to our bed for those middle of the night feedings.

I had a bassinet for both girls and never used it. The first one hated the bassinet and slept in her crib from the get go. The second one had such bad reflux she slept in her bouncy seat or car seat for the first 3 months because she needed to be at such an angle.

My bassinet was given to me, but I am glad I didn't have to waste the money on it. Now the bouncy seat I could have lived without with the first one, but it saved my sanity with the second one. You just never know what you are going to get and use. My girls are so different one loved the swing the other hated it.

We kept the pack 'n play in our room instead of buying a bassinette, but put our son in his crib within the first few nights of being home. Newborns grunt and make noises when they sleep. I woke up with every peep and wasn't getting any sleep. I know plenty of other moms who want to hear every noise just to make sure the baby's ok. Our second son went straight to his crib as well.