Bassinets

[nina_yyc]

Was anyone happy with a bassinet?

We are planning to co-sleep at least p/t with the new baby, but it looks incredibly useful to have a place for the baby to nap and to sleep before we go to bed, particularly if it doubles as a change table. We had no change table with DD, and I know they aren't truly necessary, but I want one this time since our bathroom is much smaller in the place we live in now and there are no handy shelves to stash all the diapers. I'm also worried that our bed won't be safe since it's a queen size with a duvet and there will be four of us. (DD has a twin bed but not quite ready to leave yet. She didn't cosleep for the first 3mo either since we were worried about the blankets and how tiny she was.)

Anyway, there is my pro-bassinet case. The anti-bassinet case: every time I see one for sale secondhand, it looks like an unstable piece of fluffy junk and the person who posted for sale says their baby hated it. Either that or I look at reviews and they get terrible reviews and one was actually recalled. Looks like I'll have to buy new, and the bassinets I am considering are the Arm's Reach Mini and this one: http://www.toysrus.ca/product/index....TRUSCA/2567270 So, yes, expensive. Arm's Reach mini is $300 too. (I'm Canadian, so all the great deals you can find on these bassinets on the web don't ship here)

No, I can't use the Arm's Reach as an actual co-sleeper, because our bed is too low (IKEA), and I don't want a crib since DD's got so little use and a crib takes up more room and can't really be a change table. Our home is very small.

Thoughts? Are my pregnancy hormones just irrationally making me want a bassinet?

[Fujiko]

I had a bassinet with DD and got another one for my next baby, due in Feb.

I really liked it. We did co-sleep with dd until she was roughly 15-18 months old, but when she was a newborn I didn't like to have her in the bed with both dh and me. When dh got up for work, I'd bring her in bed with me, and when she was a little older we stopped using the bassinet and just co-slept. Because I was uncomfortable sleeping with a newborn, it was a great thing. I'd be even more nervous if dd was still in bed with us, but it's a personal thing.

Yeah, most bassinets seem a bit unsturdy, but in my experience a newborn isn't going to be rocking it, ya know?

[sunshynbaby]

We have a hand-me-down cradle in the living room and love it for naps. It's nice for him to be in the same room. We also use a pack-n-play bassinet for travel and it is a perfect little crib (the floor rises to be like a bassinet).

[poiyt]

I have a moses basket on a rocker thing (got it from toys t us I think..) so pretyt much a bassinett. I love it! Absolutely love it!

we co-sleep right from newborn but during the day I dont like to put dd#2 in another room, I like her near me, so the basket is set up in the living room and I just put her down in there. Works perfectly! I can tell when she is stirring before she cries because I see it moving, and she doesnt get used to sleeping in quiet because she is right in the middle of all the noise..lol

Mine is a woven basket like thing so I never worried about its sturdy-ness...but yes - I LOVE mine.

[ReadingRenee]

we have an arms reach original co sleeper and we use it as a bassinet for dd2 who is 5 mos and we love it. She uses it for naps in our bedroom and for going to bed before us and she usually sleeps in it anywhere from 7 30 pm to 1 30 am, and then she comes in with us. I like the arms reach because it has a higher weight limit than packnplaysand its a little bit bigger.

I didn't use a bassinet with dd1 because she would only sleep on me or next to me til she was over a year old. So every baby is different.